Topic: Apollo recovery ships' captains and helo pilots
Lou Chinal Member
Posts: 1332 From: Staten Island, NY Registered: Jun 2007
posted 09-23-2009 01:49 AM
A friend of mine Randy, recently sent me some old copies of "Naval Aviation News".
There was an article in there that I thought might be of interest to cSPACE'rs: There was a table listing the recovery ships and the helicopter pilots, so here goes:
Apollo VII Oct. 11-22, 1968 Ship - Comm Off. Essex- Capt. J.A. Harkins Recovery Pilot- Cdr. E.A. Skube
Apollo VIII Dec. 21-27, 1968 Ship - Comm Off. Yorktown- Capt.J.G. Fifield Recovery Pilot- Cdr.G.M. Rankin
Apollo IX Mar. 3-13, 1969 Ship - Comm Off. Guadalcanal- Capt.R.M. Sudduth Recovery Pilot- Cdr. G.M. Rankin
Apollo X May 18-26, 1969 Ship - Comm Off. Princeton - Capt. F.T. Stephens Recovery Pilot- Cdr. C.B. Smiley
Apollo XI July 16-24 1969 Ship - Comm Off. Hornet - Capt. C.J. Seiberlich Recovery Pilot - Cdr. D.S. Jones
Apollo XII Nov. 14-24, 1969 Ship - Comm Off. Hornet - Capt.C.J. Seiberlich Recovery Pilot - Cdr. W.E. Aut
Apollo XIII Apr. 11-17, 1970 Ship - Comm Off. Iwo Jima - Capt. L.E. Kirkemo Recovery Pilot - Cdr. C.B. Smiley
Apollo XIV Jan.31-Feb.9, 1971 Ship - Comm Off. New Orleans - Capt. R.E. Moore Recovery Pilot - Cdr.W.E. Walker
Apollo XV July 26-Aug.7, 1971 Ship - Comm Off. Okinawa - Capt. A.F. Huff Recovery Pilot - Cdr. S.A. Coakley
Apollo XVI Apr. 16-24, 1972 Ship - Comm Off. Ticonderoga - Capt.E.A. Boyd Recovery Pilot - Cdr. Arnie Fieser
Apollo XVII Dec. 7-19, 1972 Ship - Comm Off. Ticonderoga - Capt. N.K. Green Recovery Pilot - Cdr. E.E. Dahill
Don't thank me, thank Randy. He deserves the good guy award of the month. I hope this helps some cS'ers who are recovery buffs out there. (Randy, I'm going to send you a few bucks for postage, even though you didn't ask for it.)
Lasv3 Member
Posts: 422 From: Bratislava, Slovakia Registered: Apr 2009
posted 09-23-2009 04:48 AM
This list fits very well with the one published in "Splashdown! (NASA and the Navy)" by Don Blair, except two differences:
According to the above book the Apollo 8 Recovery Pilot was Cdr. Jones and USS Princeton Commanding Officer in Apollo 10 recovery was Capt. Cruse.
To make it a little bit more complicated the book "Apollo: The Definitive Sourcebook" by David Orloff and David M. Harland gives Carl Cruise as a Princeton Commanding Officer for Apollo 10 recovery and Frank Hamler (Ticonderoga) for both Apollo 16 and 17.
And these differences we have "only" after 40 years - what will be there in 100 years time?
ea757grrl Member
Posts: 732 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
posted 09-23-2009 04:55 AM
Thank you for sharing this. It's an interesting table, and those of us who collect this kind of information appreciate it!
One correction: According to multiple sources (including Yorktown's Apollo 8 mini-cruisebook and the live coverage of the recovery), the crew of the recovery helicopter for 8 was Cdr. Don Jones, Lcdr. Carl Frank, AWC Norvel Wood and AW2 James Dorsey.
Jones (the CO of HS-4 at the time) and Chief Wood repeated their respective roles on the Apollo 11 recovery. Apollo 8 was also the first of the five recoveries accomplished with "Old 66," the famous SH-3D.
On edit: The post above this one is correct about Capt. Carl Cruse being Princeton's CO during the Apollo 10 recovery. Capt. Stephens became CO later in 1969.
Ross Member
Posts: 479 From: Australia Registered: Jul 2003
posted 09-23-2009 09:10 AM
The above list of prime recovery ship's captains including the correction of Captain Carl Cruse for Apollo 10 agrees with the list on my Recovery Ship Cover and Postmark website.
For those who are interested my site lists the captains of all PRSs from Mercury Atlas 1 to ASTP. I am, however, looking for the captain of the USS Lake Champlain for Gemini 2 and Gemini 5 and the USS La Salle for MOL. I also need confirmation of a couple of the early PRS captains (I've marked them with a '?'). Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I also hope to eventually list the Recovery Helicopter pilots for all the missions so the above list will prove to be very useful.
Posts: 1332 From: Staten Island, NY Registered: Jun 2007
posted 09-23-2009 01:13 PM
I can't vouch for the authenticity of the information here. I just copied it from the "Naval Aviation News", February 1973 issue. It said that LCdr. Paul Mullane was the Editor and Harold Andrews was the Techincal Advisor.
Anyone who wants to add to it, go right ahead. I know that there are more than just a few recovery types out there that would find this interesting, I know I did.
micropooz Member
Posts: 1532 From: Washington, DC, USA Registered: Apr 2003
posted 09-23-2009 08:20 PM
Ross, great list! I had made one up a long time ago, but it wasn't nearly as comprehensive as yours.
The CO of the Lake Champlain for GT5 was James Longino, Jr., (ref).
With respect to one of your question marks, I also have Weymouth down as the CO for the Lake on MR3, but I didn't list my reference when I made up my list.
And in the "fun facts to know and tell" category, the CO of the USS Kiowa (ATF-72, prime recovery ship for the Able-Baker monkey flight on May 28, 1959, was Lt. Joseph Guion. He just spoke to our local Space Unit chapter in DC/Baltimore a couple of weeks ago. A debrief will come out in an upcoming Astrophile.
ejectr Member
Posts: 1758 From: Killingly, CT Registered: Mar 2002
posted 09-23-2009 08:41 PM
I met the recovery pilot from Apollo 7 at a company 25th anniversary party in 1992. He was the guest of our Mid Atlantic Regional Sales Manager.
He was amazed that I knew the names of the 3 astronauts of Apollo 7. He shared some stories about the recovery and their brief stay aboard the carrier.
He actually seemed more amazed at my Navy career than his own. Nice guy. Very unassuming.
MichaelD Member
Posts: 90 From: Troy Michigan USA Registered: May 2009
posted 09-28-2009 08:04 AM
As for old 66, did they ever plot her latitude and longitude, and confirm if she is in 220ft or 800fm of water?
Is anyone serious to recover her?
cfreeze79 Member
Posts: 455 From: Herndon, VA, USA Registered: Nov 2000
posted 01-16-2010 11:56 AM
From the survivor and rescuers accounts, the helicopter was likely destroyed on impact with the water. The "220 foot" divers have not been found, and fall into the realm of "urban legends" in my opinion.
Of course, it would have been nice if Dwayne Day had contacted me in the writing of his article, as I was the one who pressured the Navy to release the mishap report, and pushed the now-indefinite effort to recover #66.
Mike_The_First Member
Posts: 436 From: USA Registered: Jun 2014
posted 03-18-2016 07:21 AM
So I don't know what to make of this about Don Klingler... just happened upon it while researching presidential pilots.
"...helped teach Buzz Aldrin to fly..." [and] "...would later pilot a mission to pick up three astronauts and Apollo 15, which had splashed into the ocean off Hawaii."
The strangest part (aside from his name not being in any other record connected to Apollo 15 recovery that I can find) is that they just touch on it like it's nothing and other articles about him don't even mention it. And check out his description:
"It was an exciting mission. We went and picked up the three astronauts, transported them and put them on a ship, then went back and picked up the capsule," Klingler said.
I know they are technically related to the Navy, but did the USMC even handle recovery flights?
As for the Buzz Aldrin part... I can't say I'm that well versed in 1960s astronaut training, but I've never seen anyone mention helicopter flying lessons. Not to mention that, again, would that have even been handled by the USMC?
With the fairly large and routine turn over in the Marine One crews, it would be pretty hard to prove or disprove someone's claims about being a part of it without access to their military records. Even the presidents themselves probably don't remember the names of all their helicopter pilots. But I feel like there would a record somewhere if this guy was the Apollo 15 recovery pilot (or even if he taught Buzz Aldrin how to fly a helicopter so he could better master the LM).
Does anyone else notice something "off" here or am I just way off base?
ea757grrl Member
Posts: 732 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
posted 03-18-2016 04:54 PM
HC-1, a Navy squadron, handled the Apollo 15 recovery. I'm not sure if USMC pilots would have been rotated through HC-1, but almost anything is possible under the right circumstances.
Even though it's probably a matter of phrasing, the "capsule" wasn't picked up by helicopter, but by a big crane aboard the recovery ship.
The article leaves me wanting to know a lot more. — Jodie Peeler
ON EDIT: There was a special cruise book produced for the crew of USS Okinawa, called "Apollo 15 Moon Book." If someone can get hold of a copy, perhaps it might shed some light?
AlanC Member
Posts: 153 From: Scotland Registered: Nov 2014
posted 03-18-2016 05:03 PM
I don't have any details on Buzz's helicopter training but Neil Armstrong and Jim Lovell learned to fly helicopters at Pensacola in November 1963 over a two week period. In fact they were returning from a training session when they heard the news about President Kennedy's assassination on the radio.
Helicopter training was a required training component for astronauts in the 1960s, so it is possible that Buzz was a pupil of his.
Mike_The_First Member
Posts: 436 From: USA Registered: Jun 2014
posted 03-18-2016 05:45 PM
Since I was on this thread already, I thought that, for those of you wondering, I might post some of my findings on the whereabouts of the recovery pilots, to aid other researchers.
Commander E(dward) A. Skube passed away in 2013. He was interred in Arlington National Cemetery.
Vice Admiral D(onald) S. Jones passed away in 2004. Interment information not available.
Commander E(dward) E. Dahill III passed away in 2007. He was cremated.
The other pilots listed are either still with us or of unknown status.
Mike_The_First Member
Posts: 436 From: USA Registered: Jun 2014
posted 03-18-2016 05:58 PM
quote:Originally posted by AlanC: Helicopter training was a required training component for astronauts in the 1960s, so it is possible that Buzz was a pupil of his.
Perhaps the best way to put it is that I'd be more inclined to believe that claim if the Apollo 15 story struck me as, well... true. It's one of those "if you embellish this aspect, what's to say you didn't embellish anything else" things.
Newspaper articles going back to the 70s credit Commander Coakley as piloting the Apollo 15 recovery (not to mention the number of PRS covers that Commander Coakley has signed as "Recovery Pilot"). Even the way that Klinger is quoted as talking about it strikes me odd.
Heck, we could all be wrong about Commander Coakley and Klinger could have done everything listed in the article. Or Klinger could be making it all up. Or somewhere in between.
I will say that his Apollo 15 recovery claims did make me more cynical to the rest of his story though.
moorouge Member
Posts: 2458 From: U.K. Registered: Jul 2009
posted 03-19-2016 02:36 AM
quote:Originally posted by Mike_The_First: The other pilots listed are either still with us or of unknown status.
When I was last in communication with Chuck Smiley he was living out a happy retirement in San Diego.
Spoon Member
Posts: 148 From: Cumbria, UK Registered: May 2006
posted 03-19-2016 06:34 AM
I have a copy of the "Apollo 15 Moon Book" and, for what it's worth, Klinger isn't mentioned at all within its pages.
Confirming what we already knew, performing the recovery alongside Commander Coakley was Lt Chip Murphy as co-pilot, ADJ1 Ernie Skeen and ATR2 Tom Hardenbergh being his fellow crewmen.
There is no mention of the personnel involved in hoisting "Endeavor" aboard USS Okinawa once the Apollo 15 crew were on deck.
oly Member
Posts: 971 From: Perth, Western Australia Registered: Apr 2015
posted 03-19-2016 09:41 AM
Were Apollo command modules hoisted from the ocean by helos? I thought they were lifted by ships crane. I believe the command module empty weight is greater than a S61 helo payload.
Mike_The_First Member
Posts: 436 From: USA Registered: Jun 2014
posted 03-19-2016 02:36 PM
So, at this point, we know that Klinger was neither the Apollo 15 recovery pilot, or even on-board the helicopter.
But, for the sake of fairness, if we assume that Klinger was using the "Royal We" that the reporter mistook for his personal involvement in the astronaut recovery, were there helicopters from the other ships? Is it possible that he was actually part of a secondary recovery force rather than the primary and simply spoke about the actions taken by the recovery force in general? Is there any way at all to verify that? That could also account for the USMC vs USN discrepancy if one of the other ships had a USMC unit.
I do still find it tough to believe that a reporter could hear "I was the pilot that recovered the Apollo 15 astronauts and crew" when what was said was "I was part of the team that recovered the Apollo 15 astronauts and crew" (or something similar), but such a mistake wouldn't necessarily be unheard of.
As for the crane vs helicopter discrepancy, it could be a number of things. Did the helicopters act as "spotters" for the capsule recovery?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 43576 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-19-2016 03:00 PM
It's anecdotal and it's not clear if it is the same Klinger, but this U.S. Navy crew list for the USS Okinawa cites "Big Jim" Allison as being aboard the ship from Sept. 15, 1970 to Dec. 21, 1971:
Had a great time on the ship... great crew and worked for some fine officers, too. Maj. Klinger and LCDR Smoot. I'll never forget it.
Mike_The_First Member
Posts: 436 From: USA Registered: Jun 2014
posted 03-19-2016 04:49 PM
As I did with the recovery pilots, here's the information I have on the ship skippers.
Captain J(ohn) G. Fifield passed away in 2014. Interment information not available.
Rear Admiral C(arl) J. Seiberlich passed away in 2006. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
Captain L(eland) E. Kirkemo passed away in 2010. He was interred at Tahoma National Cemetery.
The others listed are all of unknown status. Since names are fairly common, I posted only those that are confirmed (usually by obit) to definitely be the man in question and definitely deceased.
That said, evidence indicates (though not to the above threshold) that Captain Carl Cruse, Admiral E(dward) A. Boyd, and Captain N(orman) K. Green have also since passed away.
Since most of these men were born around 1920, they'd be in their 90's if they are still with us.
Mike_The_First Member
Posts: 436 From: USA Registered: Jun 2014
posted 03-19-2016 05:14 PM
quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: It's anecdotal and it's not clear if it is the same Klinger...
There was a Marine officer Donald P. Klinger (same middle initial as the Don Klinger in the article) who, conceivably, could have been a Major during that time frame, who served in the late 70s as the commanding officer of HMM-265, a Marine Helicopter squadron. In 1978, that squadron's "base of operations" (under his command) was — for a time, at least — the USS New Orleans.
But, even if we assume that it's the same man, what would that mean for his role in the recovery? Allison worked in the OI division, so, presumably, any officer he worked with would have done the same.
ETA: And then there's the obvious question of who embellished the story and why.
ea757grrl Member
Posts: 732 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
posted 03-19-2016 05:48 PM
quote:Originally posted by oly: Were Apollo command modules hoisted from the ocean by helos?
The CM was hoisted aboard the recovery ship by crane, either by the ship's Boat and Aircraft Crane if the ship had one, or by use of the "Tilley" tractor (which was also practiced as a backup system aboard carriers that did have a B&A Crane). The SH-3 Sea King could not have hauled the CM back to the ship, as the CM's weight was well in excess of the Sea King's payload capacity.
Another poster inquired about a USMC contingent aboard USS Okinawa during the recovery. Just about every carrier had a USMC detachment aboard, but since Okinawa was an amphibious assault ship whose usual job was to support Marine Corps amphibious operations, there would be a more prominent USMC presence aboard.
If the gentleman in the article was aboard Okinawa during the recovery, then I can understand the use of "we," but again there are too many details missing in the article for me to know what's really going on.
Mike_The_First Member
Posts: 436 From: USA Registered: Jun 2014
posted 03-19-2016 06:15 PM
quote:Originally posted by ea757grrl: If the gentleman in the article was aboard Okinawa during the recovery, then I can understand the use of "we," but again there are too many details missing in the article for me to know what's really going on.
The thing that most threw me off about his quote, and this could just be journalistic incompetence, is that he said "a ship," rather than "the ship" or "our ship."
The Okinawa would've been where he lived and worked for a period of time, if he was involved with prime recovery forces. To reduce that down to "a ship" is something I find strange, which is why I asked if he might've been working off a secondary ship, thus not having any connection to the primary.
It also could just be that the reporter didn't actually report the quote properly, but, unfortunately, such an action would reflect on Klinger, rather than the publication, since the words are attributed to him.
As I said in an above post, someone matching his name was no stranger to helicopter squadrons on-board carriers, including commanding a squadron aboard the New Orleans a few years later. So if he was stationed, in some capacity, on board the Okinawa, I wouldn't be surprised. Carriers are essentially floating bases. So, for me, the question isn't if he's there. It's what his role was and who turned that role into "primary recovery pilot."
ea757grrl Member
Posts: 732 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
posted 03-19-2016 09:40 PM
I teach journalism in my day job, and while local publications do so much for communities, some of them are more thorough in their editing and vetting than others. (There's also the matter of local publications that rely on user-generated content, but...that's a separate rant for another occasion!)
There are also times when a writer, not knowing better, will take a source's claims at face value and not think to check it out. That can become a problem because memory is a funny thing, especially the farther removed you get from the event in question. It also becomes a problem if the local publication is meant to be a feel-good publication that doesn't want to get at cross-purposes with subjects or readership (I once worked for one, and I'm certain had a story I wrote gotten a complaint from a subject, I'd have been fired.)
As before, I'm left intrigued. There are too many things about this story that don't quite click into place, and I can't figure out if it's a fault of memory, an embellishment, or some kind of editorial glitch along the way. (And for the record, had this reporter been working for me, I'd have sent that writer back to tie up those loose ends posthaste.)
oly Member
Posts: 971 From: Perth, Western Australia Registered: Apr 2015
posted 03-19-2016 09:59 PM
Has anyone checked with Buzz?
Mike_The_First Member
Posts: 436 From: USA Registered: Jun 2014
posted 03-19-2016 10:19 PM
Some of the fault assuredly lies with the writer. When someone tells you (or you believe someone told you) that they flew a specific mission of such significance, you do a little work to verify that their name is actually associated with the mission. At the very least, you verify with the source again & note the discrepancy. The writer failed in that regard.
Aside from that, we don't know who actually said what. It's possible that Klinger was honest, the writer did their job, and the editor decided that "pilot" was synonymous with whatever Klinger's role actually was. I've had editors like that, where I've had to argue that each word was, in fact, chosen for a reason over what they viewed as synonyms.
Short of reaching out to Klinger (Robert, if you'd like to clear up the confusion on behalf of cS, I'd be happy to pass along his contact information), we have to rely on the words of Dawn Kessinger and the editor of that publication. And, sadly, at least some of the words aren't accurate — thus casting doubt across the whole thing.
quote:Originally posted by oly: Has anyone checked with Buzz?
Buzz is hard to get a hold of these days, and, honestly, very likely wouldn't remember one way or the other.
moorouge Member
Posts: 2458 From: U.K. Registered: Jul 2009
posted 03-20-2016 02:37 AM
There were five helicopters deployed to recover the Apollo 15 CM as detailed from the Mission Report -
Ship support for the primary landing area in the Pacific Ocean was provided by the helicopter carrier USS Okinawa. Active air support consisted of five SH-3G helicopters from the Okinawa and two HC-130 rescue aircraft staged from Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. Two of the helicopters, designated "Swim 1" and "Swim 2", carried underwater demolition team personnel and the required recovery equipment. The third helicopter, designated "Recovery," carried the flight surgeon and was utilized for the retrieval of the flight crew. The fourth helicopter, designated "Photo," served as a photographic platform for both motion picture photography and live television coverage. The fifth helicopter, designated "Relay," served as a communications relay aircraft.
Might the gentleman in question have been in one of the helicopters not actually involved with retrieving the astronauts?
Mike_The_First Member
Posts: 436 From: USA Registered: Jun 2014
posted 03-20-2016 03:15 AM
I think we might have better luck asking if there's a way to verify such a thing. Is there any historical, non-anecdotal record of pilots (or crew) of the other helicopters off the Okinawa that were involved in the Apollo 15 recovery?
I know I saw (and bid) on a Photo Helicopter cover from a mission that I don't remember on eBay. The cover, if I recall correctly, was signed by everyone on board the helicopter for that particular flight. Is there one of those for Apollo 15 that anyone's seen? That could help confirm or eliminate that particular helicopter.
Other than things like that, I've never encountered any public personnel lists of those on-board other helicopters.
By any chance, does the Apollo 15 Moon Book go into any detail on who might have been aboard other helicopters off the Okinawa?
moorouge Member
Posts: 2458 From: U.K. Registered: Jul 2009
posted 03-20-2016 04:19 AM
You might try this site to mail one of the people on board at the time. Registration is free.
Ross Member
Posts: 479 From: Australia Registered: Jul 2003
posted 03-20-2016 08:20 AM
Regarding helicopter recovery covers signed by the crew, these are readily available for the Skylab and ASTP missions. Unfortunately, except for the actual recovery helicopter, covers are scarce to non-existent for earlier missions.
I have only seen covers from the main recovery helicopter for Apollo 15. I have never seen info on the crew members of the other five helicopters.
Mike_The_First Member
Posts: 436 From: USA Registered: Jun 2014
posted 03-20-2016 02:27 PM
I did find this transcript which, somewhat surprisingly, provides us with the names and hometowns of all crew aboard "Photo" and "Relay":
This is Apollo Control. The flight crew aboard the helicopter which will provide photo coverage for recovery operations; the pilot is Lieutenant Commander John M. Quarterman of Brunswick, Georgia; the co-pilot Lieutenant Junior Grade Ronald D. Martin, Roanoke, Virginia. Crewmen are Aviation Structural Mechanic, Second Class, Douglas P. Walker of Selma, Alabama; and Aviation Machinist's Mate Airman Gregory G. Wahl of Santa Monica, California. The crew aboard the relay helicopter; pilot is Lieutenant Michael T. Boyce, Bainbridge Island, Washington; co-pilot...
Relay's co-pilot is Lieutenant Junior Grade Timothy D. Kelly, Long Island, New York; Crewman ADR, First Class, Raymond D. Brooks of Nampa, Idaho; and Aviation Anti-Submarine Warfare Technician Airman Ronald C. Weaver, Madcroft, Wisconsin. The backup swimmers aboard Relay: the swim leader is Lieutenant Junior Grade Jonathan Smart of Belmont, Massachusetts; swimmer number 2 is Ship Serviceman, Second Class, William Ramos-Flores of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and swimmer number 3 is Boilerman, Third Class, Roderick T. Yonkers, Brookfield, Connecticut.
This is Apollo Control with a correction on the home state of Ronald C. Weaver, one of the crewmen on the Relay Helicopter. He is from Madcroft, Wyoming.
And the main recovery and two Swim helicopters:
The recovery helicopter will be piloted by Commander Stephen A. Coakley of Chula Vista, California. His co-pilot, Lieutenant Junior-Grade John M. Murphy, Jr., of La Jolla, California. Crewmen are Aviation Machinist Mate, First Class, Ernest L. Skeen of Oklahoma City, and Aviation Electronic Technician, Second Class, Thomas R. Hardenbergh of East Lansing, Michigan. A Manned Spacecraft Center Flight Surgeon, Dr. Clarence A. Jernigan of Dickinson, Texas will also be aboard Recovery helicopter. Swim 2, the prime flotation collar helicopter, is piloted by Lieutenant Commander, David D. Cameron, Jr., of Palo Alto, California; co-pilot, Lieutenant Junior Grade Stephen M. Lind of Olympia, Washington, crewman Aviation Machinist Mate, Second Class, John H. Driscoll of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, and Aviation Electronics Technician, Third Class, Bryce E. Devenport, of Glenns Ferry, Idaho. The swim team leader on that helo is Lieutenant Junior Grade, Fred W. Schmidt of Northbrook, Illinois. Swimmer Number 2, Quartermaster, First Class, William C. "Jake" Jakubowski of Lachawanna, New York. Swimmer Number 3, Yeoman, Third Class, Rudy R. Davis of Ashland, Kentucky. Swim 1 is piloted by Lieutenant Donald M. Larsen of Wellman, Iowa; co-pilot. Lieutenant Junior Grade Eric J. Challain of Olympia, Washington. Crewmen are Aviation Machinist Mate, Second Class, Larry G. Parker of Ringold, Georgia and Aviation Anti-submarine Warfare Technician Airman Thomas F. Sharafik of Hayward, Wisconsin. The swim team leader on Swim 1 is Warrant Officer Jerry L. Todd, Sturgis, Michigan, swimmer number 2 is Ship Fitter, Third Class, Frank S. Schroeder, Malvern, Pennsylvania and swimmer number 3, Radioman Seaman Roy Alan Buehler, Carrollton, Missouri.
There's no "Klinger" or "Harrod, Ohio" within the entire transcript. In fact, there's no pilot, co-pilot, or crewman listed as being from Ohio at all.
Lou Chinal Member
Posts: 1332 From: Staten Island, NY Registered: Jun 2007
posted 03-26-2016 06:59 PM
Thanks to everyone for keeping this thread alive for so many years. I thought it would be forgotten about within a week when I wrote it.
Mike_The_First Member
Posts: 436 From: USA Registered: Jun 2014
posted 02-08-2017 12:18 AM
Unfortunately, I have some sad news to report. I only just learned this today.
Captain C(harles) B. "Chuck" Smiley passed away on June 14, 2016. Interment information is unavailable. For those looking to honor his memory, the family suggested donating to the USS Midway Museum.
Captain Emiddio "Mead" Massa passed away on November 29, 2016. He was interred at Miramar National Cemetery.
For those looking to honor Captain Massa's memory, I apologize. The obituary indicates that the family suggested donations to a specific charity in his name, but, for whatever reason, seems to have omitted the name of that charity.
moorouge Member
Posts: 2458 From: U.K. Registered: Jul 2009
posted 02-08-2017 01:44 AM
Many thanks for posting this sad news.
I had the great pleasure of exchanging emails with Chuck whilst researching Apollo boilerplates. He was always willing to patiently answer my questions, even to the extent of sharing his own personal photo record of the Apollo 13 recovery.
His passing is yet another reminder that the years are passing since the close of what many consider to be the "golden age" of astronauts.
May he rest in peace.
Buel Member
Posts: 653 From: UK Registered: Mar 2012
posted 05-16-2019 04:23 PM
Good footage of Chuck Smiley here at 39 minutes, 24 seconds:
posted 09-23-2009 01:49 AM
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