Customer Reviews

National Geographic Video: The Lost Fleet of Guadalcanal [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This documentary splits its time between the past, the Guadalcanal campagne, and the search at present (1992) for the many ships lost there in "Ironbottom Sound." The historical segment gives a relatively good account, giving a concise and understandable explanation of events. It includes interviews with the famous Martin Clemens, a coastwatcher on Guadalcanal. Obviously, because of the short time given to each topic, history enthusasts should not be expecting anything exceptional. The underwater photography and paintings shown of the ships explored are excellent. Surprising and candily compelling is Ballard's near death experience when CO2 levels rose out of control during a dive on the Japanese battleship Kirishima.

Some things that detract from this documentary. It gives a extreamly poor account of the pivital November 13-15 Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. The narrative and film go right into chaos mode without giving much of an explanation of any of the events of the battle, (including the sinking of the Juneau with the 5 Sullivans on board) and the Nov. 15th duel between battleships which ultimately decided the victory at sea and confirmed a victory in the land campagne is not even mentioned; It skips right into the ship and body count, implying everything happened in one night. Also, in the modern section, many of the ships are not dived on or mentioned. I would think an explanation would be in order. Stewart Mordock was interviewed several times for the film, and was shown joking about retriving his sword from the Atlanta. He came all the way to Guadalcanal- Was his ship even found? We're not told. Many ships are left out...Were the ships located or not? Were they dived on but not featured? Were they located but not dived on for lack of time?

I saw this documentary when it was first shown on television half my lifetime ago. It is an excellent part of my collection, which I have enjoyed watching many times. As I learned more about the battle, I became more irritated with the historical part of the film, but I still recommend it for people curious about Guadalcanal, a name that sends shivers down the spine. The photography of the fleet "frozen in time" is a must for any history enthusast.

Dr. Robert Ballard, the same person who found the Bismarck and Titanic has done it again. This time, Ballard visits perhaps the greatest concentration of sunken ships in the world-the passage of water off Guadalcanal known as Ironbottom Sound. It was here from August 1942 to February 1943 that some of the greatest naval battles of World War II were fought. Ballard has invited both Japanese and American survivors to accompany him on his quest to find the lost ships of Guadalcanal. Ballard succeeds in locating and photographing several American and Japanese vessels, but perhaps the most exciting part of this video is when Ballard discovers the wreck of the Japanese battleship Kirishima. During the first dive, Ballard's research craft suffers a buildup of carbon dioxine, and the crew is forced to use an emergency oxygen source while making an emergency return to the surface. After the problem was fixed, Ballard and his crew dive on the battleship once more. Upon reaching the bottom, they discover that the battleship has come to rest upside down on the ocean flooor, so all that is visible are the huge propellers. The video skillfully intertwines actual footage from the battle along with the expedition itself. It is always haunting to hear and see the survivors' reactions about their experiences, as well as seeing their reactions upon seeing their ships after 50+ years under the sea. I would highly recommend this video to anyone who enjoys World War II history. Also check out Ballard's The Battle for Midway.

About 5 or 10 minutes of undersea photography of sunken ships. I believe 3 ships, one of which is rolled over so you get to see nothing but hull, 10 minutes of "oh no, we have a problem in our submersible", like I care, and the rest is like Guadalcanal Diary which is fine if that's what you were buying which I wasn't since it was supposed to be video of ship wrecks. Quite disappointing overall.

The Video arrived on time and in good condition. It contained excellent photography of Dr. Ballards underwater search for the ships sunk in the 4 month Naval battle for Guadacanal and the complicated submersible vehicles used in the search. It also contained film footage of the of the land Battle for Guadacanal.