U.S. Navy Documentary highlights functions, duties and crew activities aboard 'The Fighting Lady', pseudonym for the USS Yorktown, CV-10, in the Pacific Theater during World War II. A sailor looks through binoculars and telescope. A sailor ties a rope. Sailors with various crew jobs stand in a group and talk. They work on instrument and equipment on the ship. The sailors load guns and fire during practice drills. Signal flags being hoisted. Sailors with headphones work on fire control of 5 inch guns. Smoke due to firing. A sailor paints the letter 'E' for "efficiency."
Functions, duties and crew activities aboard 'The Fighting Lady', pseudonym for the USS Yorktown, CV-10, in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Housekeeping activities aboard the ship. U.S. Navy sailors on the deck do exercises and lay under the sun. A man plays with a dog (the ship's mascot, named Scrappy). The ship leaves the Panama Canal. Reserve, specialists and pilots eat food. Non commission personnel stand in a mess line and serve themselves food. They sit at a table and eat food. One of the sailors smokes a cigarette. The non commission personnel peel vegetables like potatoes and cabbage. A navy butcher cuts slabs of red meat and a cook at work. A pharmaceutical unit and a hospital on the ship. A tailor, a cobbler and a dry cleaner work on the ship.
Crew activities aboard 'The Fighting Lady', the USS Yorktown, CV-10, in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Sailors on board the day before attacking Japanese forces on Marcus Island. USS Yorktown underway in the Pacific Ocean. U.S. navy sailors drink coffee and play cards. They lie on bunk beds while listening to a crewman play an accordian. Men with tattoos on their legs and hands. Men play cards. A tanker comes to refuel the ship. Fuel lines between ships with rough seas. A weather balloon is released by a crewman. The skipper talks to the air group commander and view maps of Marcus Island. An animated map with large Japanese logo on it shows the path the USS Yorktown will take through the Marshall Islands to Marcus Island. The air group commander explains about the attack and shows with his hands some fine points in air dog fighting. The crewmen play games and write letters home before the strike. The radio plotting room. A lieutenant named E.T. Stocker plays cards with other officers. Sunset wide shot of USS Yorktown underway.
View of general quarters alarm as the USS Yorktown (CV-10) in the Pacific Theater during World War II prepares for attack of Japanese forces on Marcus Island. Men run up and down stairs and close hatches and watertight doors while pilots gather in the flight ready room. The U.S. Navy fliers wear their flying suits and get ready for the attack. A sailor responds to an intercom call to flight ready room three and orders pilots to man their planes. The pilots board the planes. The fighter planes. A radio plotting room to keep track of all the planes. The planes fly low and suddenly climb up. View of Marcus Island. The planes bomb Marcus island. Smoke due to bombardment. The bombing of the enemy boats and supply ships. A ship is destroyed. Smoke on the island. The planes in flight return back after the victory. A sailor nicknamed Smoky tracks the flyers to check that none of them is missing.
U.S. turns offensive in the Pacific theater and captures Tarawa from Japan during the World War II. The U.S. invasion fleet moves toward Tarawa. Sailors on the ship discuss the strategy. A globe showing the Pacific Ocean. Marines on the fleet ships pray. The U.S. Navy opens fire. Explosions on the surface of water. Marines land and fight after a naval bombardment. More reinforcements arrive. Destroyed Japanese emplacements due to the American offensive. Wrecked Japanese weapons on the island. Korean laborers. American construction battalions repair the damaged airfield.
U.S. Torpedo Bombers TBF Avenger in various formations over jungles of Espiritu Santo Island in Pacific Theater. TBF Avengers in flight over water.