From mid-'73 to end of April of '75, I was on U.S.S.
New Orleans (LPH-11); happiest time of my Navy life.......

I was aboard the New Orleans when she recovered the Skylab 3 Mission Space capsule, and here is my story: On July 28, 1973 NASA launched the Skylab 3 space capsule on a Saturn rocket headed for the Skylab Space Station. Her astronaut crew consisting of Alan L.Bean, Jack R. Lousma, and Owen K. Garriott spent 59 days, 11 hours aboard Skylab. Then September 28, 1973 they headed back to Earth. Whoa!!! Let's back up a bit....... A few weeks prior to this my ship went to Hawaii and picked up the mission recovery support group. Then we steamed toward the first possible splashdown point in the Pacific. Each day while they were up there the New Orleans had to go to a certain spot on the ocean where the capsule come down if some mishap caused early mission termination. Then as needed, on September 28th, we arrived at the final splashdown point. Then we waited. Now I [look at the top of the 3rd pic (on the left) and see the 2 red 2nd-class stripes visible on my sleeve] am directly involved. I had a radio phone and binoculars. Here is where it gets exciting for me!!! I was on duty looking to spy the capsule as it came down from space. I looked and looked and looked and suddenly there it was in the sky in all its' glory...the most beautiful sight I personnelly have ever seen in my life....a bright shining (glinting in the sun), burnt space capsule, with three beautiful parachutes holding it up coming down to splashdown (the 2nd pic is where and how it looked shortly after hitting the ocean). I yelled to my shipmates, "I see it, I see it, I see it". I was on pins and needles and shaking and quaking and I am sure they could tell this in my voice. As shown in the third pic, the best was yet to come. One of our ship helicopters picked up the capsule and dropped it (gently set it) on the hanger deck just a few feet from me!!! I was weak in the knees in addition to the rest as I dutiously described this glorious, beyond belief, once in a lifetime event happening by me. Me and my shadow (3rd pic) were there. In addition, I was one of the first to see the 3 astronauts come on to the ship and I shook their hands!!! This one event and many others (as mentioned on my Navy page), prove that I absolutely, totally enjoyed my two years onboard the New Orleans.