This colour 30-minute documentary of 1965 is a trip down memory lane. It features footage of all arms of the seagoing Naval Service (except surveying) and many weapons systems of the time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBu4Rcwpvgk
400 Ships, 100,000 men! The nation's and navy's responsibilities are much the same today, of course - 95% trade by sea, 14 Overseas Territories, NATO, our island nation rather more populous - yet the fleet is 20% and manpower 30% of the numbers in 1965.
You may recognise some of the officers and men captured on camera, though many are wearing anti-flash headgear! Ships and squadrons featured are listed below, in approximate order (much done from memory, some checking online, all mistakes my own > corrections, As & As, names of people etc gratefully received and I'll pass the combined recognition effort to the IWM Film Library).
Apologies if you are familiar with the footage. I attach comments about the film in a recently-published book (one of a new series).
Regards,
Lester
• HMS Lincoln (F99)
• Buccaneer from HMS Eagle
• HMS Eagle
• Launch of a tanker on [?] Merseyside, presumably at Cammell Laird's, Birkenhead
• Cunard liner RMS Franconia (or sister ship) in cruising paint scheme with Alexandra Towing Co tug (a Liverpool-based company)
• Superstructure of ss Canberra
• Cargo ships and liners of [?] Pacific SN Co, Federal SN Co, Blue Funnel, Lamport & Holt lines, the classic Blue Funnel steamer overflown by a Wasp helicopter
• Two Whitby class frigates, one a leader, the other perhaps HMS Londonderry (F108)
• MoD Main Building + Whitehall CommCen
• HMS Hampshire (D06)
• HMS Eagle (R05), ASW Wessex + Buccaneer aircraft
• HMS Blake, Lion or Tiger (C99, C34, C20)
• Admiralty Bustler class salvage tug towing targets
• Ton class Minesweeper (M1xxx)
• HMS Bulwark (R08) + 845 NAS Wessex
• HMS Dido (F104)
• HMS Zulu (F124)
• Submarine captain "Up periscope"
• RFA Wave Ruler (A212) RAS(L) with HMS Hampshire
• Weapon loading Buccaneer on HMS Eagle flight deck
• Wessex drops SBS frogmen in water
• Buccaneer - flying stations, flight deck handling, spreading wings, launching, low level attack
• RMs take LCAs [LCVPs?] inshore > beach assault
• RM 'sticks' embark in 845 NAS Wessex
• ASW ops with HMS Dido, HMS Zulu + Whitby class frigate and inside submarine
• Mine clearance ops
• Cruiser gunnery exercise
• A look around a County class DLG + missile firings ("wicked" accuracy of Seacat)
• ASW Wessex dunking sonar
• Wasp launching from a frigate deck
• HMS Dreadnought (S101) - inside and out
• P1127 (Harrier) - first ever carrier landing
• Launch of Buccaneer Mk II
• Launch of Polaris missile
• Closing footage includes HMS Dreadnought leaving harbour, a standard Soviet merchantman to starboard.
The End. Time for a Mickey Duck!
