This U.S. Navy film, likely from the late 1930s or early 1940s, features several great shots of U.S. battleships sailing at sea and takes a look at the early stages of the training of new recruits at the U.S. Naval Training Station (presumably in Rhode Island). The film opens with what appears to be Colorado-class battleships sailing in a single-file line on the sea. A shot from the POV of the bow shows the ship crashing through waves (01:04). Two sailors tie ropes on deck and hoist flags. A biplane flies over a ship. Smoke billows out of a ship’s smokestacks. Torpedoes are launched from a ship and detonate behind the boat (02:00). Footage shows the ships firing their guns as they sail. Viewers see the U.S. Naval Training Station (02:30), new recruits eating in the mess hall, a doctor examining a young recruit, another sitting in a chair for a dental exam, and a barber giving a haircut. The recruits receive their uniforms and bedding (04:09); they change into their uniforms and tightly roll their spares. Recruits experiment with sleeping in hammocks while at the training station. A bugler plays the first call (05:22). The recruits drill in the station’s yard. An officer shows the men how to handle a rifle (06:33). Men mop the kitchen. 07:01 The recruits move through the line in the mess hall to get their food (07:01). The film shows the young men studying in a library, playing basketball, handball, and horseshoes, as well as boxing during the Fleet Championship (08:12). Recruits are tested for their swimming ability. Men dive off a ship into the ocean. The recruits are shown sitting for a movie screening and then attending a church service.

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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 and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com