President Herbert Hoover reviewing exercises of the U.S. Navy fleet off the Virginia Capes. He is aboard the Cruiser, USS Salt lake City (CA-25). A U.S. aircraft takes off from an aircraft carrier. A Voight UO-1 airplane attempts hookup with the Navy dirigible, USS Los Angeles.
A squadron of U.S. Army Air Service Keystone B-3 bombers in formation. Interior view of a compartment. Pilots seen from behind as they sit side-by-side in open cockpit. Corrugated panels on upper fuselage behind them. Pilot manipulates controls to release a bomb. View of bomb falling and striking target ship.
Montage of scenes from U.S. Navy exercises involving aircraft carrier and T4M-1 aircraft of Navy Squadron VT-2B. Crew on deck of Carrier fasten a torpedo under the fuselage of T4M-1 number 2-1-7. . The aircraft has logo, of dragon astride a bomb, painted on its side. The aircraft takes off from the carrier flight deck. Views of Navy cameraman and one from universal News hand cranking their movie cameras. View from aircraft, of explosion and smoke below and behind.Views from rear cockpit of aircraft in flight. View of Navy photographer in rear cockpit. View from rear seat of aircraft diving down towards warship underway. Views of the T4M-1 aircraft number 2-1-2 flying low over the water and releasing its torpedo. The torpedo leaving a wake as it heads toward the target ship (a single-stack freighter).Torpedo strikes target ship amidship with huge explosion.
U.S. Navy Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat fighter aircraft, from Squadron VF-12, with the number 59 painted on its fuselage, bursts into flames during landing on the deck of the aircraft carrier, USS Randolph (CV-15), in the Pacific near Okinawa. The F6F, piloted by Ensign Lowell Rund, experienced engine problems soon after takeoff and returned to the Randolph. As his F6F snags an arresting cable on the deck of the carrier, his centerline drop tank shackles fail and the 150 gallon fuel tank flies forward into the propeller, bursting into flames that engulf the aircraft. F6F-5 number 58, from the same squadron, gets caught in flames sweeping part of the flight deck of the Randolph. Firefighters carrying hose, respond. Other fire on flight deck seen in the background. They successfully rescue the pilot of number 58, who is seen on deck, as crew members help him remove his flight gear. (Not shown: Ensign Lowell Rund of number 59 was also rescued. He suffered third degree burns on his face and arms.) (World War II period).
A Grumman F4F, Wildcat, from the U.S. Navy Squadron, VF-5, lands on the flight deck of the USS Saratoga (CV-3) and runs off the end of the flight deck, crashing into a parked airplane and falling into the sea, during operations against the Japanese in the Pacific.
A flight of three U.S. Navy TBF Avenger aircraft from VT-15 on USS Essex are seen in formation flight in the Pacific theater during World War 2. (Note: sequence ends with extraneous narration and glimpse of bomb burst at night over German target in World War II, Europe.)