Michael A. Poirier Apollo 13 Recovery Collection

The Michael Poirier Apollo 13 Recovery Collection is a small collection comprised of film footage and photomechanical prints relating to the recovery of the Apollo 13 spacecraft by the USS Iwo Jima on April 17 1970.

The film footage, which was shot by Poirier and is about ten minutes long, depicts both a SIMEX (simulation exercise) of the Apollo 13 recovery using a boilerplate Command Module (CM), as well as the actual recovery of the real CM. Several shots feature U.S. Navy Sikorsky SH-3D Sea King helicopters of HS-4 (Anti-submarine Squadron 4), including Helicopter 66. The Apollo 13 crew (James A. Lovell, John L. Swigert, and Fred W. Haise) also appear in some scenes.

Also included are ten photomechanical prints depicting scenes of the Apollo 13 splashdown and recovery. Subjects featured in the prints include U.S. Navy helicopters, the Command Module, and the Apollo 13 astronauts.