“Materials Handling Developments in the CVA-59 Class Carriers” is a color, informational film produced by the U.S. Naval Photographic Center as part of its Technical Film Report series. The film, which likely dates to the late 1950s or early 1960s, details a study and the subsequent improvements carried out by the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts and the Bureau of Ships on the USS Saratoga that sought to optimize strike down time for materials handling engineers on CVA-59 class carriers during replenishment procedures at sea.

The Forrestal-class aircraft carriers were four aircraft carriers designed and built for the United States Navy in the 1950s. The class ship was named for James Forrestal, the first United States Secretary of Defense. It was the first class of “supercarriers,” combining high tonnage, deck-edge elevators and an angled deck. USS Saratoga (CV/CVA/CVB-60), was the second of four Forrestal-class “supercarriers” built for the United States Navy in 1952.

Film opens, title page, credits (0:06). Aerial view USS Saratoga (0:23). Jets taking off from aircraft carrier: McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, North American A-5 Vigilante (RA-5C) (1:10).

Part 1 – Old system of replenishment supplies on CVA-59 Aircraft Carriers: Crew below deck layout gravity conveyors in advance of replenishment shipment (1:27). Views of crew on reefer ship funneling out boxes from lower decks of ship using conveyor belts, nylon cargo nets, cranes (2:01). Load lowered onto deck-edge elevators, crew of carrier ship rush to unload net quickly to keep landing areas clear (3:20). Hundreds of men gather, organize delivery of supplies (called stores), place them on roller conveyors (3:38). Example of stores elevator aboard USS Saratoga (one of three) extending from second deck to store room levels, boxes loaded and offloaded manually (4:56). Shot of below deck area, cramped with stacks of stores (5:36). Stacks of stores impede upon bomb assembly area, interrupt flow of operations and armament of planes (6:28). Footage of materials handling engineers continuing with strike down process while narrator summarizes main issues caused by old strike down method on CVA-59 Aircraft Carriers (6:51). Aerial view of USS Saratoga (7:45).

Part 2 – New system of replenishment supplies on CVA-59 Aircraft Carriers: Three officers in uniform sit at desk and review records (7:57). North American A-5 Vigilante (RA-5C) landing on carrier (8:15). Two stores elevators replaced with vertical tray lifts, forklift lifts tray to reveal interior with mechanism that transports goods from hangar deck to all store room levels (8:25). Gravity conveyors replaced with tubular nestable pallets (8:46). Aerial view materials handling engineers segregating net loads onto pallets as they are received, forklift trucks take pallets directly to strike down points, footage of Yale-brand forklift trucks moving with stores alongside jets in hangar deck (9:29). Shot of engineers placing stores into vertical tray lifts, close-up of boxes carried down to store rooms on tray lifts (10:23). Two engineers exemplify offloading stores from tray lift by placing simple “offloader” mechanism, next shot of gravity conveyors taking provisions from tray lifts to store rooms, intercom added to prevent blockage and overflow (11:01). Another shot of engineers on hangar deck placing stores onto tray lifts (11:44). Men working using forward tray lift which is fed through bomb elevator coming from main deck (12:00). Convertible ladders: Two engineers model how to convert ladder to conveyor belt to save time, space during strike down and transportation of stores to lower decks (12:46). Close-up of tubular pallets – stackable, wheels attached (13:52). Officers send open box crates of tomatoes, grapes, other fresh produce down on tray lifts (14:11). Close-up of lightweight aluminum four-wheel dolly used to transport stacks of stores along hanger deck (15:05). View from aircraft carrier of reefer as it uses crane and nylon net to bring stores over to aircraft carrier ship, narrator summarizes main points regarding new strike down systems on USS Saratoga (15:50). McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II takes off from carrier (16:58). Film ends (17:14).

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