Hornet Plus Three: The Story of the Apollo 11 Recovery
by Bob Fish
Foreword by Richard Gordon, Gemini 11 & Apollo 12.
Most of us know a lot about Apollo 11, the first time humans walked on the Moon. It started with heroic astronauts with the right stuff, teamed with NASA engineers who made the mission possible. We all recall the rocket arcing into the sky, the grainy black and white TV pictures of the first steps on the Moon, and the president greeting the astronauts on their return. What many don’t know is how Columbia and the three astronauts were recovered after the mission. That took many U.S. Navy ships and planes and literally thousands of servicemen!
Hornet Plus Three: The Story of the Apollo 11 Recovery reviews the evolution of the DoD recovery process for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs. Then, in fascinating detail, it provides new insights into the epic Apollo 11 operation that fulfilled President John F. Kennedy’s national challenge to “put men on the Moon in this decade and bring them safely back to Earth.” The book chronicles:
- The various Navy and Air Force units that effected the recovery—most of whom had recently served combat tours in the Vietnam War.
- The added complications of getting President Nixon aboard ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
- Coordinating the media so that 500 million people world-wide could watch on TV as the President welcomed the astronauts back to Earth.
- The careful consideration and implementation of quarantine procedures to deal with “Moon germs.”
- The Primary Recovery Ship, USS Hornet, did such an extraordinary job, it was pressed into service four months later to recover Apollo 12.
- Personal reflections from those who were there.
- Never-before seen photographs.
You’ll gain a new appreciation for the complexity of this aspect of the Apollo 11 mission!
