CONVOY ESCORTED BY THE ROYAL INDIAN NAVY [Allocated Title]

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  • Title: CONVOY ESCORTED BY THE ROYAL INDIAN NAVY [Allocated Title]
  • Film Number: MWY 28
  • Other titles: INDIAN INTER-SERVICE PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTORATE COLLECTION - INDIAN HOME FRONT AND MILITARY OPERATIONS, AND ALLIED OPERATIONS IN ITALY AND THE PACIFIC DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR [Allocated Series Title]
  • Summary: Various scenes onboard a Royal Indian Navy Black Swan Class sloop escorting a convoy, somewhere in Indian waters in June 1944.
  • Description: Reel 1: Opening shot partially obscured. Series of shots looking down as Indian ratings hose down and scrub the stern deck of a Royal Indian Navy warship with a twin 4-inch gun. Looking through a life ring with water behind. Ratings painting. A Sikh officer on the bridge with binoculars (probably Prince Gunendra Singh, brother of the Maharaja of Patiala) he points something out to a British Captain. British officers on the bridge passing notes; one then goes to use a signal lamp. Two hands holding a rope (to fire a depth charge). Captain giving instruction to fire (he does so several times for the benefit of the camera). The depth charge is fired; camera follows and the charge explodes ten seconds after hitting the water. Severals shots of rating with binoculars, latterly in silhouette against setting sun. A silhouetted dual 40mm gun in fading light. Looking froward from bridge with two dual 4-inch guns; the movement of the ship and the sea is apparent with some spray. An aircraft carrier on the horizon. [Racking changes here] Telephoto views of other ships against water in bright sunlight, with rigging (?) out of focus in foreground and somewhat obscuring the view. A sloop (?) making smoke; it is well obscured. [Racking changes again] Interior; removing 4-inch ammunition from a magazine. A mechanical indicator, a circular dial marked ‘Teleflex’ with a triangular window, moves several times and shows ‘Star’ and ‘Stop loading’. On deck; a wooden boat (alongside the ship being lifted stern-first on a crane) is bailed out. Tilt from a small launch to the wooden boat. Hoisting signal flags. Rating hauling on a line. Removing a 4-inch round from a magazine. Operating the 4-inch shell hoist. Receiving round from the hoist. Passing the round up a chute through a deck hatch to be received by another. Passing shell up another chute. Loading 4-inch guns. Views of 4-inch guns traversing. Signal lamp with ships of convoy in distance behind. Views of the convoy. Convoy through porthole with 20mm gun foreground. Reel 2: High shot, taken from the crow’s nest, looking down on the bridge and forward 4-inch turrets; the ship is underway and the guns at cruising stations. Both turrets traverse to port. A longer lens shot of B turret traversing. A single-barrelled pom-pom traversing. Forward 4-inch turrets at cruising station. Looking aft. Looking down at a slightly queezy angle at a 2-pounder 'pom-pom' and one of the ships small boats as the wake passes swiftly. Looking down on the bridge; officers look through binoculars. On deck; an Indian rating cleans the compass with close-up. Men working on a pom-pom. A rating cleans the barrel jacket of a pom-pom. A slightly obscured shot of ratings hosing down the deck. On deck, looking out to ships of the convoy forming up. In evening light a Catalina flying boat passes overhead. Views of merchantmen of the convoy and escorting sloops. Silhouetted 4-inch guns with a sailor above. Brief shot sailor standing by a deck hatch waiting for a shell. [Some judder from this point on] Pom-pom practice firing. Looking out towards practice target. Pom-pom crew and recoiling muzzle. Pom-pom tracer fire; the relatively low velocity is apparent. Pom-pom muzzle and ring sight with gunner. A small armed steamer. B Turret traversing to starboard, followed by A Turret. B Turret’s right hand gun fires but this is not seen clearly. B Turret firing. A bag is run along a line to HMIS Jumna steaming alongside, the crew are on the rails. Long lens of the bag reaching Jumna. Long lens Jumna’s bow cutting the water. A not very effective panning shot following a pair of 4-inch guns traversing towards Jumna. Jumna ahead. Shooting a Coston line.
  • Alternative Title: INDIAN INTER-SERVICE PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTORATE COLLECTION - INDIAN HOME FRONT AND MILITARY OPERATIONS, AND ALLIED OPERATIONS IN ITALY AND THE PACIFIC DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR [Allocated Series Title]
  • Colour: Colour
  • Digitised:
  • Object_Number: MWY 28
  • Sound: Sound
  • Access Conditions: IWM Attribution: © IWM
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1944-06-22
  • Production Country: India
  • Production Details: Public Relations Directorate, India (Production sponsor) Indian Public Relations Film Unit (Production company) Worth, Frank (Production individual)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: Royal Indian Navy, JUMNA (HMIS), sloop (regiment/service)
  • Keywords: Indian Ocean (geography) Indian Navy 1939-1945 (theme) (theme)
  • Physical Characteristics:
  • Technical Details: Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 2231 ft; Running time: 25 mins
  • HD Media:
  • Link to IWM Collections page:

    MWY 28

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