posted 11-04-2025 01:40 PM               

Space Cover 830: STS-51L Salvage Operations

After the Challenger (STS-51L) exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, on January 28, 1986, a massive rescue and recovery effort was started eventually involving a flotilla of 28 US Navy, US Coast Guard and civilian vessels which lasted for several months - from the date of the explosion through August 1986.

Tragically, there were no survivors, however a significant amount of shuttle debris was found, including the remainder of the vital Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) in mid-February.

This recovery effort eventually led to the discovery of the problem with the SRBs and this led to a major redesign of the SRB.

Covers are known from all 28 ships involved and are typically found with postmarks between February and early May as the main shipboard salvage operations wound down in late April and early May. Ships without an onboard post office can have postmarks from multiple on-shore locations - even multiple locations for the same ship.

In addition to the flotilla of 28 ships, some additional ships that were involved in the recovery effort were commercial ships involved in the deep water salvage operations, surface and shallow water salvage effort, and auxiliary vessels.

Collectors can thank cover servicer Bob Boudwin for most of the earliest covers from these ships. As there was no "official" list of participating ships (and essentially no Internet information either), Boudwin had to spend countless hours on the phone with his many sources of information around Cape Canaveral to piece together which ships were participating.

Shown above are covers with ship RSC Boudwin received from two of the ships - USS Semmes and USS Underwood. The text box with 'Recovery Force In The Atlantic Looking For Pieces Of "Challenger" STS-51L' was added by Boudwin to all the covers he received. To acquire postmarks of February 4 - Boudwin had to have learned of the ships' participation in the recovery, prepare covers and mail to the ships from New Jersey, the covers arrive on the ship and get postmarked - all within a week!

posted 11-05-2025 05:59 AM               

Fortunately for collectors, he was not the only one.

Below a cover postmarked Cape Canaveral at the departure and arrival to port, carried on US Coast Guard Ship Dallas, which also participated in search debris.

posted 11-05-2025 05:56 PM               

The top cover is from the Canaveral Port Authority and marks the first day of recovery operations. Below it is a cover for the Coast Guard Cutter Dallas that was involved in recovering 12 tons of debris.

These three covers relate to the USS Opportune that was the lead recovery ship. The top cover marks the start of recovery operations and the bottom cover marks the end of recovery operations, with the cover in the middle from the USS Opportune and signed by the Commanding Officer.

The top cover is from the USS Preserver and is canceled early in the recovery operations. The bottom cover is canceled for the end of the right side Solid Rocket Booster wreckage recovery operations.

The top cover has the USS Sunbird's ship's cachet and is signed by the ship's commanding officer. The bottom cover has the submarine NR-1 ship's cachet and canceled on April 17, 1986 for its return to the Groton, CT submarine base.

To continue this topic further and to include a morbid subject, here are two covers marking the transfer of the Challenger crew's remains from KSC to Dover, Delaware to be returned to their families.

As an aside, I noted that I gave a pair of these KSC/Dover covers back at that time to six fellow collectors and wonder if any can now find them buried in their collections?: John Macco, Tim Preston and Ken Havekotte, with the following no longer with us: Bob Preston, Harry Rose and Dennis Dobbins.

posted 11-07-2025 06:18 AM               

Regarding the cover of the salvage rescue ship NR-1, there is one with a postmark dated March 6th, but the pattern on the cover has the date of March 5th printed on it. Anyone know the background of the production of this commemorative envelope? Why is there such inconsistency?

posted 11-08-2025 09:12 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by flyboycn2007:
Anyone know the background of the production of this commemorative envelope? Why is there such inconsistency?

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The NR-1 added the NR-1 RS cachet and March 5 date and cover sent to the Submarine Base post office for mailing which took place on March 6.

The printed wording was added - likely afterwards - by the collector Thomas McGill. I have seen this wording on other STS 51-L salvage covers addressed to Thomas McGill, such as USS W. S. Sims.

posted 11-12-2025 04:43 PM               

The carried 51-L mission cachet cover that Antonio depicted was one of only 11 covers carried onboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dallas for when the high endurance cutter left Port Canaveral on Jan. 31, 1986, and came back to the harbor port on February 4 after its mission had been completed.

The 375-foot long Hamilton-class cutter, which usually carries more than 150+ ship personnel, was the main on-scene command vessel for the Atlantic search and salvage operations.