First Line of Defense (1940)

[Music] e the United States Navy the floating Forks of America's first line of defense from the Atlantic to the Pacific wherever extends our interest or influence from Pearl Harbor to Panama from nor to nor from Guam to Guantanamo wherever our flag waves over water there our fighting Fleet is prepared to go but preparation takes practice so periodically the various units of our Naval forces engag in tactical Maneuvers designed to accustom crew and craft to any emergency these exercises simulate actual combat conditions every man must be trained to instant action and every ship from ke to fighting top geared to battle trim no one knows if or when or where an emergency might arise but over a century and a half of Glorious tradition have pledged the Navy to constant preparedness so as the fleet takes to the Seaway for Maneuvers they're out to show the world that they are fit to [Music] fight on route to the war games the fleet is in Battle Order in the Vanguard the Destroyers Sleek Swift Relentless keep watch for submarines or enemy service craft as advanced scouts or Convoy vessels it is their duty to act as feelers for the fleet the backbone of which has always been the battleship America's super dreadnots a gray iron bwalk for defense of our [Music] homeland eyes of the fleet are its aircraft launched from the deck of the larger ships sea planes perform invaluable reconnaissance work and are especially useful for detecting submarines which when submerged below Periscope depth are visible only from great height a catapult launches these planes from a space little more than their own [Music] l [Music] washing their bows with white water the Destroyers plow ahead to contact the mythical f it will be their Duty in today's Maneuvers to harass the enemy and divert their fire so that the heavier and more versatile Cruisers can engage them in actual battle they must pave the way for the arrival of slower ships with Superior armor and Firepower the Destroyers are the shock troops of the sea on they steam a pencil mark on the Admiral's chart marks their destination but American Science and seamanship makes the difference between sailing on paper and on water [Music] submarine sighted and down the Shute go the deadly dep bombs because the underwater detonation might spring her own Hull plates the boat has to pile on Plenty of knots and leave the ash cans far in her wake before that timing device explodes them but Zero Hour approaches from every quarter of the battle area America's fighting CFT prepare for Action here textbook strategy will be put to the test on the bridge every officer waits for the signal that will throw him into action radio communication is silenced to prevent the interception of messages and up the haard through the yardarm flutters the flag signal that starts the exercise a few square yards of bunting have set into action the most complicated mechanism ever devised by man the commander of each ship has previously been acquainted with his position in the Battle Order his speed and course have been carefully plotted in advance here is no place for The Reckless tactics of a privateer Hollywood heroics would make these scientifically planned Maneuvers nothing but autal and expensive Excursion trip indeed any deviation from orders might mean disaster for the battle hunners are slight to the ship caught in crossfire or Collision but whether a ship is allowed in the pick of action or not officers and Personnel are getting the vital exercise that marks the difference between a sailor and a man of warsman there is an air of tenseness every vessel as the intermittent shutters of powerful search light do and Bash last minute orders decks are cleared for Action as the main line the ponderous battleships turn white water to bring their Mammoth guns into position [Music] zero hour and the call to General [Music] quarters Maneuvers are no longer just figures on an admiral's chart they are now the personal concern of every man aoy on the double from every part of the ship they scramble to their Battle Stations to their turrets go the men who win battles while special details trim the ship and get it in firing [Music] order splitting seconds all the way the men of the deck crew hit their posts into the complicated meshwork of the fighting top go the men who from a hidden fire control tower will determine the range for the men in the turrets the navigation of a battleship under combat conditions is a naval art in itself but every ship is underway and waiting for the order that will send it into action this is what every man in the fleet has been waiting for Far Below decks in the magazine bags of powder are loaded onto the [Music] hoists from the depths of the ship arrive hundreds of pounds of projectiles which will soon be hurtling through the [Music] air with Precision born of rigid training the turret crew loads its guns the range is found checked with the speed of the wind and the ship and the signal is commence [Music] firing [Music] [Music] the Battle Is Over hits and misses are checked and signal to the various [Music] units Fleet Maneuvers the safety of a Nation put to the test today's exercises may have marked a page in that nation's history what went on in these Waters is more than merely lecture matter for Anapolis classrooms it is the exercise that keeps Supple the muscles of a mighty [Music] arm the United States Navy an iron wall around our Bill of Rights from sanan to San Diego from Maine to minda from ketukan to Key West wherever Stars fly with stripes over water there is an outpost of America's first line of [Music] defense the