Uncommon embroidered Apollo 13 mission patch, 4″in diameter, presented by the Apollo 13 crew to a NASA Recovery Systems engineer on board the USS Iwo Jima recovery ship following successful mission splashdown on April 17, 1970. Reverse of patch is Velcro-backed. In fine condition. Accompanied by an Apollo 13 recovery cover and pamphlet, and by a letter of transmittal from the original recipient, dated April 1970: "A souvenir from the South Pacific commemorating the recovery of the third crew to the moon—Apollo 13, from on board the USS Iwo Jima." From the personal collection of Paul Kruppenbacher, a member of the NASA Houston Landing and Recovery Division who trained Apollo astronauts in water recovery procedures and was deployed on U.S. Navy aircraft carriers for crew and spacecraft recovery operations.
