North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Naval forces, under SACLANT,on the high seas during Operation Strikeback. Aircraft carrier underway. View from cockpit of aircraft on final approach to land on USS Bennington, CVA-20 (film is displayed backwards). A signal officer stands on a carrier deck, with "paddles". U.S. Navy F11F aircraft lands on USS Forestal (CVA-59). The aircraft carrier, USS Midway (CVB-41) cruising, her deck filled with airplanes. View from overflying aircraft of a NATO submarine cruising on the surface. U.S. Navy EC-121, Warning Star aircraft in flight. Clouds in background. British Hawker Sea Hawk FGA.4 jets, of 806 "Ace of Diamonds" Squadron, take off from flight deck of an aircraft carrier; join up in a formation; and return to land on the aircraft carrier (probably HMS Centaur, R06.) Views of recovery, with tail hooks engaging (film is displayed backwards again). F8U Crusader being catapulted from USS Forrestal (CVA-59). View of Mirror landing system on board the USS Forrestal. An F8U Crusader aircraft landing on the USS Forrestal.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Naval forces, under SACLANT, on the high seas during Operation Strkeback exercises. Inflight refueling of U.S. Navy aircraft. Planes fly in formation. An F4D aircraft fires an air-to-air missile from under its wing. Views of missiles striking and destroying airborne targets. U.S. guided missile cruiser underway with missiles pointed up vertically. A missile is launched, as a helicopter flies low behind the ship. A missile is seen striking left wing of a large 4-engine aircraft, setting it on fire. (Two objects, with small parachutes, appear to eject from the aircraft.) A destroyer underway in heavy seas. Brief glimpse of flight deck on aircraft carrier USS Oriskany (CV-34),while underway in heavy seas.
Operation Strikeback exercise of NATO SACLANT. Mixture of naval and merchant marine scenes. U.S. navy submarine seen on surface of sea, with Regulus cruise missile on its deck. The missile is fired and the submarine submerges, out of sight. Convoy of merchant ships running in heavy seas. Loading of cargoes on a ship. Barrels, sacks and boxes in cargo nets. Men supervising the loading. Smoke rises up from the smokestack. Conning tower of a submarine emerges from water. Underwater view of submerged submarine. Captain seen at periscope inside submarine. Bubbles rise from launch of torpedo. Aerial view as torpedo strikes ship creating huge explosion and water geyser. Torpedo trail visible in water. Destroyer cruising at high speed emitting large amounts of black smoke. Depth charge detonates behind it, raising large geyser of water.
Various U.S. Navy anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations. Long range ASW, P-2V Neptune aircraft in flight. Submarine surfacing. ASW aircraft carrier USS Antietam (CVS-36) launching and landing aircraft on its angled flight deck. Navy dirigible in flight. Two S-2 tracker ASW aircraft are catapulted from the USS Tarawa (CVS-40). They join up in formation. ASW helicopter hovers low over water. Sonar device, on parachute, dropped into water from aircraft.
NATO, SACLANT Operation Strikeback. Demonstration of the British Limbo Mortar in operation from ship underway at sea. View of mortar firing bombs. The mortar employs three barrels. Crewman seen operating position control lever which has positions: "Stow; Load; Tram;Standby; Off." When crewman places lever in "load" position, the barrels move to horizontal position, aligned with loading tubes, and 400 lb depth charge bombs are loaded by a semiautomatic chain ramming system. The crew then fires the bombs and large explosions are seen in the water. (Note: This system is also used by the Royal Canadian Navy.)
NATO Exercise Strikeback. SACLANT. U.S. guided missile destroyer, DDG type, seen cruising at high speed. View of DDG firing missiles to starboard. Missiles striking near target and then striking target with explosion. Formation of small boats, equipped with large reels of cable, towing targets during the naval exercises. Hull numbers 12,and 13, are visible.