# " HOOK DOWN, WHEELS DOWN " U.S. NAVY AIRCRAFT CARRIERS IN WWII PART 1 21564a

Produced in the early 1970s, "Hook Down, Wheels Down" was one of the most comprehensive (and expensive) films made by the U.S. Navy. It covers the history and development of the U.S. aircraft carrier, and does so through interviews with many of the men who made it happen. While dozens of aircraft carriers are featured, it is the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) that takes center stage -- and the material shot on her deck looks like it is right out of "Top Gun". Shown in this film are very rare images of the first aircraft carrier USS Langley (CV-1) (formerly collier USS Jupiter AC-3). The follow on vessels are widely featured including USS Lexington (CV-3) and the USS Yorktown (CV-5) in the Battle of Coral Sea. Also featured: USS Saratoga (CV-2), USS Enterprise (CV-6), USS Hornet (CV-8), USS Wasp (CV-7), USS Ranger (CV-4), USS Yorktown (CV-5), USS Essex (CV-9), USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60), the British carrier HMS Furious, the destroyer USS Zeilin (DD-313), and many other warships. Various incidents are shown from Pearl Harbor, Midway, Coral Sea, the capture of the submarine U-505, the Marianas Turkey Shoot, the Doolittle Raid on Japan, and more. Includes interviews or appearances by many WWII naval aviators and aces including Wade McClusky, John Jay Courtney, Billy Mitchell, Gerald Bogen, Leslie Generes, John S. Thatch (of "Thatch Weave" fame), Ensign George Gay, David Campbell (whose Minsi III appears in the film), Edward "Butch" O'Hare, Charles Lindbergh, Glenn Curtiss, Clark…

- Kind: Film
- By: PeriscopeFilm
- Genres: War, Industrial and advertising
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/21564ahookdownwheelsdownr1_202003)
- 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/21564ahookdownwheelsdownr1_202003?play=1)