World War I Silent Feature Film "Q Ships" Wwi U-Boat Unrestricted Submarine Warfare Part 2 63874 (1928)

Synopsis

Help us save and post more orphaned films! Created in 1928, the silent feature "Q-Ships" takes place on the high seas of the Atlantic in World War I. The "Q-Ships" in question were part of an English ruse to tackle the U-boat threat: normal looking merchant vessels were converted to carry weapons, in hopes of luring an unsuspecting enemy raider to its demise. The film presents an interesting look at the WWI battle for maritime supremacy, which preceded and in many ways predicted WWII's "Battle of the Atlantic". The use of convoys, hydrophones and other means to detect U-boats, and other innovations are shown. What's particularly fascinating about this film is that it utilizes real U-boats and Q-ships in the production. The film was originally produced by New Era Productions, an English film company which made a number of semi-documentary features based on historical fact. The films presented a combination of real heroes, actual World War I footage and studio scenes that gave a feel of a real war. Copyright 1928, Part 2 of 2. Note: this particular print is a re-release from Blackhawk. Opening: The Germans are fired on, they react with concern. "Q" ships were placed in the water, they looked like real ships but were decoys. American Admirals in disguise meet and plan (:11-2:38). The Americans have drinks at a table. German sailors on a ship volunteer for dangerous service (2:39-5:00). Moonlit night. Germans plot and plan as they study a map (5:01-6:37). Two Germans shake hands…

Uploader's description on archive.org

Details

Running time

35 minutes

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Stock Footage