Unedited film showing aircraft taking off from and landing on HMS Courageous and the Fleet at sea, in the late 1930s.

Various types of aircraft are seen taking off from and landing on HMS Courageous and being brought up on the landing deck and being taken below decks. There are Fairey Gordons, Blackburn Darts and Hawker Harts. There are shots of the wreckage of one aircraft being hauled out of the sea and a shot from the bridge of the landing deck full of aircraft. Then there are a set of shots of a fleet of unidentified ships mooring off what is probably Malta. There are shots of a naval gun at rapid fire, a sea-plane taking off from a cruiser and being recovered, long shots of ships moored, shots of Destroyer H83 coming alongside the carrier for refuelling and shots of destroyers and carriers making slow progress through very rough seas.

Notes

Documentation/associated material: for details on Captain Southby see Southby folder.

Summary: reels one and two of the Captain Southby collection. See under HMS COURAGEOUS and ROYAL REVIEW AT SPITHEAD for the remainder.

Remarks: the footage of the aircraft on the deck and in the air is outstandingly good and very rare.