Coast Guard Cutters Around the Continent Northwest Passage 78704 (1957)
1957 · Short film · 28 min
Synopsis
This 1958 film documents the first successful transit through the Northwest Passage by the Coast Guard cutters Bramble, USCGC Spar (WLB-403) and USCGC Storis (WMEC-38). These vessels were selected to attempt a forced passage along the northern shore of Canada from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. During the 1950's anti-communism had been on the rise. By 1952, then-candidate and former WWII-hero Dwight Eisenhower ran a campaign for Presidency against "Communism, Korea and Corruption". When he won the Presidency in 1954 he signed a bill into law creating the Distance Early Warning (DEW) line. Comprising of 58 radar sites, approximately 100 miles apart across the northern slope of Alaska, Canada a Greenland these stations would provide the US early warning from Russian aerial attacks coming over the North Pole. Because a deep-water draft channel had never before been found across the Northwest Passage to resupply DEW Line stations, the STORIS along with Cutters BRAMBLE and SPAR were tasked with finding one. Magnetic fluxations and over 450 years of failed efforts had prevented this to have been accomplished up this that point in time. On July 1, 1957 the Cutters STORIS, BRAMBLE and SPAR departed Seattle in order to conquer the Northwest Passage. Preparations for the difficult voyage (as seen in the film) included fitting Bramble with a stainless steel propeller and strengthening her bow to withstand tremendous pressures created by the Arctic ice pack. Bramble departed for…
Uploader's description on archive.org
Details
- Running time
- 28 minutes
- Collection
- Ephemeral Films
Subjects on the Internet Archive
- 1957
- Coast Guard
- Northwest Passage
- 1958
- Stock Footage
