U.S. NAVY COLD WAR FILM RADIOLOGICAL DEFENSE NUCLEAR ATTACK VS. CIVILIAN MANNED SHIPS 89784

Love our channel? Help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: / periscopefilm Even a really tiny contribution can make a difference.
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @periscopefilm
This unclassified 1960 United States Navy training film outlines and demonstrates the defensive measures for a civilian vessel to take in order to prevent or reduce radiological exposure in the event of a nuclear blast. The film features what appears to be the USNS Upshur (originally named SS President Hayes) T-AP-198 transport vessel being used as an example for the defense exercise, along with crew, informational animations, and footage of nuclear blasts. USNS Upshur was part of the Military Sea Transportation Service from 1952 to 1973, and scrapped in 2011.
(0:00) Title sequence. (0:32) Starboard side shot of transport vessel at sea. (1:00) Dummy ships line the lagoon of an atoll as air burst detonation of a nuclear bomb occurs (likely footage taken as part of the Bikini Atoll tests conducted in the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958). (1:19) Diagram of air burst nuclear explosion (1:37) Diagram of surface burst nuclear explosion. (1:53) Bikini Atoll test footage of underwater nuclear burst with a variety of dummy ships along the horizon. (2:24) Underwater burst diagram. (2:43) Listed effects of nuclear bursts, emphasizing nuclear radiation. (3:10) Animation of radiation hazard particles and behavior against different forms of protection. (4:24) Text information on lifetime exposure to radiation (4:37) Aerial footage of Bikini Atoll underwater nuclear burst. (5:19) Two crewmembers discuss Station Bill. (5:36) Overview demonstration of protective measures. (5:42) Crewmembers fastening covers to hatches and closing door for shielding. (5:59) Aerial footage of ship under protective washdown and evasively maneuvering. (6:13) Crewmembers in radiation protection suits using RADIAC (Radiation Detection, Indication And Computation) detector to measure radioactive contamination. (6:21) Crew swabbing the ship's deck with decontaminating salt-water detergents. (6:32) Text overview of protective measures. (6:45) Officers discussing Station Bill, delegating responsibilities. (7:49) Crewmember reading emergency assignment card. (8:01) Radio operator receiving and handing off attack warning message. (8:08) The ship's Master receives warning and communicates orders to Senior Watch Officer. (8:17) Senior Watch Officer sounding alarm, warning crew of atomic attack over ship's Public Address (PA) system, and interacting with ventilation control panel. (8:57) Officers in Damage Control Central. (9:04) Passengers and troops retreating below deck to sheltered areas. (9:20) Crew members "buttoning up" ventilation ducts, windows on ship, fire screen doors, and manual watertight doors on ship. (9:52) Crew rigging fire hoses in fog spray position on ship. (10:36) Crew starting emergency diesel generator and cutting out unnecessary power. (10:49) Crew securing fresh water pump, sanitation system, laundry system, and evaporator. (11:05) Main fire pumps temporarily shut down while hoses are rigged, and opening hydrant. (11:19) Crew stowing portable gear. (11:28) Bridge control shutting water tight doors. (11:59) Ship washdown system being started. (12:19) Aerial views of ship washdown curtain. (13:22) Crew moving to more protected locations. (14:05) Crew in blast minimizing position. (14:43) Emergency control of physical damage and injured personnel. (15:05) Crewmember with RADIAC checking radiation level. (15:41) Ship washdown being stopped. (15:49) Crewmembers in radiation suits with RADIAC performing initial check on ship's exterior radiation levels, marking areas for decontamination. (17:44) Decontamination team in protective gear washing deck with salt water detergents. (19:29) Crew monitoring radiation and cleaning food areas of ship. (20:19) Decontaminating crewmembers. (22:42) Review of preparations for nuclear attack. (25:17) Sea Power for Security logo, film numbers, and THE END.
Motion picture films don't last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. We collect, scan and preserve 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies -- including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction. If you have films you'd like to have scanned or donate to Periscope Film, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us via the link below.
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFilm.com

[@welcome741]

That was a very geriatric crew

[@Simple_But_Expensive]

That was one wimpy washdown. Those guys are gonna cook. Basically this film was the equivalent of the mommy hatch on a submarine: “Look mom, thats the hatch we use to get out if something goes wrong.” The reality is that like the responders at Chernobyl and the twin towers, you assume you are already dead and just do what you have to to save as many as possible. Bridge crew and engineroom/boiler operators stay on watch and locked down and the on duty personnel are not relieved. They can’t be buttoned up, so they are sacrificed. Such was my training in 1980. Strangely enough, my training used the classified version of this same film. Guess they didn’t see any point in updating because nobody believed it anyway.

[@KbB-kz9qp]

A sanitized version for sure. Most likely if a nuke explodes within sight of a ship, the crew on that ship would be doomed no matter what steps they took. It seems this video would more likely apply if a nuke exploded at-some-large-distance from the ship. In that case, they would have warning and could take steps to protect themselves from the fallout cloud.

[@paulgaskins7713]

2:35 it may be radioactive? I’m quite sure it definitely will be

[@paulgaskins7713]

Lol they use the word may and can a little liberally but for sure

[@KbB-kz9qp]

I see they did show one Black guy on the crew; a slight hint of the move toward racial diversity in the Navy. Not bad for the time period.

[@PeriscopeFilm]

Yes, good observation...Navy was more advanced than other services in terms of integration.

[@davemeeks8109]

All other parts of the military just doesn't add up to the US Navy.

[@gilzor9376]

It don't matter how many steps and procedures they list, you surely only have enough time to kiss your ass goodbye.

[@lwilton]

Yea, that is what the social science teachers teach these days. In general, it ain't so. To quote from a Civil Defense sign from the 1960s: "If you are within 50 miles of an atomic explosion you have nothing to worry about". That is because you will be dead, if not immediately, within a couple of weeks. Even within that range, radiation from fallout decreases exponentially, and in most cases it is safe to venture out of a fallout shelter in about 2 weeks. If you are say 100 miles from a blast, you probably have nothing to worry about other than fallout, and you likely have an hour or so to get things buttoned up and under cover. A basement fallout shelter would be nice, but just staying inside with the windows well closed (houses leaked air a lot more in the 1960s than they do today) will probably do you just fine. Basically doing the same thing as they show here, to the extent possible for an individual or family, will most often be just fine.

[@gilzor9376]

@@braininavatnow9197 Hey Einstein, it was a joke . . . . . . try not to stress out too much today ;)

[@gilzor9376]

@@lwilton Are you freakin kidding , me! No way did I read your novel . . . . I was kidding . . . . go 'duck and cover' . . . lol

[@lwilton]

@@gilzor9376 The trouble with people that can't be bothered to read is that they can't be bothered to learn. That does not make them subject experts, despite their claims.