This declassified 1963 color film provides a close look at the use of various methods of cargo transfer between naval craft for purposes of “vertical replenishment,” contrasting older methods of high line transfer with modern helicopter delivery methods. The piston-powered Sikorsky H-34, which served both as a transport and ASW platform for the Navy, is featured. (TRT 13:22).
Title card: “Unclassified” (0:08). Opening credits denote the participation of the Navy’s Bureau of Supplies and Accounts (BUSANDA), Bureau of Ships (BUSHIPS), and it’s Bureau of Weapons (BUWEPS) and production by the U.S. Naval Photographic Center (0:13). A helicopter hauls a crate of cargo over the sea and onto the deck of a carrier (0:24). Aerial photography of a naval fleet of battleships underway, with a carrier at a distance (0:48). An aircraft carrier in a medium shot and a closeup (1:13). Naval mechanics wearing “dixie cup” hats work on an engine. Men in a machine shop. Cooks, aka Mess Management Specialists, aka Culinary Specialists serve cafeteria-style food to men holding out mess trays. A heavy jacket is unfolded near a stack of cardboard boxes. A battleship fires artillery cannons. A missile is launched, the camera tilts up, struggling to follow its rapid ascent (1:22). Suspended cargo is lowered onto the deck of a cruiser. Men wearing orange life preservers receive it. The fleet in a medium shot (2:03). A net of cargo is moved from ship to ship, via the “low side” method of “high line transfer.” An officer checks notes. Crates reading “Blasting Caps, Electric, Handle Carefully” and “High Explosives, Dangerous.” Another aerial long shot of a naval fleet. Passing ships. A Sikorsky H-34 helicopter makes a supply drop (2:34). The USS Altair (AK-257, later AKS-32) destroyer tender, a Greenville Victory-class cargo ship, circa its deployment to the 6th fleet. Helicopters drop cargo (4:05). Sailors receive and unload boxes of cargo. A naval helicopter stenciled “HT 4655” makes a pickup from a helicopter extended area platform, or HEAP on the USS Rigel (AF-58). A cart carries cargo across an outstretched cantilever beam (5:10). Black and white photos of the platform under construction (6:00). Unmarked boxes are transported via highline (6:19). Rushing water in the wake of a ship. Tall waves on the high seas. Highline cargo transfer and the resultant smorgasbord of supply boxes (6:46). Boxes ascend a conveyor belt aboard the Rigel. Scales and pallet trucks. New yellow-colored nylon or vinyl “nets.” Pallet trucks move cargo around the helicopter pickup area. A man uses a “pendant” rod to hook a load of cargo onto a hovering helicopter (7:54). An H-34 helicopter makes a cargo drop into the same area (9:02). A new type of ship is introduced for “early 1964,” an AOE, fast combat, fuel, and ammunition support ship. A concept drawing of the craft (9:22). Multiple helicopter deliveries to the Rigel (10:23). A bright yellow support designed for missile transport is tested. The test “missile” swings around wildly as it’s lifted away (11:01). Another missile transport test. Boxes are loaded onto a conveyor belt (11:55). The helicopter makes another pickup in a closer shot (12:53). A missile is launched from the deck of a guided missile cruiser. “The End” (13:00).
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
