ROYAL NAVY INSTRUCTIONAL FILMS

All these films have sound - ensure you have your speakers turned on!

Sam Pepys Joins the Navy - 1941

Ministry of Information (ADM 32)

8-minutes

Sam Pepys, a new recruit, joins up, to the amusement of the officer, who comments on his namesake's "energy, foresight and guts" as Secretary of the Admiralty. Good shots of basic training, knots, steering in a simulator, lifeboat drill, model showing how to drop anchor, gunnery practice on simulator, operation of torpedo (costs nearly 3,000 pounds), ack-ack practice. The officer then sees that Sam has been recommended for a commission, saying "bet old Sam will be proud of him." Pepys' portrait nods agreement, and asks the officer how the navy is financed. The officers reel off current prices: destroyer over 400,000; cruiser 2,000,000; battleship 8,000,000. Pepys is confounded. All this is achieved by the citizen saver.

The Duties of the Helmsman - 1941 

Naval Instructional Film A63
Produced for the Admiralty
by Byron Pictures Ltd

29-minutes

An instructional film produced for the Royal Navy showing the duties of a helmsman. Features the Type I Hunt HMS Cattistock (L35) and includes some good interior shots of Cattistock's wheellhouse which is almost identical to that of HMS Tetcott.  Also includes shots of HMS Express (H61) an E-class destroyer.

Duties of Lookouts - 1943 

Naval Instructional Film (A.191)
Royal Naval Film Section for The Admiralty


49-minutes

Royal Naval instructional film produced in 1943. Deals with the care of instruments and their method of use the particular duties of surface, anti-aircraft and night lookouts and methods of reporting and sweeping.

Footage of HMS Tuscan (R56) a T-class destroyer

Introduction to Naval Gunnery

Royal Navy Instructional Film No 71

15-minutes

"The modern gun looks and is a very elaborate piece of mechanism, but in principle exactly the same thing happens inside it when fired as did back in Nelson's days."

Some nice shots of 4"QF towards end of film. Does not appear to be the entire instructional film - just a fragment.

Meeting the U-Boat Menace - 1943

Naval Instructional Film ADM132/A59

24-minutes

Instructional film to encourage Royal Navy seamen to join the Submarine Detection Branch, using actors in main roles, but genuine training situations.