This 1950’s color film provides a nautical tour of the state of Virginia, highlighting historic architectural landmarks and a diversity of steam, coal, and taker ships as they load and unload various import and export cargoes (TRT 16:54).
Opening titles over a seal: “Virginia State Ports Authority” (0:08). An early map of the Americas. Zoom in on what would become Virginia (0:21). Dissolve to historical reenactors in Colonial Williamsburg. The reconstructed Governor’s Palace. Bruton Parish Church. The Courthouse. The Wren Building. The Capitol Building (0:51). A map of cities: Alexandria, Richmond, Hopewell, and Hampton Roads. Another map shows ports: Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth (1:10). Aerial views of Hampton Roads with harbors, warehouses, and buildings (1:50). Cargo is loaded onto a ship using a rope basket and hook (2:15). The Cape Henry Memorial Cross, site of the Jamestown landing of 1607. Cape Henry Lighthouse (2:31). A small boat approaches a large cargo ship. A man in a hat climbs aboard the SS Pioneer Dale via a rope ladder (2:49). Closeup on a brass Bendix ship throttle. “Full steam ahead” (3:28). The aft of the ship and its wake behind the tiller (3:32). Old Point Comfort Lighthouse and the Virginia shoreline. The Chamberlain Hotel. Ships at harbor (3:35). A tugboat approaches from the starboard side (4:01). A large ship marked, “Rotterdam” A man in a suit and hat boards a gangplank marked “United States Lines” and greets others (4:17). Piers of Hampton Roads. Imperial Dock 3. A States Marine Lines ship. Pier L, “Norfolk and Western Railway, Lambert’s Point Docks, Inc.” A rotating crane dumps grain (4:36). Loading paper-wrapped bundles and hogsheads of tobacco for American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines (6:03). Tobacco inspection. Lifting hogsheads on a forklift in a storehouse (6:35). A birds-eye view of warehouses. Oil storage tanks. An Esso ship refueling station (6:59). A grain elevator (7:29). Jones and Boush cold storage facilities (7:44). A coal terminal. A trainyard filled with coal-filled railroad cars. High and low level piers (8:02). A giant elevator lifts and empties a train car. Another train car moves along a bridge (9:01). Service and repair facilities at Norfolk and Portsmouth shipyards. A stone drydock and a modern shipbuilding area (9:41). A private shipyard at Newport News. Ships under construction (10:30). A US Navy aircraft carrier (10:56). Crowds of passengers. The SS United States passenger vessel (11:05). A repair station at Newport News Dock 2 (11:20). A US map illustrates the port’s central location with radiating concentric circles (11:45). Steam engines and locomotives of the Virginia and Union Pacific lines. A train exits Pier 2 (12:12). Trucks and cars drive on highways (13:08). A Capital Airlines jet airliner takes off from a runway (13:16). Zoom on a map of Alexandria. Mount Vernon in Fairfax County (13:24). Aerial photography of Washington, D.C. including the Washington Monument and the Capitol building (13:44). Cargo loads and unloads from vessels in Alexandria. Rolls of newspaper are hoisted on and off ships (13:53). The port of Hopewell and the smokestacks of a chemical plant. The SS Markland screw steamer (14:35). Mounds of cargo are moved from ship to doc (14:55). Wharves and warehouses in the port of Richmond (15:32). Ships dot the horizon as light reflects off the sea (16:29). Title card: “The End” (16:40).
