Windjammer & the United States Navy Taskforce Seaplane, Submarine and Destroyer

The Windjammer and the United States Taskforce Seaplane, Submarine and a USS Forrest Sherman Destoryer commanded by Captain Cranshaw. The destroyer fires a rocket propelled anti-submarine device called "Weapon Alpha". Taken from the 1958 spectacular "Windjammer: The Voyage of the Christian Radich", the first movie presentation in CINEMIRACLE. Cinemiracle was a widescreen cinema format competing with Cinerama developed in the 1950s. It was ultimately unsuccessful, with only a single film produced and released in the format. Like Cinerama it used 3 cameras to capture a 2.59:1 image. Cinemiracle used two mirrors to give the left and right cameras the same optical center as the middle camera.
This movie was a documentary film of a training cruise of the full-rigged S/S Christian Radich from Oslo across the Atlantic, through the Caribbean, to New York and back home again. "Windjammer" was produced by Louis De Rochemont and directed by his son Louis De Rochemont III. The world premiere of both Windjammer and the Cinemiracle system was at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on 8 April 1958. The film ran for 36 weeks. Windjammer was later transferred to the Cinerama format, and even to Cinemascope.
The crew consisted of the captain Yngvar Kjelstrup, 16 officers, 42 teenage cadets and the mascot dog Stump. They traveled 17, 500 miles.
This is truly one of my favorite movies since I was a child.
I grew up listening to the soundtrack of this movie and this had a great deal to do with my love for sea shanties, ships and the ocean.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• United
• States
• Navy
• Seaplane
• Submarine
• USS
• Forrest
• Sherman
• Destroyer
• Rocket
• Propelled
• Device
• Weapon
• Alpha
• Windjammer
• 1958
• Voyage
• Christian
• Radich
• Cinemiracle
• Norway
• Cadet
• Cinerama
• Cutter
• Sailing
• Ship
• Masted
• Training
• Cruise
• Full
• Rigged
• Schooner
• Louis
• De
• Rochemont
• Oslo
• Captain
• Yngvar
• Kjelstrup
• Cranshaw

[vinyltapelover]

Thank you for the upload. I remember going to see this at the Chinese Theatre and had my socks knocked off. The film started with, unbeknownst to us, with just the mid 3rd screen showing. Man when the ship was underway and the curtains open wider to reveal this panoramic view. I was blown away, for a 10 yr old. Great memories. This would have made a great IMax feature for sure.

[LoreneFaith]

@vinyltapelover Yes I too love it when the screen turns into a full panoramic view of the ship. It still is impressive!  I want to let you know that this film has just recently been restored to its full color glory and is suppose to be coming out on dvd this April or May. What I have posted to YouTube is the unrestored movie. I will post to my YouTube Windjammer video clips when the dvd is out.

[mikemcgee]

print faded it's stereo sound barely holding on to the film

[LoreneFaith]

@mikemcgee Thankfully this movie has just recently been restored. It is going to be released on DVD and this awesome history will not be destroyed.

[LoreneFaith]

@SatchmoSings Well since I love dogs, I would not mind a bit. Somebody has to do it.

[SatchmoSings]

@LoreneFaith Yes, if you were in the Navy I just know what job you'd be assigned; you'd have to clean up after "Stump."

Seems rather fitting . . .

[LoreneFaith]

Wow, all of the traveling you have done. What an adventure. If I had it all to do all over again I would join the navy and see the world. Have you seen the movie? It is wonderful. Thank you for your interesting comment.

[Philovideo]

Very interesting video! I served on board the USS Forrest Sherman DD-931 from 1975 to 1977 as a Sonar Tech. She was a fine ship. I had a great time and had a chance to visit a lot of port cities in European countries such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark England, Holland as well as France, Spain, Italy, Sicily, Palermo and a few other places!

That sailing ship S/S Christian Radich sure was clipping along at a pretty good speed in the video! Must have had favorable winds that day!

[LoreneFaith]

It is nice to know that the Navy ships are out there when needed. I just heard this morning that a Navy hospital ship is on its way to Haiti. Thank you for your service.

[Mulepick]

While onboard USS Stephen W. Groves, a USN guided missile frigate, we were required to do an all-day full speed run into the Atlantic from our Carribbean operations. The reason was to provide fuel to a Navy helicopter that was transiting out and back to Radich to pick up a sailor that had an appendicitis. 1983.