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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

MV Retriever
ex
US Army LCU-1530 (1954 - 1963)

LCU-1466 Class Landing Craft Tank:

Laid down, August 1954, at Avondale Shipyards, New Orleans, LA.

Launched in 1954

Placed in service in 1954

Placed out of service in 1963 for transfer to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Final Disposition, unknown

Specifications:
Displacement 180 t.(lt), 360 t.(fl)
Length 119' (ovl.)
Beam 34'
Draft 6'
Speed 10 kts.
Range 700 nautical miles at 7 kts.
Complement 14
Cargo Capacity 150 short tons

Armament

two twin 20mm AA gun mounts, one port, one starboard

two .50 cal. machine guns

Armor 2 1/2" wheelhouse, 2" gun shield

Propulsion

three Grey Marine Diesels

three propellers, shaft horsepower 675 bhp per shaft

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
76k	NASA operated MV Retriever (ex-Army LCU-1530) in Clear Creek Channel off Galveston Bay in 1963 after delivery to NASA. Image cataloged by Johnson Space Center NASA as (NASA Photo ID: S63-8698.	Robert Hurst
228k	MV Retriever underway in 1963 Image cataloged by Johnson Space Center NASA as NASA Photo ID: S63-8722.	Robert Hurst
235k	MV Retriever with Gemini 4 backup astronauts James Lovell (left) and Frank Borman aboard during training, 25 February 1965. Image cataloged by Johnson Space Center NASA as NASA Photo ID: S65-19354.	Robert Hurst
291k	MV Retriever during Apollo program water recovery training, 1 October 1966. Image cataloged by Johnson Space Center NASA as NASA Photo ID: S66-55674.	Robert Hurst
83k	MV Retriever in the Gulf of Mexico off Galveston, Texas, during Apollo program recovery tests, in 1966. Image cataloged by Johnson Space Center NASA as NASA Photo ID: S66-27792.	Robert Hurst
132k	MV Retriever in the Gulf of Mexico off Galveston for Apollo Block II post landing qualification tests with Command Module 007A 5 April 1968. Image cataloged by Johnson Space Center NASA as NASA Photo ID: S68-30160.	Robert Hurst
168k	Apollo recovery test in the Gulf of Mexico aboard MV Retriever. Astronauts Lovell, Roosa and Duke spent 48 hours inside CSM-007A on April 5-7, 1968, evaluating the capacity of the CM to support three astronauts waiting for a delayed recovery. Johnson Space Center NASA photo # S68-31882.	Robert Hurst
93k	Apollo Command Module CSM-007 aboard MV Retriever in the Gulf of Mexico, used for manned 48-hour Apollo Block I Command Module post landing systems qualification tests. Johnson Space Center NASA as NASA Photo.	Robert Hurst
193k	Apollo 13 crew of Jim Lovell (left), Ken Mattingly, and Fred Haise climbing into Command Module boilerplate BP-1102A for egress training aboard MV Retriever, 24 February 1970. Johnson Space Center NASA photo # S70-24767.	Robert Hurst