Troop Transports In World War II: Lafayette & Wakefield

Producer: Traditions Military Video

Media: Video
Service: Army,Navy
Theater: World War II
Video: B&W  55 Minutes
 
This video contains two government-produced films: Salvage of the USS Lafayette (Normandie) and The Story Of A Troop Transport: USS Wakefield (Manhattan). Many unique and never before seen views of Lafayette and Wakefield make up this video.
 
Indepth Information About This Video
 
"Salvage Of USS Lafayette" was produced in 1943 for the Navy's Bureau of Ships. The French liner Normandie, 1,029 feet long, is shown in pre-war scenes. At the outbreak of war in 1941 it was transferred to the U.S. Navy and renamed Lafayette. On 9 February 1941 at Pier 88, New York City, the ship caught fire from a burner's torch and in the next few hours the entire ship was burned. It capsized the next day due to flooding. A major salvage effort was commenced which included removing 5,000 tons of superstructure and the establishment of two diving schools, one for civilians and one for Navy personnel. The two starboard 23-ton screws were removed prior to the ship's righting. Placement of wood bulkheads and shoring timbers is described along with other details of work prior to righting the ship including the placement of dozens of pumps inside the vessel. On 6 August 1942, righting of the ship commenced. After several delays, on 15 September the Lafayette floated clear. In November it was moved to a drydock having been salvaged at a cost of $4,500,000. Lafayette's salvage was considered one of the greatest engineering feats of the century. Story of a Transport, USS Wakefield: This U.S. Coast Guard-produced film is about the large troopship USS Wakefield, the former U.S. Lines liner Manhattan. Wakefield was manned by Coast Guard personnel. Scenes of troops embarking for Europe, cooking meals for the troops who received two meals a day, and the feeding of 1,000 troops every 20 minutes, are included. Pre-war scenes of the ship when it was the Manhattan with all its luxuries, from its 1932 launching to grounding on a Florida reef, are shown. After becoming a troop transport, it was at Singapore when attacked by Japanese aircraft, which killed five on board with a direct bomb hit. Later, afire off the New England coast when returning from a trip to Europe, it was 18 months before the ship was repaired and ready to resume work as a troopship. This was followed by dozens of Atlantic crossings including the tranport of German prisoners-of- war to the U.S. Many unique and never before published views of Lafayette and Wakefield make up this video. Reviewed by Cmdr. Al Grobmeier, U.S.N.(Ret.)