Army Divers School
ca. 1951
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This video comes from "The Big Picture" Television Program Series created by the U.S. Army. The original decription is:
Soldiers with an unusual occupation shown on "The Big Picture" — "The Big Picture" has come up with a neat little documentary in "Army Divers' School," filmed on location at Fort Eustis, Virginia.
Soldiers with an unusual occupation shown on "The Big Picture" — "The Big Picture" has come up with a neat little documentary in "Army Divers' School," filmed on location at Fort Eustis, Virginia.
Director of Photography is SP-3 Gerald Finnerman of the Army Pictorial Center in Long Island City, and experienced and qualified cameraman from Warner Brothers Studio in Hollywood. Through his eyes and the lens of "The Big Picture" camera, TV viewers will follow the training and actual underwater operations assigned to enlisted divers of the Army Transportation Corps.
The diving student learns and becomes a jack-of-all-trades: welder, carpenter, mechanic all rolled into one. He must also be an explosives expert - at home with such items as blasting machines, plastic explosives gelatin dynamite and TNT.
Playing down the dramatics usually seen in underwater work, the skillful photography by Finnerman results in a documentary featuring generous use of all camera angles. It takes 17 weeks in the Divers' School for young soldiers who had never been under the water to become qualified salvage divers and fledgling members of one of the highest paid trades in the world.
You can also watch this video in our main National Archives online catalog.
The diving student learns and becomes a jack-of-all-trades: welder, carpenter, mechanic all rolled into one. He must also be an explosives expert - at home with such items as blasting machines, plastic explosives gelatin dynamite and TNT.
Playing down the dramatics usually seen in underwater work, the skillful photography by Finnerman results in a documentary featuring generous use of all camera angles. It takes 17 weeks in the Divers' School for young soldiers who had never been under the water to become qualified salvage divers and fledgling members of one of the highest paid trades in the world.
You can also watch this video in our main National Archives online catalog.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer.
National Archives Identifier: 2569634
Full Citation: Motion Picture 111-TV-365; Army Divers School; ca. 1951; Motion Picture Films From "The Big Picture" Television Program Series, ca. 1950 - ca. 1975; Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer, Record Group 111; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/army-divers-school, November 8, 2024]Rights: Copyright Not Evaluated Learn more on our privacy and legal page.