Apollo 13 recovery. Astronaut John Swigert, is being lifted aboard a helicopter in a 'Billy Pugh' net. Astronaut James Lovell, commander, waits his turn in the life raft (below). U.S Navy swimmers, in the water and on the life raft, are assisting the astronauts. The crew were moved to USS Iwo Jima, a prime recovery ship. The Apollo 13 mission launched on 11 April 1970. An oxygen tank failure aboard caused the lunar landing to be aborted and instead the spacecraft passed around the moon. Photographed on the 17 April 1970.