Apollo Splashdowns Near American Samoa

Apollo 10

Recovery ship,USS Princeton. The splashdown occurred in the Pacific Ocean on 26 May 1969 at 16:52:23 UT (12:52:23 p.m. EDT) after a mission elapsed time of 192 hrs, 3 mins, 23 secs. The splashdown point was 15 deg 2 min S, 164 deg 39 min W, 400 miles east of American Samoa and 5.5 km (3.4 mi) from the recovery ship.

Airlift of Astronauts from Pago Pago the U.S. aboard a C-141 Starlifter, U.S. AirForce 63 Military Airlift Wing (MAC) Norton AirForce Base, California.

Apollo 12

Recovery ship,USS Hornet. The splashdown occurred in the Pacific Ocean on 24 November 1969 at 20:58:24 UT (3:58:24 p.m. EST) after a mission elapsed time of 244 hrs, 36 mins, 24 secs. The splashdown point was 15 deg 47 min S, 165 deg 9 min W, near American Samoa and 6.9 km (4.3 mi) from the recovery ship.

Airlift of lunar rocks from Pago Pago to the U.S. aboard a C-141 Starlifter, U.S. AirForce 63 Military Airlift Wing (MAC) Norton AirForce Base, California.

Apollo 13

Recovery ship, USS Iwo Jima. The splashdown occurred in the Pacific Ocean on 17 April 1970 at 18:07:41 UT (1:07:41 p.m. EST) after a mission elapsed time of 142 hrs, 54 mins, 41 secs. The splashdown point was 21 deg 38 min, 165 deg 22 min, SE of American Samoa and 6.5 km (4 mi) from the recovery ship.

Airlift of Astronauts from Pago Pago to the U.S. aboard a C-141 Starlifter, U.S. AirForce 63 Military Airlift Wing (MAC) Norton AirForce Base, California.

Apollo 14

Recovery ship, USS New Orleans. The splashdown occurred in the Pacific Ocean on 9 February 1971 at 21:05:00 UT (4:05:00 p.m. EST) after a mission elapsed time of 216 hrs, 1 min, 58 secs. The splashdown point was 27 deg 1 min S, 172 deg 39 min W, 765 nautical miles south of American Samoa.

Airlift of Astronauts from Pago Pago to the U.S. aboard a C-141 Starlifter, U.S. AirForce 62 Military Airlift Wing (MAC) McChord AirForce Base, Washington.

Apollo 17

Recovery ship,USS Ticonderoga. The splashdown occurred in the Pacific Ocean on 19 December 1972 at 19:24:59 UT (2:24:59 p.m. EST) after a mission elapsed time of 301 hrs, 51 mins, 59 secs. The splashdown point was 17 deg 53 min S, 166 deg 7 min W, 350 nautical miles SE of the Samoan Islands and 6.5 km (4 mi) from the recovery ship USS Ticonderoga. The USS Ticonderoga was supported in its recovery effort by the USS Camden AO2 an Oiler/Ammunition ship.


Apollo Astronauts that came through and/or landed near American Samoa.

Apollo 10 Thomas P. Stafford, John W. Young and Eugene A. Cernan.

Apollo 12 Charles Conrad, Jr., Richard F. Gordon, Jr.and Alan L. Bean*

Apollo 13 James A. Lovell, Jr., John Leonard Swigert, Jr., and Fred W. Haise, Jr.

Apollo 14 Alan B. Shepard Jr., Stuart A. Roosa, and Edgar D. Mitchell

Apollo 17 Eugene A. Cernan, Harrison Jack H. Schmitt, and Ronald B. Evans

* Apollo 12 Astronauts landed near American Samoa, but did not come to Tutuila. They were in a Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF) and were taken directly to Honolulu aboard USS Hornet. The moon rocks for the Apollo 12 mission did, however, pass through American Samoa on their way to the United States.




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