AIR FLEET IN ACTION

Year Published: 1930s

Format: 16mm

Description: Released by Keystone, this short film "U.S. Navy Air Fleet in Action" was one of a series of 3-4 minute shorts produced by the company for use in their line of toy movie projectors. The film shows a 1930s naval exercise with U.S. Navy battleships firing their guns in succession (:40). At (:56), a group of biplanes takes off from the deck of an early aircraft carrier. The configuration visible at (1:25) with forward large caliber gun turrets and a split island might be USS Saratoga (CV-3). In 1936, the Saratoga's air group consisted of 18 Grumman F2F-1 and 18 Boeing F4B-4 fighters, plus an additional nine F2Fs in reserve. The plane shown at (1:32) is possibly a Martin BM torpedo bomber, and the aircraft at (1:44) appears to be a Great Lakes BG dive bomber. The film shows the retrieval of aircraft starting at (2:45).

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