# USS FORRESTAL & NUCLEAR NAVY 1956 U.S. NAVY CAPABILITIES DOCUMENTARY 21554

The cold opening of this November 18, 1956 black-and-white episode of Edward R. Murrow’s “See It Now” CBS television documentary series shows the viewer the wheel of the USS Constitution — “Old Ironsides” — the wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate launched in 1797 and the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world, with the narrator then launching into a discussion of the revered vessel’s history. From there, the viewer is shown the wheel of the USS Forrestal (CV-59), a supercarrier, and her sister ship, USS Saratoga (CV-3). “Built of steel and tungsten, she can carry over 100 jet aircraft and atomic and hydrogen bombs,” Murrow explains at mark 00:45. “She was built for use all over the world, so that this nation and this planet might survive.” “Currently there is a revolution in the navy. A revolution in ships and in weapons and in men. A revolution that really began in 1939 when Professor (Albert) Einstein wrote a letter to the President of the United States about a new kind of bomb which he predicted would be carried by boats and be capable of enormous destruction,” Murrow continues. At mark 01:42, the viewer is finally introduced to the film’s title card: “See It Now Presents Revolution in the Navy.” Much of the film takes place onboard the Forrestal as well as onboard the USS Nautilus (SSN-571), the first nuclear-powered submarine. Murrow is shown at mark 02:25 on the bridge of the Nautilus while the submarine is at sea. The purpose of the episode, he…

- Kind: Documentary
- By: PeriscopeFilm
- Genres: Documentary, Industrial and advertising
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/21554revolutioninthenavy)
- Licence or status: none stated by the archive
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/21554revolutioninthenavy?play=1)