The legislative and maritime history of the U.S. Merchant Marines in the period between World War 1 and World War 2. Newly launched German, Italian and Japanese ships underway at sea. Ships including the German liner Bremen and the Italian Ocean liner Rex are seen underway. People gather at a dock. American ship underway in heavy seas with waves crashing over. Point of view shot at heavy seas from deck of a ship. A man works in a ship radio room. A man watches through binoculars and uses a sextant. Sailors row a small boat with oars in heavy seas. A sailor decorated by officials of the Merchant Marines. Dock workers and ship construction workers at a shipbuilding yard in the United States working on building new ships. American liners are seen undereway including: SS Washington off shore of New York City skyline and skyscrapers, SS Manhattan also off shore of Manhattan, the SS Lurline, the SS Mariposa, and the SS President Hoover (named for Herbert Hoover) underway at sea. The U.S. flag fluttering from a flag pole. The text of the declaration of policy under the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 is shown.
View of trays containing silver stars and other U.S. military decorations. U.S. Army Lieutenant General Delos C. Emmons, commanding general of the Hawaiian department, decorates the officers and men of the submarine USS Trout in ceremonies held at Pearl Harbor, in recognition of their successful performance of a mission for the war department in enemy controlled waters in World War 2. At the left is Lieutenant Commander Frank W. Fenno, captain of the Trout. Assisting the general is Lt. Col. E.B. Whisner, secretary of the general's staff. View of Army band and honor guards on dock. U.S. Navy officers in ranks behind Army Color Guard. Standard bearer carrying General's flag. Scene shifts again to deck of the USS Trout. The General's three-star flag flies from the Trout's mast. (Note: The mission of the Trout was to deliver anti-aircraft ammunition to the U.S. forces defending Corregidor. Fenno's sub was called on to deliver the ammunition because surface ships and aircraft were unable to penetrate the tight Japanese defenses. The mission was classified as "top secret." The USS Trout delivered the munitions and then brought back more than 6 tons of Philippine gold and 630 bags of silver, as ballast. Commander Fenno was awarded the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Service Cross, by the United States Army, and the officers and enlisted men of the Trout each received the Silver Star for successfully completing this unusual and dangerous mission. The USS Trout received a Presidential Unit Citation.)
The U.S. Navy base in Pearl Harbor Hawaii. Slow camera pan across the harbor with various ships seen. USS Salt Lake City (CA-25) seen at dock. Other ships enter the harbor. Hills in the background. Damaged partially sunken ship in the harbor from the December 7, 1941 attack by the Japanese. (World War II period).
Color footage shot during WWII under the direction of John Ford for his documentary on the Battle of Midway. United States aircraft carrier underway in the Pacific Ocean. U.S. Navy F4F-4 Wildcat aircraft taking off from the flight deck. Other F4Fs warming up in the background. Men aboard the aircraft carrier. Douglas TBDs and SBDs flying low over water, simulating attacks on Japanese ships. Flak in the sky. Smoke rising from simulated burning ships.
Scenes shot under direction of John Ford during Battle of Midway. A United States aircraft carrier underway in the Pacific Ocean. U.S. Navy pilots climbing out of their cockpits after a mission. The aircraft parked on the flight deck of a carrier. The third pilot seen is Lieutenant Commander John S. Thach, inventor of the so-called "Thach weave," an aerial maneuver. Japanese flags painted on the fuselages of the aircraft, marking their victories in the air. Pilots climbing down from the aircraft on to the flight deck. The aircraft carrier underway. Other ships underway in the background.
United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in the Ballale Islands, Solomon Islands during World War II. B-24 Liberator landing on the airbase. P-39 Airacobra and B-25 Mitchell land. Airplane taxiing on the airstrip. Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service Mitsubishi A6M Zeros fly in formation.
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