Shot in late 1945 or early 1946, this silent home movie was created by an American sailor. The film begins in Japan where ruined city streets are shown as well as smashed buildings and infrastructure. It’s unknown precisely where this was shot, possibly Tokyo but it could also well be Nagasaki or another devastated city. At 1:41, refugees live in difficult conditions, growing vegetable gardens to support themselves. At 1:53 children run from the camera. At 2:07, a hulk of a Japanese battleship is shown. This is most likely the Nagato, which was anchored in Yokosuka at the end of the war. It had been used as a floating anti-aircraft battery and was attacked multiple times by U.S. aircraft. At 2:29, an illustration shows silhouettes of American planes including the P-38 Lightning. At 2:40, American sailors are shown busily preparing to go to sea aboard what appears to be LST-42. (This vessel performed occupation duty in the Far East and service in China until early April 1946.) At 3:37 the ship transits part of what might be Tokyo Bay past an impressive array of ships. At 3:53, USS Mineral County (LST-988) is seen. At 4:12 sailors work to splice a hemp rope on the deck. At 4:50 an officer surveys the horizon with field glasses or binoculars. At 5:11 the entrance to a harbor is shown, possibly near Shanghai. At 5:30 the rope is used to anchor the ship to the dock. At 5:45 American sailors and officers are shown on the docks, meeting Chinese counterparts. At 6:04 a ship the San Rafael is seen at the dock. At 6:17 more Chinese naval officers and men are shown lining up while at 6:33, the American flag is lowered. This is apparently a change-of-command ceremony with the USA giving the vessel over to the Chinese crew. It’s unclear precisely what ship they are turning over — it’s possibly one of the Gearing class destroyers sold to the Republic of China Navy. At 7:02 the Chinese nationalist flag is raised over the ship. At 7:35, Shanghai is shown. At 8:00 a rickshaw races past while at 8:13 an officer emerges from the PX and flags down a rickshaw. At 8:29 the officer is whisked away. At 8:38 is a brief vista of the city. At 8:44 a troopship marked either 713 or 113 is seen at the docks. At 8:49 sailors line the rails including a proud Indian sailor in his Majesty’s Navy. At 9:10 the ship departs, and various naval vessels are seen in the harbor including a hospital ship. At 9:30 men line the rail for a look. At 10:10 the ship is underway in the Pacific, headed back to either Hawaii or San Francisco and home.

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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