Navy Personal Stories: The USS Wasp Retrieves the Gemini IX Space Capsule
Retrieving Gemini IX
Werner W. Hager CTT2
The Wasp (CVS-18) was the primary recovery ship for many of the Gemini Orbital Missions in the mid 1960's. She had already recovered Gemini 3, Gemini 6 and Gemini 7. I had just finished Boot Camp at Great Lakes and was assigned the Wasp while waiting for my A school to open
Arriving in Boston during the latter part of December 1965, I found the Wasp was on station waiting to recover Gemini 6 and 7. On her return I boarded the Wasp and was assigned to signals division for the nine months until my A school opened up.
It was in early May that the Wasp embarked to the Caribbean for her next assignment as the primary recovery ship for Gemini IX. The Gemini IX mission was to include docking with an Agena Target Vehicle(ATV). This was launched May 17, 1966 on an Atlas launch vehicle. Unfortunately the Atlas malfunctioned in flight, and the ATV failed to reach orbit. This forced the cancellation ("scrubbing") of the Gemini 9 launch scheduled for later that morning. It was decided to use the Augmented Target Docking Adapter (ATDA) which had been designed for use as a contingency for the ATV. The Wasp remained on station waiting for the next launch window.
During this time we basically steamed in lazy figure eights and performed flight ops while waiting. The next launch was on June 3 and it went perfectly. On their 45th revolution of the Earth, astronauts Stafford and Cernan fired the retro-rockets that slowed them down so that they would reenter. This time the computer worked perfectly, meaning they landed only 700 meters from the planned landing site and were close enough to see the prime recovery ship, USS Wasp. The splashdown happened closer to the recovery ship than any other manned spacecraft
It was a madhouse of activity what with all of the dignitaries and newsmen on board. I was playing in the Wasp band (that is another story). After the astronauts were brought aboard speeches were made. I even remember a huge cake had been made by the cooks with welcoming messages decorating the cake. The capsule itself was brought aboard and it was stored on the hanger deck. The excitement of the actual recovery was a welcome change from the boredom of the weeks of waiting.
It would be shortly after this that my A school opened up at the US Naval Communications Training Center in Pensacola Florida. Because I graduated at the top of my A school class, I was allowed to attend a C school and pick two duty stations. I requested Germany and Japan. The Navy stationed me in Kami Seya Japan where I went on to make a rate of CTT2 (Petty Officer 2nd Class).
Copyright 2016 - Created and Hosted by Werner W. Hager