United States Arriving (MN-9928) is a short 1963 U.S. Navy film that documents President John F. Kennedy’s June 1963 inspection of the Navy’s First Fleet. The title of the film is named after the traditional call for a U.S. President approaching/boarding a naval vessel. The film opens with the Navy’s First Fleet sailing in the Pacific. Photographs briefly show the evolution of American naval ships, equipment, and weapons. A submarine cruises along the surface of the ocean (01:37). Navy men stand at attention (02:15). Franklin D. Roosevelt sits in a car and talks with a Navy official (03:56). Viewers see another aerial shot of the First Fleet out at sea. Inside a ship, men polish shoes, press uniforms, and clean the ship in preparation for JFK’s visit. The film then shows preparations being made for the presidential visit at San Diego’s Marine Corps Recruit Depot and at China Lake (05:14). On board a ship of the First Fleet, viewers see men sweep, paint the hull, and polish the ship. Men run through checks on the ship’s helicopters and planes (06:18). The fleet is refueled at sea. JFK and Secretary of the Navy Fred Korth arrive at the Marine Corps depot aboard Marine One, Sikorsky VH-3 Sea King (07:16). They are greeted by Senator Clair Engle. JFK inspects the men drawn up in formation. The Marine Corps Marching Band plays for the President. JFK tours the depot (08:20), visiting the barber shop and the physical training grounds. JFK boards Marine One and an aerial view shows the San Diego Harbor followed by the First Fleet and its Task Force 10. Viewers see several ships of the fleet (10:09), including the guided-missile heavy cruiser USS Columbus (CA-74); a guided-missile frigate, and the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-12). JFK lands on the USS Oriskany (CV-34). JFK steps out of Marine One and walks with officers as men stand at attention on deck. JFK the 21-gun salute from the other ships. Planes fly overhead and drop aerial bursts. JFK then rides Marine One to the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) (13:54), the first guided-missile attack carrier. As JFK lands, the band on the Kitty Hawk strikes up “United States Arriving.” The film shows JFK standing with Secretary Korth, California Governor Pat Brown, Senator Engle, and Admiral John H. Sides (14:51). JFK sits on the deck of the carrier and watches fleet exercises, including demonstrations of Vought F-8D Crusaders (15:23), McDonnell F-4B Phantom IIs armed with Sparrow III missiles, North American AR-5 Vigilantes, and Ryan Firebee drones. Four Vigilantes do a high-speed flyby over the Kitty Hawk. Crusaders chase a drone and fire sidewinders at it. Phantom II fighters close on a drone and hit it with a missile (17:30). Task Force 10 ships demonstrate guided missile capabilities, firing on another drone (18:18). The USS Permit (SSN-594) dives after a power broach, starting off anti-submarine warfare demonstrations (18:35). A Lockheed P-3 Orion flies overhead and tracks the submarine using smoke lights. Two tracker planes and two Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King helicopters fly to the smoke light and drop smoke flares (19:08). The helicopters lower radar equipment into the water to locate the sub. A plane drops a depth charge. The Navy’s Gyrodyne QH-50 DASH, a small remote-controlled helicopter, takes off from deck and drops a depth charge over the submarine’s last known location (20:03). Destroyers USS Ozbourn (DD-846) and USS Kyes (DD-787) fire ASROC missiles. Fighter squadrons are catapulted into the air from the deck of a carrier (21:06). JFK watches on closed-circuit monitors to see the close-up views of the fighters landing on the carrier. JFK speaks to the men aboard the Kitty Hawk (22:00). Carrier planes perform a rapid-fire salute over the fleet after JFK’s remarks (24:02); the President then greets the men aboard the carrier before taking off in Marine One.

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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