Made in the 1930s by the U.S. Navy, “Crossing the Line” shows the life of sailors in the era between the wars. The film starts with images of the fleet on its way across the Pacific as part of a large scale exercise. At 1:08 the decks are scrubbed and at 1:40 a baseball game is played on the deck of a battleship. At 1:56 boxing and other exercises are shown on deck. At 2:00 a rugby game is shown. At 2:17 some dancing and playing of music is shown, again aboard a battleship. At 2:39, the engine room crew is shown, and at 3:13 the captain on the bridge, as the fleet heads to the Hawaiian Islands.

At 3:30 the fleet arrives in Honolulu. This is probably from the “Fleet Problem” — an annual large-scale naval exercise conducted between 1923 and 1940. The fleet problems were usually once a year exercises in which U.S. naval forces would engage in mock battles. One or more of the forces would play the part of a European or Asian navy. They were the culmination of the Navy’s annual training maneuvers.

At 3:40 Hawaii is seen and at 4:25 the beach at Waikiki with its canoes and at 4:50 the hula girls. At 5:25 the fleet pounds on to Samoa and at 5:40 the tradition known as “crossing the line” — with King Neptune greeting sailors and welcoming them to his realm — is shown. At 6:40 the fleet arrives in Samoa and the sailors are greeted with traditional dances.