Battleship Navy: WWI to 1941

The United States' destiny in the 20th century was significantly shaped by seapower. In 1898, Admiral Dewey's triumph at Manila heralded a new era for the U.S. Navy, which by 1941 had become one of the most powerful in the world. This DVD features twelve extraordinary and rare historic films made by and for the U.S. Navy during the critical decades before WWII.

Viewers can go "cruising with our Navy" in the Atlantic and Pacific, and join the Asiatic Fleet and Yangtze Patrol near Shanghai. The DVD includes original newsreels of the fight against the U-boat menace in WWI, the development of the first aircraft carriers, and the use of zeppelins by the Navy. It also captures the attack against the gunboat USS Panay that nearly provoked war four years before Pearl Harbor, and showcases the great battleship fleet in all its glory before the disaster at Pearl Harbor.

The vessels featured on this DVD include the battleships USS Arizona, USS Nevada, USS Pennsylvania, USS West Virginia, USS Tennessee, USS Oklahoma, USS Maryland, USS Utah, USS New York, USS Texas, USS Wyoming, USS Florida, USS Delaware, USS North Dakota, and USS Arkansas, the cruisers USS Augusta, USS San Francisco, and USS Quincy, the aircraft carriers USS Langley, USS Lexington, USS Saratoga, USS Ranger, USS Enterprise, USS Hornet, and USS Yorktown, along with many other ships including destroyers and auxiliaries.

Digitally remastered and restored from original 16mm prints, many of the films on this DVD have never been available to the public. However, due to their age and rarity, the image and sound quality can vary. Some of the films on the DVD are silent films with historic music soundtracks and intertitles.

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