This U.S. Navy propaganda film from the late 1950s shows the threat of Soviet expansion and U.S. efforts to contain it while giving viewers a look at the U.S. Navy’s sea power being developed in the “Missile Age.” The film opens with an animation of a globe showing trade routes, new sea routes developed during the Age of Great Exploration, and contemporary sea lanes crisscrossing the world’s oceans. An explosive is detonated in the sea (01:50). Footage shows a torpedo moving through a torpedo tube. Cargo is loaded onto a cargo ship (02:48). Viewers see various U.S. Navy battleships and carriers; a plane drops a bomb. The film shows footage from a communist rally (03:48), the Soviet Army marching down a street, and Nikita Khrushchev attending a Communist peace summit (04:48). Graphics are used to compare the strength of the U.S. military to that of the Soviet Union, specifically comparing the construction of Soviet naval ships to that of the U.S. since 1950. An aerial shot shows the USS Forrestal (07:48), and planes flying over the super carrier. Jets take off from the deck of the Forrestal (08:17). A plane lands on the flight deck. A missile is fired from the ship. What appears to be a Douglas A-4 Skyhawk flies through the air with a bomb and drops the ordnance (09:33). An SSM-N-8 Regulus I is launched from the Forrestal (09:55). The guided missile cruiser USS Boston moves out at sea (10:45); viewers see the ship’s missile launchers and gun mounts as a helicopter flies overhead. At the Navy’s Bureau of Ships, people design new ships (11:18). The film shows illustrations of a guided missile frigate and more guided missile carriers. Anti-submarine helicopters fly over the fleet (12:00). The film shows the launch of the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus (13:15). A supersonic P6M SeaMaster flies in the sky (13:57); another seaplane lands on the water. An anti-sub helicopter flies over water, possibly a Sikorsky H-34, (15:04). Men fire a homing torpedo from a destroyer. Viewers see a depth charge detonate. An amphibious assault carrier is shown (16:08), and Marines climb into helicopters and take off from the deck of the carrier. Navy Seabees construct docks on a beach (17:20). There is a montage of shots of missiles being fired from ships, including the Regulus I. The film uses a map and basic animation to show the threat of Soviet expansion (19:20). Viewers see a Soviet military parade (20:50), Adolf Hitler speaking with his generals, and U.S. Navy jets flying in formation. A plane drops a torpedo with parachute into the water (21:26). The film concludes with footage of Navy guns firing, bombers and fighter jets patrolling the skies, and a plane being hit by a missile and crashing into the sea.

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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=