A nice ship stamp that might easily be missed is the 5 dh. value of Sharjah's Moon Flight commemorative set, which shows a colour photograph reproduced on the stamp that was taken minutes after the splashdown on Friday, December 27, 1968, of the Apollo 8 space capsule which is seen floating in the Pacific while a recovery crew prepare to help the astronauts to safety. Waiting to welcome the astronauts is the U.S.S. Yorktown, primary recovery vessel for the splashdown. One of the "Essex" class, the Yorktown (exBon Homme Richard) is officially numbered CVS 10. She was built by the Newport News S.B. Company, laid down on December I, 1941; launched, January 21, 1943; and completed on May 15, 1943. Displacement tonnage is 30,800, standard 38.500 fully loaded. Dimensions: length 786 ft. (p.p.); 840 ft., waterline; 888 ft., overall. Her flight deck has an overall length of 876 ft., her beam is 93 ft. and max.,draft 31 ft. The width over the sponsons is 113 ft. and extreme width 136 ft. The hangar length is 720 ft., with a maximum width of 93 ft. Guns of the "Essex" class vary from 4 to 8.5 inch, 38 cal. The main engines being geared turbines of 150,000 s.h.p. driving four shafts, giving a speed of 33 knots. Complement is 1,517 (87 officers and 1,430 men, excluding air group).
1969 NC