PACIFIC FRONTIER

[Music] There is one knows not What sweet mystery about this sea whose gentle awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath. It rolls the midmost waters of the world, the Indian Ocean and Atlantic being but its arms. [Music] The same waves wash the molds of the new built California towns, but yesterday planted by the recentest grace of man, and laid the faded but still gorgeous skirts of Asiatic lands older than Abraham, while all between float milky ways of coral isles and lowlying endless archipelos. [Music] Thus this mysterious Pacific zones the world's whole bulk about it. Makes all coasts one bay to it. Seems the tide beating heart of earth. [Music] When these words were written by Herman Melville more than a century ago, the Pacific was a vast barrier separating us from lands and people seemingly as remote as the distant planets. Today, this same ocean is no longer a barrier, but a frontier linking in commerce and friendship the free nations of the Pacific Community. a community spanning five continents and comprised of 29 nations, including eight nations newly emerged since the Second World War. [Music] Today, the United States Pacific Fleet has the continuous responsibility of defending the Pacific frontier from the everpressing menace of communism and keeping its sea lanes open for the free exchange of goods and ideas. [Music] To understand the immensity of the task, let's first have a look at some of the products in this vast treasure house of the east, such as Marco Polo never dreamed of. [Music] Now what of the people who grow and manufacture these products a billion and a half strong, over half the Earth's population. They are of many races, creeds, and tongues. [Music] preserving the common heritage of these people, a free sea, can be assured only by the presence of military forces in the Western Pacific. And under the joint Pacific Command, those forces are there, ready to defend or attack as national policy dictates are the men of the hard-hitting Army of the Pacific, the planes of the Pacific Air Force and the ships, planes, and men of the Pacific Fleet to protect 83 million square miles of ocean area. The Pacific Fleet is comprised of two closely coordinated forces. In the Eastern Pacific is the First Fleet, which although primarily for training, can still strike hard at any hostile incursions. In the Western Pacific is the powerful Seventh Fleet, to which areas under more immediate threat of aggression look for their defense. Let's have a look at how the various units making up these giant fleets go about their jobs. Jobs which though performed day in and day out never become quite routine. [Music] All right, next stop anti-ubmarine task group 14.7. Together with other similar groups, its job is to protect sea lanes from enemy subs and land areas from submarine launched missile attacks. Big Shot, this is Lone Eagle 15. I have a sinker 1130 bearings 297. Big shot, 58 miles. Investigating. Lone Eagle 15. This is Big Shot. Roger. Proceeding to contact out. [Music] Flag plot. This is combat. Lone Eagle 15 reports disappearing radar contact. The plots 15 miles east. Contact reported by Golden Bear. Over. I thought I these vital operations of anti-ubmarine warfare ASW are surrounded by several unique factors. One is the simultaneous use of all three major naval weapons, surface ships, killer submarines, aircraft in a closely coordinated team. Another is the close approximation of this cold war exercise to the life and death struggle of war at its hottest. Orders to the ASW hunter killer groups are to prosecute to exhaustion any intruders until they are forced to surface and identify themselves. Only the final kill will be lacking. Commander, how far is it to the contact area? 20 miles, sir. Well, tell the ship to launch the four halos. [Applause] Big shot. This is tracker run two extending pattern with boys 9 11 and 13. At length, the enemy sub, at least the theoretical enemy sub, is forced to surface. What next? Bombs, shells, torpedoes? No. For the United States is still at peace. Theoretically, instead there would go out to the helpless sub and its exhausted crew, the courteous query, "May we help you?" Our next visit is to a carrier task group of the seventh fleet, one of three with farroving assignments in the western reaches of the Pacific frontier. Her flagship is a fast carrier able to operate for extended periods along the Asian pressure line. This is her main battery. 100 versatile high-performance aircraft. While the planes complete their assignments, their evermoving air base has arrived at a rendevous. to keep an assignment of her own. Biskly and efficiently, the oiler carries out its task of replenishment underway. Together with the many other services furnished by the fleet's mobile logistic support force, this capability for underway replenishment contributes vitally to keeping ships in a state of maximum readiness and keeping them at sea where they should be. Dave, does that answer your question on navigation? Below decks, the skipper of attack squadron 41 is rehearsing in careful detail each part of the upcoming afternoon mission. It is the rehearsal of a more serious drama which all hope will never actually happen. You get back into my 6:00 as you go into the column formation. We'll then pull up into our roll in altitude. Let's allow about 20 to 30° difference in arc for a roll in headings. When I get to release altitude, have the target well in sight. I'm going to roll over into a 30° dive angle. Let's remember now the cardinal rules about firing bullpup. Use short commands only. Be sure you align the aircraft with the target before you launch the missile. Set up your dive angle. Get your drift out. Release the missile. Within the seventh fleet is another force, the silent service, consisting of conventional and nuclearpowered submarines. Today, the adversary they face is the Soviet's mighty undersea armada. In actual war, they must expect killer tokiller encounters, like angry sharks turning and thrusting in the deep. Less dramatic, but probably more important, is the role they must play against enemy merchant shipping. Today, the Pacific Submarine Force is preparing for this role with deadly concentration. Here's our exercise target, but let's make a practice approach on it. When you're ready, clear the bridge. Captain bridge. All right, de is leaving the bridge. Last man down. Head secured. Straight board. Sound the diving line. Dive. Dive. All ahead 2/3. All ahead 2/3. Answers. All ahead 2/3, sir. Well, rig out the bow planes. Rig out the bow planes. The bow planes indicate rigged out. Well, 5° down bubble. 5° down level. 59 ft. Initial setup on a target. Number one scope. Zero bubble. Zero bubble eye. Zero bubble. Target bearing mark range mark 12,000 angle on the bow is 43 12,000 y 3 angle in the bow I will use speed5 plot con use assumed target speed of 15 knots what's the distance with the track 8,50 y observation on the target number one scope 016 range mark. No torpedoes. Not this time. All the same, another merchant set up for the kill. For sure. Donscope. [Music] Liberty to the White Hats of the Seventh Fleet. That revered American word means not just Philadelphia and Independence Hall, but Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taipei. In these and many another exotic far eastern port, sailors and marines periodically conduct their impromptu people-to-people campaigns with gusto and relish. [Music] Happy [Music] birthday. Heat. Heat. [Music] soon. Too soon, it's back to duty. Behind him, each man is leaving not only all the fun, but an image in miniature of America. Perhaps the only one a Chinese, Malayan, or Burmese will ever have. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat [Music] up here. scramble. It's an amphibious assault. Today that means attack by air, sea, and land. Today, in the distant reaches of the Pacific, it means attack by men of the fleet marine force. Adding greater punch to the assault are carriers especially refitted to accommodate helicopters each capable of transporting 10 Marines of the battalion landing team. [Music] Someday this training exercise conducted in the friendly Republic of the Philippines may be converted to dead earnest against a people who are not so friendly only a scant few hundred miles away. For here, bordering the crown colony of Hong Kong on the Asian mainland is communist China. Here behind the bamboo curtain erected by his own choice, the red Chinese stays. In fact, he must stay whether he chooses or not. So far and no farther. That's the United States national policy which the seventh fleet is enforcing on a roundthe-clock schedule and over some 10,000 hypers sensitive miles stretching from beering straits to the Bay of Bengal. For example, in the critical waters narrowly separating Formosa from the mainland, ships and planes of the Taiwan patrol force form a fine mesh screen against even the slightest threat of penetration. Nothing that floats, merchantmen, junk or samp goes through uninvestigated and unidentified. Bridge combat, our aircraft has surface contact bearing 0 niner 0 30 miles from us. Bridge combat bridge. Give me a course to intercept that contact. Bridge combat. Our contact designated skunk alpha on course 247 12 knots. Recommend course 10 0 speed 25 for intercept. Great eye. Right. Standard rudder. Right standard runner. Steady on new course. 1 0 0 1 0. All engines ahead. Flank. Indicate turns for 25 knots. Bearing 0 1 2 range 28. Time 35. Bridge combat. Time of intercept 0315 minutes. Are the recognition signals ready? Yes, sir. What speed are you at? 25 knots. C. All right, Mr. Wilson, close the contact to 3,000 y. All right, sir. Combat bridge. Old skunk alpha visually bearing 088 ship identified as a peaceful Dutchman. Pass friend. Above the straits planes of patrol squadron 4 extend the watchful range of the surface ships. Nav radar. I have a target bearing 353 27 mi from Yakoima. Roger, radar 35327 from Meco. The target looks good. Radar, take us to it. Pilot radar. The target's on the BDHF. Roger. Radar, I read on 016 38 miles. Roger, pilot. Target bearing 019 30 m. Roger. Radar. Target bearing 024 20 m. Roger. 20 m. Roger. Pilot. Target 8 miles on course. Roger. Target on course. Pilot B. I have your target at 12:30. Roger B. After station, this will be on the port side in 30 seconds. Open up your cameras back there. Roger porting run. Coming by the bow coar station got three shots. That was a good distance. Roger. After bow reports one cruiser stern and I also noticed a 10°ree starboard lift. Roger B report. Roger. Rig 27 time 0357 Zulu position 2517 north 12432 east. Okay. Uh tank captain what does the loy have Korean bear weight 12,586 tons group k box 5 sequence king post king post king post mass funnel our radar. Any more targets? Roger. I have three. Patrol, locate, identify. So the routine of the Taiwan patrol goes on today, tomorrow, and perhaps for years to come. Far to the south, Saigon, the capital of the Republic of South Vietnam, displays a deceptive facade of peace. But actually, it is a fortress. the country an armed camp which must be defended at all costs against an enemy ready to attack viciously at any point of apparent weakness or opportunity. Throughout this troubled land, the communist Vietkong is making war. Ugly war, guerilla war. Especially ugly from the naval viewpoint, is a technique of mine warfare practiced by the communists in the Mikong Delta to which the enemy has given a new and deadly twist. Posing as simple fishermen in the maze of rivercraft, they make an easy penetration unobserved, then lay their homemade minds under cover of knife. Today, elements of both the United States and South Vietnam navies are countering communist infiltrations with a novel twist of their own in the form of a junk force composed of volunteers who are being trained with the help and participation of United States military assistance advisers. In fact, the American Navy instructor seen here was seriously wounded while on a junk patrol shortly after these pictures were taken. These volunteers are now opposing terror with terror to make themselves the most feared force operating against the Vietkong. Thus this mysterious Pacific zones the whole world's bulk about. It makes all coasts one bay to it. Seems the tide beating heart of earth. Again, those true and truly prophetic words of Herman Melville written so many years ago. But today, the Pacific will zone the world's whole bulk about it only if we ensure that this Pacific remains a free ocean. Today the Pacific will make all coasts one bay to it only if all the nations bordering it are free nations. Today this Pacific will seem the tide beating heart of earth only if those tides beat on a free earth. For today and for the future as far as we can see, achieving these goals must be the steadfast task of the United States Navy on our Pacific frontier. [Music] [Applause] [Music]