COLD WAR NAVY FILM

this is jon daly with the story of a new conquest of inner space the sea spreading its boundaries over three-fourths of the Earth's surface inner space the largest hiding place on earth today a new naval weapon has linked the inner space of the sea with outer space itself and has brought within the reach of a fleet ballistic missile submarine every major military target in the world nuclear propulsion gives her unprecedented endurance and speed her firepower is Polaris 16 ballistic missiles which can be launched from these tubes far below the surface of the sea for aiming and firing her weapons a complex system of electronic computers direct Polaris to targets more than 1,500 miles away and to navigate deep under the surface of the ocean instruments that sense every movement of the submarine and guide her precisely for days even months at a time what manner of men are those who can operate and understand such a complex weapon system they are men of many backgrounds from every corner of the United States yet they have many things in common and it is this common denominator that makes the men of the FBM unique in the Navy today the majority are volunteers making the Navy a career each is a qualified submarina whose dolphins mean he knows submarines and has adapted physically and psychologically to the rigorous life of the Submariner each is a highly trained specialists outstanding enough in his own rating to be selected for advanced training in the FBM program more than 18 months of intensive study and preparation have gone into his training training in new fields of technology and engineering the FBM submarines offices and more than one-third of the crew have received nuclear training for many training begins at the nuclear power school in New London Connecticut where qualified volunteers from the submarine force our first ordered for basic instruction in Nucleonics here they review atomic physics and study the fundamental principles of nuclear fission they cram into six months of study the essential facts that will prepare them for advanced training on a live reactor this one far from the sea near arco idaho where the Navy and the Atomic Energy Commission have constructed a land-based prototype of the submarines nuclear power plant here the Submariner comes to know and understand the equipment that will soon become his responsibility from the stationary reactor he graduates to a nuclear submarine on duty in the fleet you now the equipment he knows so well helps drive his submarine fast as the swiftest surface ships deep into inner space and far across the oceans of the earth on voyages of exploration and discovery under arctic ice packs to the North Pole around the world submerged in 60 days operations that provide valuable experience to the Submariner and call world attention to the capabilities of America's nuclear submarines thousands of hours operating under every conceivable type of condition enables the nuclear Navy to make great strides in the forefront are its nuclear trained personnel whose experience and constant search for knowledge contributes to our growing understanding of nuclear science and engineering these are the men who now volunteer for the FBM program who see in its equipment and mission further challenge and an opportunity to enlarge upon their experience and education meanwhile another group of specialists learns new ways to navigate the FBM submarine inertial navigation no longer is the navigators problem just one of getting from here to there but of knowing exactly where he is at all times and for prolonged periods of time the quartermaster must learn an entirely new language of navigation nab deck acre star deck draco sins data co the vocabulary of the modern navigator seems endless and with the theory behind him he goes to a full-scale prototype of the FBM navigation center here he contracts stars with a periscope and feed celestial fixes into the ship's inertial navigational system here too he can work on actual problems get the feel of the new instruments of his profession he also comes to appreciate the problems of other members of the FBM team the navigation officer and the electronics technician who must be able to keep this and other electronics equipment throughout the submarine working at all times later the navigation team will share this converted merchantman with scientists and engineers the Navy's first ship devoted exclusively to the testing and evaluation of navigation equipment compass Island from stem to stern a compact seagoing laboratory designed to probe the sky the sea and the earth itself for those constants the Mariner needs to find his way beneath the Seas at the Navy's guided missile school of Dam Neck Virginia the men who will man the Polaris missile are in training here they begin their indoctrination into the fleet ballistic missile weapon system key weapons personnel may also go to factories producing equipment for the program on assembly lines in California they see how Polaris is manufactured they study its electrical and hydraulic systems until they know their missile from nose cone to rocket engine specialists are also needed to load and handle Polaris and keep its rocket motors in constant readiness so the torpedo man in his new role as Rocketeer and missile man studies polarises unique propulsion system he learns about high-energy solid rocket propellants compact stable safe enough to store in the submarines yet providing the thrust necessary to hurl Polaris into its ballistic trajectory his training might also include an opportunity to actually witness the test of a Polaris rocket motor and share the engineers enthusiasm for a successful shot still other men of the FBM study the missiles guidance system they too must learn inertial navigation for the same principles used to navigate the submarine will also guide Polaris to its distant targets they may also have the opportunity to see this theory transformed into systems in the ultra clean room an area so rigidly controlled to prevent the access of dust and lint that not even a motion picture camera can be allowed inside all personnel must wear special clothing and take air showers before entering the assembly area another strict precaution the missile man also observes engineering tests of the Polaris guidance system to become familiar with the equipment he will soon maintain fire control technicians must also be trained to aim and fire Polaris on this mock-up the fire control team can actually simulate the preparation and launching of a missile target data recorded on punch cards is fed into a reader the submarines own position received directly from the navigation center is also fed into computers which now sought and compared this and other information and then the firing sequence begins completely automatic until this light goes on the missile can now be launched polaris is ejected by compressed air from one of 16 vertical tubes each design to provide ready access to the missile while the submarine is at sea to the sailor who sees this new equipment come into being these are a far cry from the torpedo tubes of the conventional submarines then a chance to check out the launching system at one of the Polaris test facilities operation sky catch snatching a Polaris in midair so it can be tested over and over again soon the FBM crews converge on Cape Canaveral Florida missile town USA at the Cape they are at the heart of the nation's ballistic missile program Jupiter redstone Thor Titan sky-boat minute man Atlas here they witness new conquests of the space berry and then soon the warning light flashes on their own pad Polaris is ready for another flight down rain and the testing continues not only on the Polaris launching pads but from the ship motion simulator a launch tube that duplicates ashore the movements of a submarine so engineers can determine how the missile will perform in the environment of the sea you can get good experiences or but a sailor's element is the sea so from Port Canaveral he stands out to sea in a floating blockhouse the USS observation island below decks each element of the FBM spire control and navigation equipment is duplicated throughout the ship fbm personnel work with engineers to prepare the missile for launching nine eight seven six five four three two one but the missile must also be launched beneath the water so of San Clemente Island in California a submerged launch tube is ready to fire a live polaris missile 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 wire mark meanwhile in shipyards on both coasts the cruiser sized fbm submarines take shape on the ways work around the clock on the Navy's top priority weapons program then soon the submarine is ready for its name the name of a patriotic American for the Navy's newest men of war Patrick Henry Oh but this is only the beginning each fbm submarine must be fitted out with the cable and pipe the plate and wire that is the essence of her fighting being the FBM crews know more about her now what she is what she'll do they know because they work beside the men who built her and then commissioned a simple time-honored naval ceremony marking the beginning of active service in the United States Navy let us pray eternal God his Dominion spreads from holding Paul who governs the heavens above Morris below hear our prayers and bestow your blessing on discovering George Washington guide and protect the crew of this ship engaged in a protection of our country and the defense of our liberties thus advance your cause Almighty God in which we of the United States Navy are you liking that men throughout the world may have a greater measure of freedom and peace and they now enjoy now the fleet ballistic missile system goes to sea for more testing more training countdown after countdown to keep missile and crew in constant readiness realistic training with the real thing live Polaris missiles duplicating in every respect except nose cone and warhead the operational fleet ballistic missiles each ship will have as its main battery kind of slow edit they're not imported rocker mark then all the stand Bible finals and others ah when submarine missile and men are ready the FBM weapon system is deployed on patrol this is not a training exercise in the weeks that follow a thousand intricate tasks call upon the submarine as reserves of experience and judgment to give him endurance are the elements essential to life beneath the sea fresh air extracted from the seawater outside food served in quantity and variety activity of all kinds to sustain the man in his long isolation from the world above to keep the FBM fleet manned and on station at all times each submarine has to complete crews the blue and the gold while one crew is at sea on patrol the other is at home some are on leave many of the crew are with their families family life is important to the submarine and to the Navy too for the endurance of the inner man depends in large measure on the assurance that his interests are being looked after while he is away on patrol or trading and thus for the blue and the gold crews of the fleet ballistic missile submarines there is the challenge of a new life and the challenge of a rapidly accelerating program already three years ahead of schedule more Polaris missiles are coming off the assembly lines to be stockpiled for the FBM program more submarines new names in the patriotic class Theodore Roosevelt Abraham Lincoln robert e lee Ethan Allen and many more to come each ship will need 200 men a special kind of man who sees in this unique duty challenge and opportunity duty and responsibility for these men of the FBM know full well that their submarine and its ballistic missiles are a powerful force for world peace they know they stand on the sear efforts of the free world with a weapon system this nation hopes it will never have to use a new kind of Navy man pioneering a new concept of sea power in the age of space