Rare 1941 Color US Navy aircraft USS Enterprise San Diego

Old color shots of rare US Navy aircraft aboard USS Enterprise and around the San Diego area. Filmed for the 1941 movie "Dive Bomber". Scarce aircraft such as the Douglas TBD-1 Devastator, Curtiss SBC-4 Helldiver and the Vought SB2U Vindicator are shown. It was during the filming that the US Navy was changing the paint schemes on aircraft from the colorful pre-war to the overall gray. Several planes were kept in the old patterns while the movie was filmed. Aircraft in the movie were clearly from USS Saratoga (Air Group 3) and from USS Enterprise (Air Group 6)....a very nice view of the Grumman F3F biplane fighter 6-F-4..... The best parts of the movie were just the aircraft shots. Video clips assembled by Greg Clarke.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• US
• Navy
• aircraft
• carrier
• pre
• WW2
• 1941
• color
• TBD
• Devastator
• SB2U
• Vindicator
• Grumman
• F3F
• SBC-4
• Helldiver

[mbandarra3]

Excellent...many thanks

[skyraider1404]

Thanks for watching!....and to all the other folks who have enjoyed the clips!

[longr8nge]

this video is in my favorites. when i want patriotic goosebumps, this is the one. brave men. by the way, didn't the pilots manually retract the landing gear?

[skyraider1404]

The Grumman fighters had manually-retracted wheels--up thru the F4F model.....

[blownglasslide]

Rest in Peace, Enterprise and her sailors. You will always be the best.

[likepatsandGTOs]

What a historical treasure this movie is. Thanks for the excellent editing of the aerial sequences! What a shame that the Navy scrapped the Big E in 1959 instead of treating it with the dignity it deserved as a national monument. Seeing those aircraft like the Devastators, Buffalos and Vindicators that would be hacked out of the sky less than a year later made me shudder....especially for the brave crew who flew them.

[Tubes12AX7k]

@ronpaulforpresident6 No, actually, the Helldiver that they are talking about is the earlier Curtiss biplane Helldiver that you see in the very beginning of the movie clip, the Curtiss SBC Helldiver.

[ronpaulforpresident6]

The Helldiver was not being used this early. The dive bomber is actually the Dauntless SBD-3 divebomber

[Treetop64]

Devastators and Vindicators - in color(!) Looks like it was filmed yesterday. Remarkable footage. Thanks for sharing!

[bbbbbb666b]

I was a huge fan of this aircraft carrier when i was a school kid. Knowing she had survived tons of attacks by jnese airplanes throughout the Pacific war. Hat off to these crews on the ship.

From Japan ：）

[longr8nge]

even in 1941, tis was America's business end of their military arm . . . .

[starmanfaned]

Cool

[longr8nge]

Some observances: aircraft included are from Scouting Six ( Enterprise); Fighting Six (Enterprise); Torpedo Three ( Saratoga ); Bombing Three ( Saratoga ).

[rugersix]

This is GREAT!!!!!!

[Turnback]

That footage was stunning. If not for the primitive motion picture technology back then it could have been like this was was made a year ago. And also, the failure to preserve the Enterprise for future generations was an abomination. Instead it went to the scrappers.

[neptunisregis11]

This is unbelieveable!  Thank God that it was preserved for posterity1. Some of these guys made the attacks at Midway. I can't help but be emotional when I watch this!!