Incredible flown faded yellow “Rescue” arrow from the hatch of the Apollo 17 Command Module ‘America,’ measuring 12″ x 3″, which was applied over the capsule’s exterior Kapton foil covering. The arrow pointed to the panel used to gain access to the spacecraft’s cabin from the outside, which would have been used in case of emergency. It has a distinctive and unique burn pattern due to the high temperature of re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere and it can be photo-matched to an included image of the ‘America’ floating in the South Pacific Ocean after splashdown on December 19, 1972; note the folded lower bard of the arrow’s head and the more aggressively burned bottom edge. As one of the only immediately visually identifiable elements of the spacecraft’s exterior, this is a truly remarkable and displayable piece; such flown items are virtually unobtainable. Also included is a letter of provenance from Master Chief Terrance Moy, a member of the Apollo 17 UDT [Underwater Demolition Team] 11 Recovery Team, who obtained this rescue arrow following splashdown, as well as the actual “Apollo 17 UDT Recovery Team” wetsuit used by Moy during the oceanic recovery. In overall very good condition, with obvious and expected signs of wear to the arrow; the wetsuit is slightly rigid and features tears to elbow seams and corrosion to the metal snaps.
Accompanied by a copy of the Apollo 17 UDT 11 Recovery Team roster sheet and printed images of the Apollo 17 crew alighting from their UDT recovery helicopter, the ‘America’ being hoisted aboard the recovery ship USS Ticonderoga, and the group of three U.S. Navy ‘Frogmen’ working on the ‘America’ immediately after splashdown, with Moy pictured at the very top of the Command Module.
Moy’s detailed and humorous provenance letter reads, in part: “My name is Master Chief (Ret.) Terrance (Terry) Moy and I am one of the three Frogmen for the US Navy selected to recover the Apollo 17 capsule…The Commanding Officer of the UDT Team 11 chose a group [of] six frogmen to train for the recovery mission. I was one of the three frogmen on the A Team [“primary”] and the other three selectees were on the B Team [“back-up”]…For the actual recovery, on December 19, 1972, Lt. [Jon] Smart and I climbed up on the collar and saw the astronauts through the small window of the hatch. We opened the hatch and were greeted by three space heroes who were eager to put their heads through the hatch opening to breathe fresh salt air. At that point, I pulled out a bottle of cheap champagne I had stowed in my wetsuit, and we all toasted their successful return home…After climbing a rope ladder to board, I went directly to the Chiefs’ Quarters to shower and change clothes. Lt. Smart came into the [CQ] and informed me that the physicians from NASA had discovered, through blood tests, alcohol in all three of the astronauts. Sincere there wasn’t any alcohol on the module—or bars on the moon—there were definitely explanations to be had. I asked Lt. Smart, ‘Did you throw me under the bus?’ He said, ‘YES!’ Needless to say, I would not recommend my above actions involving cheap champagne, but I would do it all again if I had the chance.”
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