[sea gulls screeching]
[narrator] They have assembled here from the four corners of the earth.
Fifty-five warships.
Among them, the newest and most sophisticated ever produced.
The United States is here,
Great Britain, India, Japan,
Canada, France, Australia, Germany.
Twenty-six nations altogether.
Each will introduce the latest naval technology in their arsenals.
[ship horn blaring]
Twenty-two thousand men and women
will be tested over the coming month,
across a vast expanse of ocean covering thousands of square miles.
[speaking, indistinct]
[shouts] [crowd shouts back in response]
Have a great weekend.
The command center and flagship of the operation
is the nuclear-powered super carrier,
a marvel of modern engineering.
The operation is called Rim of the Pacific,
the world's largest and most complex naval exercise.
It will be as close to actual warfare as is peacefully possible.
They began to appear nearly 5,000 years ago in the Mediterranean Sea.
They were the largest and most glorious moving objects known to mankind.
[men shouting in battle]
Powered by oars, their tactics were simple.
They rammed and sank enemy ships.
[man] Aah! [water splashes]
[narrator] Soldiers on board carried only bows, arrows and spears,
yet great battles ensued.
Raging for weeks, there was often the loss of hundreds of ships
and thousands of men.
[men continue shouting in battle] [clattering]
For centuries to come, navies with the best-trained crews,
the bravest commanders, and the mightiest warships would rule the world.
The modern super carrier remains at sea for months at a time,
and is home for over 5,000 personnel.
A virtual city at sea.
All right, Con. Let's go.
Let's go 3-6-0. Let's go 15 knots.
That'|| get us into the box on time. Aye, sir.
The captain is from an elite group
that has over 25 years of naval aviation experience.
...territorial waters over there, right? We gotta--
Hey, so, just let the holes know
territorial waters are only eight miles to the east.
Yup. Thanks.
[indistinct chatter over P.A.]
Okay.'!-
[man] Con, left steer, course 1-7-5.
Con, left steer, course 1-7-5, aye.
Conning Officer, my rudder is left two degrees, coming into course 1-7-5.
[chatter over P.A.]
[narrator] Ninety-two fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters
are readied for a month of intense flight ops
as demanding as combat itself.
Those wearing green shirts maintain airframes and engines.
Red shirts are responsible for ammo and weapons.
[woman] Popeye symbolizes the Navy as a strength.
You think of Popeye, and you think of a really strong, you know,
US sailor that you want to represent yourself as.
And I think we all use him as a role model today.
Purple shirts, or "grapes," fuel the aircraft.
Aircrew are now manning up for the event seven, case three launch, case three recovery.
The temperature is 68 degrees; the altimeter, 2-9-9-6;
and the density altitude, 940 feet.
[chatter over P.A.]
On the FOD walk, crews are looking for anything
that might get sucked into an engine as the aircraft take off.
Pilots have been killed by almost invisible nuts and bolts.
[chattering]
Nuclear-powered carriers have almost unlimited range,
like sailing ships of the past.
Two centuries ago, sail-powered galleons with a hundred guns
emerged on the high seas to fight at battles like Trafalgar.
The French and Spanish were the superior force.
Led by Napoleon, they were thought to be invincible.
But the British commander Horatio Nelson
had innovative tactics and was more aggressive.
Cannonballs fired at close range inflicted a terrible carnage.
Nearly 8,000 sailors were killed on both sides.
The French and Spanish lost 22 ships.
The British lost none.
Nelson, though he was killed,
became a legend, along with his flagship Victory.
From the triumph at Trafalgar
grew a worldwide British Empire
that would last another century.
Control of the high seas requires a mastery
of the most advanced possible technology.
Deep in the heart of the ship
sit two uranium-powered nuclear reactors.
Essentially miniature suns,
these radioactive furnaces boil water
to create high-pressure steam that spins giant turbines.
The carrier's eight electric generators
could easily power a city of 100,000 people.
Using massive reduction gearboxes,
the turbines also turn four mammoth propeller shafts
that drive the ship at around 35 knots.
Its top speed remains highly classified.
With regular maintenance, they can run continuously
without refueling for 20 years.
[officer shouting] [crew responding with shout]
[call and response shouting continues]
Teamwork, collaboration, camaraderie,
staying mentally and physically fit,
are all critical among the crew of a smooth-running ship.
Every one of the 5,212 personnel
is integral in the success of the operation.
...do a nice, easy turn. Don't thrust or pull.
No tiny detail is left to chance.
Does that make sense?
Absolutely. Okay, cool.
[alarm blaring]
[chatter over P.A.]
Roger that.
Deck Patrol, 2-11 needs to be spotted off cat one.
Blue shirts position and secure the aircraft on the deck,
making sure they are presented for launch in the right order.
[chattering]
[engines whirring loudly]
[chatter over P.A.]
Training has been continuous
since the very first carriers were launched
more than a century ago.
The battle group commander
is responsible for the coordination
of all 26 nations during the exercise.
Yeah, that's true. I mean, we had ships from Italy...
Patience, communication, and diplomacy
were not the hallmarks of legendary admirals,
but in an increasingly complex and lethal world, they are critical.
People want to participate, and they want to help,
and give their navies a chance to shine.
[man] Came around on track, sir. Previously reported contacts now on our port bow drawing left.
Recommend maintain, sir. No. I think what I want to do
is come a little bit more to starboard, and, uh--
It's starting to merge through the fog. Let's get through this. Come up at speed 20 knots.
The Japanese on the starboard, and then the Canadians are coming up--
They're just behind us, right? Uh, yes, sir.
The carrier, as the flagship,
is responsible for getting 55 vessels from all over the world
organized and sailing together in reasonable order.
[chattering over radio in foreign language]
[man] ...delta, bravo...
[chattering in foreign language]
[chattering in English]
[chattering continues]
[man] Seven hours per day.
[laughs] It's a big beacon.
It's, uh, distance-- 2,500 kilometers from...
[radio chatter continues]
[helicopters approaching]
[radio chatter continues]
[narrator] This kind of international cooperation
was inconceivable even a hundred years ago.
By the beginning of the 20th century,
the giant guns of dreadnoughts, or battleships,
would dwarf the cannons of Trafalgar.
As the First World War began,
Britain had a significant edge over Germany
in both ships and guns,
and did not expect to be challenged.
But in June of 1916,
250 British and German ships
engaged off the coast of Jutland in the North Sea.
[cannons blasting, explosions]
It would come to be known as the greatest battleship duel of all time.
Fourteen British and eleven German ships were sunk.
8,500 young men were killed.
[explosion]
[alarm blaring] [creaking]
[men shouting]
The age of the battleship had come to an end
in less than two hours of fighting.
[ship horn blaring]
Modern defense systems are evolving at an accelerating pace,
questioning the wisdom of expensive new procurement,
challenging the status quo.
[radio chatter]
The goal of RIMPAC is, in part,
to test and integrate advances in weapons technology.
[chattering]
It gives crews a chance to perfect their skills
under battle-like conditions.
The operation of an aircraft carrier is, in itself,
nearly as dangerous as actual combat,
and everyone on board is well aware of that.
[man on radio] Easy with it now. Easy with it.
Easy with it. Easy with it.
[narrator] Modern fighter aircraft, like the F-18 Super Hornet,
can lock on and intercept enemy aircraft
long before visual contact,
yet they still carry machine guns
that look like they might belong on a World War I biplane.
Even in an age of advanced missiles,
pilots must still prepare for the unlikely prospect
of an old-fashioned dogfight.
Launching a 37,000-pound F-18 Super Hornet
off a carrier may look simple,
but bad weather, enemy fire, and accidents
all contribute to very real danger.
After a century of trial and error,
one launch system has proved robust and reliable.
Below deck are tanks of high-pressure steam
from the nuclear-powered boilers.
They provide explosive expansion power to pistons
sitting in 300-foot-long tubes.
Like shells waiting in the barrel of a gun.
Once released, the power of the piston
can launch an aircraft with the force of four g's,
catapulting the plane from zero to 160 miles an hour
in just three seconds.
[chatter over P.A.]
[radio chatter]
[chatter over P.A.]
Every role on board is critical
to the exquisite ballet of launch and recovery.
[thudding]
[chatter over P.A.]
[radio chatter]
[chatter over P.A.]
[radio chatter]
Heads up!
[radio chatter]
[narrator] As exciting as the steam-powered catapult launch
is for the fighter pilot,
a safe landing is even better.
An aircraft's tail hook must snag one of four arresting cables.
This braided wire weaves 900 feet through the carrier
down to an arrestor engine.
As the momentum of the plane pulls on the cable,
a huge piston forces hydraulic fluid in one tank
against air in another,
compressing the air up to 400 pounds per square inch...
stopping the aircraft and pilot in just two seconds.
The comforting embrace of the arresting cable
is regarded as among the most euphoric experiences in all of aviation.
Japanese on the starboard, Normandyin front. That looks pretty good.
All right. And the submarines.
Who can find the submarines? [radio chatter]
Always-- It's always the submarines.
The great strength of the submarine is its stealth.
Annoying to its friends, lethal to its enemies.
We still need one more submarine to find.
Yes, sir. I'm still waiting on the T.A. to call back. All right...
Also at RIMPAC is the new Virginia class submarine.
It is 377 feet long
and 34 feet wide.
Speed can exceed 25 knots
and potentially over 30.
Onboard, crew number 120
enlisted men and women and 14 officers.
Range 4-1-0 yards. [man] Very well.
[indistinct]
The nuclear propulsion system
produces 40,000 horsepower.
[man] Safety sweep. A modern nuclear sub
could stay underwater almost indefinitely,
like an aircraft carrier limited only by
its on board supply of food.
It makes its own fresh water for drinking and showers.
I understand what you're saying, but we cannot risk attacking a neutral country.
They are capable of launching Mark 48 torpedoes,
tactical Tomahawks, Harpoon missiles,
and the new, advanced mobile mine.
...when they racetrack back around.
More than a thousand feet of water
provides a stealthy layer of protection for the submarine
as it defends the carrier and other surface ships above.
Like great weapons of the past,
navies simply cannot afford to lose battles fought in earnest.
Despite the horrendous losses suffered by the Germans and British at Jutland,
battleships reappeared in the Second World War...
[cannon blasts]
Much bigger and far more lethal.
[crowd cheering] Enchanted with the powerful symbolism of big guns,
Adolf Hitler invested heavily in battleships,
including theTirpitz and Bismarck.
[Adolf Hitler speaking German]
[crowd cheering]
[narrator] The German ships were superbly built and manned.
They were thought to be invincible like the Nazis themselves.
' [people singing in German]
[aircraft overhead]
[bombs whistling in air, exploding]
[radio announcer] The cruiser Norfolk sighted the Bismarck
before her battle with the Hood.
Followed the German ship like a bloodhound.
[narrator] The Bismarck’s rudder was damaged by light aircraft.
The crippled ship was then pounded
by 2,800 shells from British warships,
before being scuttled by the German crew.
2,100 German sailors died.
As the age of the battleship was coming to a close,
that of the aircraft carrier was just beginning.
Each RIMPAC features emerging advanced technology,
like the F-35, a fifth-generation strike fighter.
Since World War ll,
increasingly powerful radar has been used
to detect inbound enemy aircraft.
With growing sophistication,
modern radar has been used to lock on to enemy planes
and shoot them down with guided missiles
fired over the horizon beyond visual range.
[man] All right. Hold on. Let me check the roll.
Much of the new fighter's advancements focus
on hiding from radar with a technology called stealth.
The F-35 has multiple layers of skin coating
that absorb radar waves,
preventing them from bouncing back to enemy radar screens.
[radio chatter]
Engine intake and exhausts are specially designed
to deflect and mask the jet's thermal signature,
avoiding detection from heat-seeking missiles.
It can carry more than 15,000 pounds of weapons externally,
or more than 5,000 pounds internally,
dramatically improving the F35's stealth profile.
[launch chatter]
The US Marine variant, the F-35B,
has more than 40,000 pounds of thrust,
giving pilots more raw power
than any other fighter engine in history.
[launch chatter]
[man] 704 airborne.
[man #2] 704 departure. Radar contact.
[radio chatter]
The US Navy's version is the F-35C.
Designed for carrier operations,
it has larger wings, with tips that fold,
and tougher landing gear for catapult launches and carrier arrestments.
[man] 413 departure. Radar contact.
[man #2] 413 airborne.
201 airborne.
[radio chatter]
The pilot's helmet displays all pertinent information
no matter where the pilot is looking.
The aircraft's distributed aperture system
uses six electro-optical sensors,
giving the pilot an unprecedented 360 degrees
of situational awareness.
[pilot] Level 2-5-0...
[narrator] The pilot can actually look through the aircraft itself.
[radio chatter]
[radio chatter continues]
All the key information the pilot needs
is projected onto the helmet's visor,
allowing for instant coordinated response.
The missile warning system sees subtle heat differences across the landscape.
[air whooshing through respirator]
Flight 873's got MAM at 270 for 45 at 25,000.
The new strike fighter shares data seamlessly with other F-35s,
but also with allied aircraft and commanders on water or land.
[pilot] 205, roger.
[narrator] Computer technology so sophisticated,
it can identify types of planes and nationality
and recommend to the pilot suggested weapons to deploy.
The DAS sensors can even spot a whale
or, more importantly, a submarine on the surface.
[pilot] Lightning 7-3, target.
[chatter over P.A.]
When submarines first appeared in the theater of war,
British admirals considered them unethical--
the weapons of cowards who refused to fight on the surface like real men.
The stealthy, high-tech German submarine
was regarded by some as the battleship of the future.
In the early years of World War ll,
they had a lethal advantage in the North Atlantic.
Attacking and sinking thousands of defenseless cargo ships,
strangling the lifeline of the Allied war effort.
In desperation, hundreds of small corvettes
were hurriedly built to defend the convoys.
Based on a fishing boat, they were cheap and simple.
Their crews were amateurs and most often teenagers.
They had the smallest guns in the Navy.
[alarm blaring]
Yet day and night, they fought the terrible cruelty of submarine warfare,
struggling to save the lives of merchant seamen.
[radio announcer] The British, American,
and Canadian forces of the sea and air
hurled our strength upon the U-boat.
[narrator] Gradually, these and other tiny escort ships
of the Canadian, British, and American navies
clawed back the German advantage,
sinking 700 submarines
and winning the largest naval battle in human history.
[men cheering]
Early submarines were plagued by lack of situational awareness.
Like blind mice in a cave, they knew little of what lay around them.
Ship to 5-8 feet. Submerge the ship to 5-8 feet, aye, sir.
Pilot, submerge the ship to 5-8 feet.
The Virginia class's sophisticated electronic periscope and sensors
allow crew members access to vital information.
They know exactly where they are
and, even more importantly,
they know the whereabouts of both friend and foe.
Maritime interdiction, gunnery,
missile testing, anti-submarine,
mine clearance, air defense, amphibious landing...
all demand coordinated planning
and much trial and error.
Advances in weapons systems seek to integrate international navies,
armies, and air forces into unified fighting units.
Advanced electronic warfare systems
can identify in detail friend from foe,
jam enemy assets, and provide an electronic shield
to cloak threatened friendly forces.
[radio chatter]
So clear switches hot. Cleared hot. Release on condition.
[radio chatter]
[gunfire]
[over radio] Lightning 7-3 kill. C-41.
[man] Fuel 330, speed 2-4.
Confirm that the target is outside territorial waters.
Aye, sir. Stand by.
We're ready.
Take the... Steady!
Ten seconds. Cleared to release.
Lightning 7-3, attack.
Twenty seconds. Master arm on. Arms armed.
[radio chatter] Launch three.
[radio chatter] Lightning 7-3 off safe.
One away. MAN 2: Weapons cleared.
[radio chatter]
[narrator] What was a gun battle one moment can,
in the blink of an eye, become a battle for survival of another kind.
For thousands of years, sailors have feared violent seas as much as the enemy.
[radio chatter]
What RIMPAC highlights is the very complicated missions
navies are asked to perform in the modern world.
[crowd shouting]
Terrorism, piracy, earthquakes,
fires, hurricanes, humanitarian disasters.
Services that once jealously competed increasingly work together.
[no audible dialogue]
Navies, national guards, air forces,
coast guards, marines--
all of them are invited to practice their highly skilled crafts
during Rim of the Pacific.
[man over radio] ...November, Zulu.
[sonar pinging]
[alarm beeping]
[narrator] Not long ago, the game of war
was played with much higher stakes.
Sailors and airmen died in earnest and in large numbers.
[President Franklin D. Roosevelt on radio] Yesterday, December 7th, 1941,
United States of America was suddenly
and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces...
[narrator] Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor,
the Japanese gambled they could draw the American carriers
into a trap near the island of Midway.
But the Americans secretly broke the Japanese code and were prepared.
Get the saws on these guys and see what's going on. Aye, sir.
American pilots, knowing they didn't have the fuel to make it back,
still gambled they could find the Japanese fleet.
And find them they did.
They sank three Japanese carriers in eight minutes.
By the end of the day, four Japanese carriers were sunk,
along with one heavy cruiser.
Three thousand Japanese crew members lost their lives.
[alarm blaring] The Americans lost only the Yorktown.
Few of the US aircraft made it back to their ships.
It was a turning point in the Pacific War,
sealing the Japanese fate.
The battle of Midway remains the greatest victory
in American naval history.
War or not, landing a fighter aircraft on board a carrier remains
the most challenging and admired skill in all of aviation.
The landing safety officer's voice--
always a fellow pilot-- provides a vital measure
of precision and confidence
at exactly the right moment. [radio chatter]
[thud]
[man] 327, two miles.
[radio chatter]
[radio chatter continues]
[radio chatter]
The new F-35B avoids the complexity
of a catapult and arrestor cables.
It can operate almost anywhere--
a strategic advantage in almost any kind of conflict.
[radio chatter continues]
Like all new weapon systems,
it seeks to provide a distinct advantage over possible enemies.
[radio chatter]
Indeed, the goal of modern navies
is to provide the most effective weapons, tactics,
and training as an overwhelming deterrence--
avoiding at all costs the risk of real war.
Most captains will tell you that their passion
is to bring every crew member back home safely.
For they are young people who work long, hard,
dangerous hours, months at a time,
with little or no recognition.
They make these sacrifices for their families, communities, and nations.
Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad.
Hi, everyone back in Glen Arm, Maryland,
a little town that most people have never heard of.
Shout out to the people back home in Texas.
[laughter] Booyah.
Shout out to people in San Jose.
Stay warm, Michigan. Salt Lake City, Utah.
Hi, Mom. [laughter]
Love you, Texas.
From great naval battles, civilizations rose and fell.
Yet there is more firepower on board the ships of RIMPAC
than all the bombs used in all of the wars in human history.
The goal of modern navies is to avoid war at all cost,
for if there is another great war,
nothing will rise from the ashes, neither righteous nor evil.
[chattering]
There will be no romantic paintings, nor writers to celebrate the victory.
[children shouting]
[crowd cheering]
After 4,000 years of naval warfare,
we have little choice but to sail together,
work towards peace,
and all return home
safely to our families.
[lively chatter]