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MV Retriever

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
MV Retriever in October 1966 (Apollo 1 training)
History
United States
NameMV Retriever
OwnerNASA
OperatorNASA
BuilderAvondale Shipyards in New Orleans
Laid downAugust 1954
Launched1954
In service1954
Out of service1972
FateTransferred to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
General characteristics
Class and typeLCU-1466
Displacement
  • 180 long tons (180 t)
  • 360 long tons (370 t) (landing)
Length119 ft 0 in (36.27 m)
Beam34 ft 0 in (10.36 m)
Draught
  • 6 ft (1.8 m) forward
  • 2 ft 9 in (0.84 m) aft (landing)
Propulsion3 Gray Marine 225 hp (168 kW) diesel engines, triple screws
Speed10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Range700 mi (1,100 km)
Capacity150 short tons (140 t) cargo
Complement1 officer, 12 enlisted

MV Retriever was a World War II-era Landing Craft Utility transferred to NASA from the U.S. Army. It was used to train United States astronauts for post-splashdown ocean recovery operations and water egress from their command modules during the Gemini and Apollo programs from 1963 to 1972. It operated primarily in Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

MV Retriever was one of 500 Mk V LCTs built (numbered, not named). LCU-1530 was acquired by NASA under a reimbursable loan agreement dated March 4, 1963, from the U.S. Army at Ft. Eustis, Virginia.[1]

The sides of the vessel's midsection were cut down, a new bridge built and a hoist added for NASA use. It was under the jurisdiction of the Manned Spacecraft Center's Landing and Recovery Division, and its captains included Frank M. Gammon, Sr., CWO, US Army and Dino E. Bernardi, USCG (1971–72).

In 1972, NASA transferred the MV Retriever to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) in Gloucester, Virginia, where it was used to support marine research in the Chesapeake Bay area until it was retired.[2]

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References

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  1. ^ "MV Retriever". Navsource.org. May 3, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  2. ^ Jones, Coye Mac (July 24, 2009). "NASA Motor Vessel (MV) Retriever" (PDF). Jonessite.net. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
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