U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Spar & Bramble Transit Northwest Passage 22994 (1957)

Synopsis

In this episode of the True Adventure TV series from the early 1960s, viewers go on an expedition through the Northwest Passage with the U.S. Coast Guard. The episode opens with dramatic shots of the Arctic, including an ice shelf breaking off ( 00:08 ). Host Bill Burrud discusses the Coast Guard’s voyage through the Northwest Passage. There are various shots of the Arctic Ocean with a number of different ships navigating its waterways ( 02:23 ). The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bramble sails out of Miami Harbor ( 02:47 ). The Bramble arrives at the Panama Canal and sails along the waterway, passing Gatun Lake and the canal city of Gamboa ( 04:41 ). A coastal shot of Acapulco ( 05:25 ) shows the next stage in the journey. Here, members of the Coast Guard have a bit of free time, enjoying the sandy beach. Back at sea, a Coast Guard plane arrives to evacuate a sick member of the crew ( 06:12; 06:28 ). The Bramble arrives at Seattle harbor where more Coast Guard ships wait to join the expedition ( 06:59 ), including the Coast Guard’s Spar and the Navy’s icebreaker Burton Island ( 07:25 ). Gear and supplies are loaded onto the ships, including an emergency heater. The ships leave the harbor eventually cross the Arctic Circle, moving into the Beaufort Sea ( 09:28 ). A helicopter brings mail from Cape Perry to the Bramble ( 10:08 ). The cutters push through ice fields ( 10:37 ) in Amundsen Gulf, but eventually become stuck. A helicopter takes off from a cutter to look for a new path. A…

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Details

Running time

26 minutes

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Stock Footage