USS Saipan (CVL-48) - Manned Spacecraft Recovery Force

Manned Spacecraft Recovery Force

Between the end of August and mid-November, she completed two more tours on "Yankee Station," and in early December, she got underway for Pearl Harbor. There at mid-month, she conducted communications tests; and, on the 18th, she departed Hawaii in TF 130, the Manned Spacecraft Recovery Force, Pacific. Acting as primary landing area communications relay ship, she participated in the recovery of Apollo 8 and returned to Pearl Harbor on the 29th. Two days later, she sailed for the Philippines, and, on 17 January 1969, she resumed direct communications support for naval units in Tonkin Gulf. On 6 February, she departed "Yankee Station," and, after upkeep at Yokosuka, conducted operations off southern Japan and in the Ryukyus. Toward the end of March, she sailed for Hong Kong, whence she returned to Vietnam.

Remaining on station from 6 to 14 April, she tested her Apollo communications equipment, and, on the 15th, headed back to Pearl Harbor. On 2 May, she arrived in Hawaii and once again joined TF 130. Again assigned as primary landing area communications relay ship, she departed Pearl Harbor on 11 May and steamed for the Apollo 10 recovery area, some 2,400 miles south of Hawaii. On the 26th, the capsule was recovered and the assigned ships returned to Hawaii. From there, Arlington proceeded to Midway Atoll where she provided communications support for the Nixon-Thieu conference on 8 June, and, on the 9th, she sailed west.

On 27 June, the communications ship returned to the Vietnamese coast. On 7 July, however, she was ordered east for her third Apollo recovery mission. Arriving in the recovery area on the 21st, she tested her equipment; and, on the 22d, moved to Johnston Island. On the 23d, she embarked President Richard Nixon for an overnight visit; and, on the 24th, supported the recovery of Apollo 11. Crew and capsule successfully recovered, Arlington headed for Hawaii, whence she steamed to the west coast. On 21 August, she arrived, for the first time, at her homeport, Long Beach, and four days later shifted to San Diego to begin inactivation. She was decommissioned on 14 January 1970 and berthed with the Inactive Fleet at San Diego. The ship was stricken from the Navy List on 15 August 1975, and was sold by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping on 1 June 1976.

Arlington (AGMR-2) earned 7 campaign stars for service off Vietnam.