This declassified 1955 black and white training film produced by Wilding Picture Productions Inc. for the United States Navy focuses on submarine detection methods and the selection of proper weapons for naval aircraft pilots engaged in anti-submarine warfare, with a focus on the S-2 Tracker, the first purpose-built, single airframe anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft to enter service with the United States Navy. (TRT: 18:16).

Title cards: “Confidential; United States Navy Training Film; Aerial Anti-Submarine Warfare: Weapons Selection and Methods of Attack” (0:06). A Grumman S-2 Tracker, a twin engine, propeller-driven, submarine hunting naval aircraft in flight. A submarine surfaces in the distant ocean waters below a pilot takes notice, and fires a weapon (0:39). An illustration of the plane in silhouette shows where rockets, depth bombs, and torpedoes are stored (1:13). The grounded aircraft is loaded with ammunition by sailors (1:27). Rockets, depth bombs, and torpedoes (passive and active) are compared in closeups during installation (1:48). Classes of attack are listed as columns on a chart. The rows list aircraft rockets, depth bombs, and homing weapons (2:45). Title overlay: “Early Attack”. A surfaced submarine. “Tardy Attack.” The submarine submerges. “Late Attack” The submarine is fully submerged. “Visible Attack.” A periscope and a shadow is visible (3:25). “Blind Attack” over a Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) readout (4:21). An illustration shows a rocket’s 15-degree angle of contact, and pilot’s possible angles of approach (4:25). An illustration shows a target point of 20-130 feet before the sub’s conning tower (5:33). A medium shot of the sub hunting aircraft. A pilot in a helmet and headset makes visual contact (5:58). The plane’s instrument panel inside the cockpit. Rockets are engaged and fired (6:29). The plane banks away after attacking, then drops sonobuoys and depth bombs. The chart reflects nighttime conditions (7:00). Illustrations of the ideal 15-degree approach for depth bombs (8:21). A depth charge exploding near a sub’s conning tower is depicted (9:24). Depth bombs are engaged on the plane’s instrument panel. A wide shot of the plane as it drops bombs (9:38). A homing weapon is used for a tardy or late attack (10:44). A Lockheed P2V Neptune. A co-pilot inside the submarine hunting aircraft speaks on a radio microphone. An MAD printout. (11:50). A sonobuoy is dropped (12:10). A blind attack with homing weapons is shown as a last resort. A cloverleaf flight pattern is illustrated. Animation shows a sonobuoy gathering information (12:50). Smoke markers are dropped. An active torpedo is selected with a switch. The torpedo drops with a parachute. A large explosion of water follows (13:56). A review of previous scenes in accelerated montage (15:00). Proper bomb placement is illustrated (16:58). A pilot’s thumb fires a torpedo (17:28). Title card over the seal of the U.S. Navy Department: “Sea Power for Security, The End” (17:58).

The Grumman S-2 Tracker (S2F prior to 1962) was the first purpose-built, single airframe anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft to enter service with the United States Navy. Designed and initially built by Grumman, the Tracker was of conventional design — propeller-driven with twin radial engines, a high wing that could be folded for storage on aircraft carriers, and tricycle undercarriage. The type was exported to a number of navies around the world. Introduced in 1952, the Tracker and its E-1 Tracer derivative saw service in the U.S. Navy until the mid-1970s, and its C-1 Trader derivative until the mid-1980s, with a few aircraft remaining in service with other air arms into the 21st century. Argentina and Brazil are the last countries to still use the Tracker.

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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