ALLIED OPERATIONS AT PORT SAID, 1956 [Main Title]

A rough compilation illustrating aspects of the naval contribution to Operation Musketeer.

Reel One. HMS Eagle replenishes from HMS Retainer. Ammunition boxes are transferred on pallets - wire frames over the wooden trays insure that the boxes do not move about during the transfer. Hand trolleys are used to move the pallets along the carrier's deck. LSs show that the replenishment point is crowded with supply ships and tankers. A Type 15 frigate crosses the carrier's wake. The RAS completed, flightdeck activity resumes as aircraft are brought up and moved about by the handling tractors. HA onto the forward park where Sea Hawks and a Wyvern stand ready to be bombed up - Sea Hawk FGA.6s of 897 Squadron are also ranged down the side of the island. CU of a Sea Venom FAW.21 of 893 Squadron being refuelled. CU of powder-blackened cannons of Sea Hawk 191 of 897 Squadron - the gun access panels behind the cockpit have been opened. LA.MS as Wyvern S.4 373 of 830 Squadron is refuelled. Deck crew connect a fuel hose to one of the pumps. Wyvern 372 has a 1,000-pound bomb attached to the centreline hardpoint. HA onto Sea Hawk 496 as it is armed with 3-inch rockets - in the crowded conditions, the armourers attach the rockets while the wings are still folded. MS beneath the straightened port wing of another Sea Hawk as armourers attach the rocket bodies to the rails - the men wear their anti-flash bundled up and tied to their waists. MS of Sea Hawk 494 as men approach carrying rocket warheads from a nearby trolley while another man washes down the rear of the canopy. On the deck stands a gas cylinder for replenishing the aircraft's oxygen system - or possibly for charging the emergency blow down system with compressed air, but the cylinder appears black, and hence oxygen-filled. CU as men take 60-pound HE warheads from a laden trolley - a few are nose-fused hollow charge heads. An armourer screws a warhead into the shell ring of one of the four rockets beneath the wing of Sea Hawk 494 - his companion places the discarded sleeve with others on the deck. MS of another armourer at work - one rocket warhead has already been attached and he is busy screwing on a second, while his companion removes the collar from a third lying on the deck - when he has secured the second warhead, the man bends down to check the fuse of the one hollow-charge warhead which is to make up the mixed group. HA aft as massed Sea Hawks start up - rocket-equipped Sea Hawks of 899 Squadron are parked alongside the island, while the aircraft of 897 Squadron, ranged along the port deck-edge, carry 500-pound bombs. Sea Hawk 485 taxies out of the ranks. HA forward to the port catapult as the Flight Deck Officer lowers the green flag and 196 is launched - the other catapult is not in use and Sea Venoms are parked up along the starboard deck edge. 190 taxies to the catapult. 199 waits on the cat - some fault has developed and members of the catapult team return to check the bridle before the aircraft is launched. After the Sea Hawks, the Wyverns of 830 Squadron are launched. LS aft along the deck as Venom 089 of 893 Squadron is directed forward. MS of catapult chief holding up the pilot's pre-launch check board. Flight Deck Officer gives the signal, and the Venom is launched. Two more Venoms are launched. Sea Hawk 194 is launched. Cut to view from HMS Theseus as she enters Port Said with tugs and LCT in the outer harbour and huge smoke pall from the burning oil tanks in the background - a shot presumably inserted to show the effects of attacks by Eagle's air group. Cut back to Eagle and HA.MS aft as a Wyvern lands on, taking the last wire. MS across the deck from aft on the starboard side as Sea Hawks, two Wyverns, and an AEW.1 Skyraider of 849 Squadron A Flight land on. HA sequence showing the successful crash landing of Sea Venom FAW.21 095 of 893 Squadron - although without undercarriage the aircraft nevertheless makes a neat and level landing. The pilot is carried away on a stretcher to the sick bay. The mobile aircraft handling crane lifts the aircraft and moves it over to the starboard side. Cut back to the scene as Theseus enters Port Said - LST in mid-screen. LSTs are heading into the harbour escorted by a French (ex-US) frigate. LS of a group of three LSTs lying off to port - the nearest is HMS Striker (L.3516) - then pan right over a fourth, HMS Suvla (L.3518), to the breakwater with the Arab town beyond. MLS off the starboard bow of HMS Striker with a inshore minesweeper (ex-ML) alongside - Striker has a LCA deployed outboard on davits, ready for lowering - pan right over French LST Odet (L.9005) and HMS Suvla to distant oil fire. Theseus steams past the LSTs further into the outer harbour. A LCM crosses the anchorage - in the background is HMS Rampart (L.4037) and another LCT(8) - pan right to some tugs. Reel Two. Theseus passes the small troopship Empire Parkeston, lying with a LCT alongside - a sailor on the flightdeck stands ready with flags for anchoring. MS pan over the flightdeck - helicopters have been tethered and chocked up and a group of marines stands watching the show. A Lieutenant stands looking down the harbour - pan right over the Arab town to the smoke rising from the distant El Gamil airfield. LS to the burning oil tanks - in the foreground are the Egyptian canal blockships, most notably the 3,600-ton dredger Paul Solente. LS to the De Lesseps statue and pan left over blocks of flats. LS to the troopship Empire Ken with a LCT alongside, and pan left past two LSTs in commercial livery to the central mole with beyond it in the canal entrance, the blockships Pollux and Peluse. The pan continues over the outer harbour - a C Class destroyer is anchored near to the shore, and the LCT HMS Counterguard (L.4043) lies nearby. The French LST Chéliff (L.9006) steams right to left past Theseus - in the foreground Counterguard has got underway and passes left to right. Telephoto of the blockships Pollux and Peluse and pan right over the Suez Canal Co building to the Paul Solente. MS off the port beam of HMS Ocean anchored nearby, Whirlwinds and Sycamores on deck, and pan round past the LCT HMS Parapet (L.4039) and LST HMS Lofoten (L.3027) to Theseus' flightdeck where Whirlwind Y is parked forward. The French hospital ship La Marseillaise moves up to drop anchor across the bows of Ocean. LS of Paul Solente and pan right to the capsized 80-ton floating crane No 827, then left to the Pollux and Peluse - smallcraft are already busy marking out the wrecks. MS pan stern to starboard bow over the French troopship Gange being manoeuvred into her berth by the tug HMS Antic - the ship is crowded with men and carries LCVs and LCMs as deck cargo. MS off the starboard bow of three auxiliaries moored together - the French Marcel Le Bihan (F.753, ex-Grief) is outboard, its aircraft handling crane swung out to port over its companion, the Gustave Zédé (A.641, ex-Saar), which lies alongside HMS Tyne. LS of the three ships shows Gange and its attendant tug downstream - Theseus has got underway, and is heading out of the harbour. Whirlwind O flies out to sea. Sequence showing CASEVAC to Theseus - two helicopters wait as casualties are brought forward to the after lift. Theseus passes a crowded French troopship Athos II heading into the harbour. Casualties are struck down on the lift - two lightly wounded and six stretcher cases. Once the lift is down the casualties are removed to the sick bay, and other cases are sent up - presumably for transfer to a hospital ship. Theseus passes the cruiser Georges Leygues, HQ ship for General Beaufré, steaming slowly into Port Said. The first Egyptian casualties begin to arrive - three stretchers are carried past the cameraman, the third with a dressing over his face, leaving only his mouth visible. A stretcher case is embarked on Whirlwind S which then takes off Theseus has now withdrawn well out to sea. Pan over distant ships of the Allied fleet - the flightdeck is empty except for Whirlwind Y parked forward. Cut to film illustrating the salvage operation after the Allied attack. CU of the sunken bucket dredger Peluse, lying with the lifting craft LC.10 and LC.11 on either side. MS off the starboard quarter of the blockship Paul Solente, with Salveda to port and Sea Salvor to starboard - the cameracraft passes close to the funnel of the sunken dredger. CU of suited-up salvage diver (named YORKY on his gear) as he checks his equipment. A Lieutenant gives a group of four free divers their instructions. The men at work on the forward part of the Paul Solente - they are standing in the shallow water over the wreck. CU of one of the men after his return to the diving boat. Cameracraft passes close to the Suez Canal Co building, then past a Canal ferry alongside near the Police building. MS pan over a group of three salvage vessels, including Dispenser, and on to a fourth which is working on the submerged wreck of a 150-ton floating crane - in the background is visible the capsized wreck of a second, 80-ton floating crane. MS of the fourth salvor (Uplifter ?) and CU of part of the submerged crane held clear of the water by lifting wires. MS pan over group of salvage vessels moving the wreck of the hopper Triton - leading is the tug Hermes, then the two lifting vessels Ausdauer and Energie, with the tug Careful astern. Cut to a sequence showing a visit by the First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Hailsham to the minesweepers' headquarters ship HMS Woodbridge Haven - he is accompanied by the C-in-C Mediterranean Station, Admiral Sir Guy Grantham, and the Naval Task Force Commander, Vice-Admiral Durnford-Slater. From the bridge of a Ton Class minesweeper secured alongside the HQ ship, Lord Hailsham addresses the crew fallen in on the focsle - in the background, more men stand on the focsle and upper works of Woodbridge Haven. The party leaves in Admiral's barge - moored in the background is HMS Tyne. Cut to scene on HMS Tyne on 22 December, the day of the final Allied withdrawal - a small ceremony is in progress to mark Franco-British cordiality. General Beaufré comes aboard - HMS Manxman is alongside. Beaufré inspects Royal Marine guard of honour, and chats with the other commanders, Vice-Admiral Durnford-Slater, Lieutenant-General Stockwell, and Air Marshal Barnett. They are joined by Durnford-Slater's deputy (?), Rear-Admiral Lancelot. Stockwell and Beaufré shake hands. LS of the De Lesseps statue - during the night a party had scaled the statue, and secured to its right hand poles carrying a large White Ensign and a French Tricolour - in the background are an LST and five LCTs, including Counterguard and Parapet. Telephoto of the flags fluttering bravely in the morning sunshine. Cut to MS off the port bow of the French flagship Georges Leygues as she steams close alongside the cameraship HMS Tyne, at sea after the final withdrawal - after firing a farewell salute the French cruiser draws away.

35mm