THE YORKTOWN LIVE ON T.V. AROUND THE WORLD
APOLLO 8 RECOVERY as seen through the lens of photographer Daniel A. Bernath PH2
I was a photographers mate and had
the best job on the USS Yorktown and even in the US Navy. I went into all spaces, met and talked with
everyone whether officer or enlisted. As a photographer I led a varied life. In
the morning I’d be photographing the Captain or the Admiral in
officer's country, then
be down in the boiler rooms with the black gang photographing a damaged boiler
wall. That afternoon I could be up in a helicopter, or on the deck photographing
flight operations.
I had more fun that a millionaire could buy and believe that I had a lot more fun as a photographer than if I had gone to college and came into the Navy as an Ensign. Because I was a photographer, I had lots of pictures of myself doing different things, made by the other photographers.
It was a great job but one day
topped all the other days. I was an 18 year old 3rd Class Petty Officer
Photographers Mate and once again orders came in that we were to "set the
special sea and anchor detail, make preparations for getting underway."
Nothing new here, the Yorktown didn’t seem like she spent much time in port.
In my short year on her I had already been all over the far east. But now it was
something special. We were to practice recovering a space capsule and the men of
the Yorktown were to
recover the capsule and its crew.
Click onto
picture of launch to see and hear the launch
(short version).
Click here for 2 minute AUDIO version of lift off
Saturn 5 rocket less than five minutes after launch. Apollo 8 astronauts at 35,000 feet. The camera was looking almost directly up to make this photograph. Hold your computer over your head to see what this looked like to the camera crew aboard the C135 aircraft photographing the Apollo 8 astronauts 35 miles directly above them.
Remember and Honor your Service aboard "The Fighting
Lady."
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