USS Philippine Sea (CVA-47) returns home to San Francisco, California. Fireboat with fire hoses welcomes USS Philippine Sea. Men hold colored balloons. The balloons are tied to line watch. The ship enters the port. Squadron of planes passes overhead. Golden Gate Bridge in the background. San Francisco dock area. Planes on flight deck of the aircraft carrier. Stern of the carrier. Ship passes under bridge. Men in uniforms on flight deck and walk along catwalk. F9F Panther aircraft on flight deck.
USS Philippine Sea (CVA-47) returns home to San Francisco, California. Men in uniforms on flight deck and walk along catwalk. A huge crowd gathered on the pier to welcome USS Philippine Sea. Family members wave as ship comes alongside pier. Automobiles on the pier. Officers greet wives on pier. Men pick up children in their arms. People hug each other. Family members greet sailors. People go aboard the aircraft carrier. A large crane lowers F9F Panther from deck on the pier at Dartmouth Naval Air Station.
USS Philippine Sea (CVA-47) returns home to San Francisco, California. Planes on flight deck. People go aboard the aircraft carrier. A huge crowd gathered on the pier to welcome USS Philippine Sea. Family members wave as ship comes alongside pier. Officers greet their wives on pier. Men pick up children in their arms. People hug each other. Family members greet sailors. A large crane lowers F9F Panther from deck on the pier at Dartmouth Naval Air Station, Alameda. Men in uniforms on flight deck walk along catwalk. Colored balloons tied to welcome the ship USS Philippine Sea.
USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) in Japan Sea. Tanker ship refuels USS Philippine Sea. A huge wave splashes the side of ship. Cargo transferred from tanker ship. Gasoline detail securing hose. Men having a snow ball fight on deck in snow storm. Planes astern. Ordnance men load machine guns during snow storm. F4U Corsair planes and AD-1 Skyraider spotted on deck. Snow on flight deck. F4U Corsair planes on snow covered deck.
USS Lexington (CV-2) passing through the Gaillard Cut of the Panama Canal as she heads into the Pacific Ocean during World War 2, Her deck is full of aircraft. Sailors perform routine chores, mopping and cleaning. They stow propellers in the hangar deck. Sailors at mess in the dining hall and ready to sleep in their bunks. Officers in the ward room. Aviators discussing air navigation. Air crews receiving orders on flight deck. During an interlude crew members enjoy themselves swimming in tropical waters. They dive from the flight deck, from a lower section of the ship, and even from the ship's anchor. Sailors seen climbing the anchor chain. In an exercise of combat readiness, sailor sounds general quarters with bugle over ship's intercom. Aviators respond and are briefed about mission. Deck crews make aircraft ready for flight. Pilots run to F4F airplanes. Douglas Dauntless aircraft start their engines on deck.
A newsreel compilation of several unrelated shots. A P-40 of the 57th Fighter Group takes off from deck of the USS Ranger (CV-4). In an unrelated shot, a view looking back past tail of an aircraft after takeoff, with the USS Enterprise behind. A Douglas SBD Dauntless airplane takes off from a Yorktown class carrier. View back past its tail in a pre-war shot as an airplane leaves the Lexington behind. On Feb. 20, 1942, during World War 2, while en route to attack Rabaul,in New Guinea, the Lexington is attacked by eighteen Japanese planes. She shoots down several of them. Machine gunners firing. Bombs bursting in water near the ship. An F4F with collapsed landing gear near edge of flight deck. Black smoke rising from burning Japanese plane in water. Sky blackened with flak. Machine gun tracer bullets visible. Inserted scenes show the stern of a British carrier, and views of a bombing attack in the Mediterranean against a British Illustrious class carrier. Another inserted scene shows a lone sailor running the length of the flight deck on the USS Enterprise in the Battle of Santa Cruz. A Japanese airplane bursts into flames. Another is struck and dives trailing smoke.( An inserted view of U.S. Douglas TBD Devastators peeling off and launching torpedoes.) Douglas Dauntless aircraft recovering back on the Lexington. Flight deck full of aircraft as the Lexington makes way in the Pacific. Animated segment showing numerous drawings of aircraft carriers and airplanes headed toward Japan. (Inserted view of Four U.S. aircraft carriers, USS Lexington, USS Ranger, USS Yorktown, and USS Enterprise seen together in prewar maneuvers.)