This silent home movie was made by Purcell Wood, the owner of the Gillette Camera Store on Park Avenue in New York City, and rented out to customers who wanted to entertain guests for the evening. The film shows the events of May 31, 1934 as the U.S. Navy’s Atlantic Fleet steamed into New York harbor. Among the vessels there that day was the USS Indianapolis (CA-35), which came into New York with President Franklin D. Roosevelt on board. Other ships there that day included USS Overton (DD-239/APD–23), a Clemson-class destroyer (seen at :51 near the United States Lines / White Star passenger pier). At 2:10, the Indianapolis is seen flying the Presidential flag as it comes up the Hudson River. At 2:50, the mighty battleship USS Pennsylvania, flagship of the fleet, cruises past the Empire State Building. At 3:40, the Indianapolis salutes the Pennsylvania with gun fire before docking. At 5:40, large crowds are seen gathering on the shoreline to observe the fleet’s arrival, and at 6:30 Marines and sailors parade down 5th Avenue. At 7:50 the aircraft carriers USS Lexington and USS Saratoga are seen docked at 50th Street pier. The filmmaker cruised up the Hudson filming the various ships anchored in the river. Cruisers are seen at 11:50 although it’s unclear to us which ones they are precisely (if you can ID them please do so in the comments). USS Portland is almost certainly one of them. Other ships that are likely shown include USS Chicago (CA-29), USS Salt Lake City (CA-25), USS Dickerson (DD-157) and USS Chester (CA-27).

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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