To the point films on the strange duties that new recruits would be expected to tackle in a war time ship. The was no frills to these films. Any shortfall was likely to mean a very nasty end. They had to do the job right first time. A fitting tribute to old sailors that returned and some idea of what those that did not return faced.   

The  film is   a wartime training film  which would have been show to men undergoing the  brief training before they put to sea for the first  time.    

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   Probably one of the most responsible jobs for a Seaman especially during the Second World War  was that of a lookout.  This was far more that just gazing idly out to sea . He was the eyes of a ship so his role was to give the first warning of any risk that officers needed to be aware of.  Every extra few seconds of warning could make the difference between life and death.  This film was intended to brief seamen on the requirements of this responsible job. Bear in mind that for practical purposes at that time they had no help from radar escorting aircraft or any form of radar.  Stress was laid on the prompt reporting of  even the smallest clues. Demonstrated  is  the difficulty  of detecting submarines especially an impending attack by torpedo.  If you had a relative that served in  in the Royal Navy or Merchant Navy this film gives you a vivid idea  of the demands of this responsible job.

There can be few more daunting tasks for a young seaman in Wartime than acting as the Ships  lookout on a dark night.  Objects are difficult to distinguish and your imagination is probably running riot.  This film was intended to inform potential lookouts on the best way of tackling the job  Radar was in the very experimental stages so the Eyeball was still the main defence. . 

  Hazards include loss of vision before going on watch. These are counted by using red tinted glasses before going on watch. Care of your binoculars  Accurate reporting.  At any time being a lookout must have been daunting  but out in the dark night when your shipmates are relatively comfortable inside any error on your part could lead to the loss of the ship. 

 If the Titanic lookout had been using binoculars  he might have spotted the iceberg in time. 

.  Bear in mind this was before the spread of reliable  radar systems so for practice al purposes there was no back up to the task of the lookout. Of course being a training film the sea was smooth and the weather conditions helpful.  Now thing of the effect of weather and rough seas  on making the job even more demanding.    Shown are some interesting  instruments and devices to try and help. Also with a reminder of its importance with footage of a sinking ship and the life raft in use.

If  these film are  not what you want there are plenty of other films described if you select "See other items"  above.