Surgical fastener applying apparatus

A surgical stapling apparatus, comprising:

• a cartridge assembly including a cartridge body that supports a plurality of staples, the cartridge assembly including a safety lockout pivotally coupled to the cartridge body between a locked orientation and an unlocked orientation;
• a knife that is movable through the cartridge body;
• and
• a shipping wedge removably attached to the cartridge body, the shipping wedge including:
• an abutment positioned to cover the knife, the abutment disposed in cooperate engagement with the safety lockout to maintain the safety lockout in the locked orientation when the shipping wedge is attached to the cartridge body;
• and
• a post positioned to prevent the knife from moving relative to the cartridge body.

A cartridge assembly for a surgical stapling apparatus, the cartridge assembly comprising:

• a cartridge body that supports a plurality of staples;
• and
• a shipping wedge removably attachable to the cartridge body, the shipping wedge including:
• an abutment extending upwardly from the shipping wedge and configured to cover a knife of the surgical stapling apparatus;
• and
• a post extending upwardly from the shipping wedge and configured to prevent the knife from moving relative to the cartridge body.