0800058 - U.S. Navy Training Film - Mark 43 and Mark 57 Weapons - Shipboard Handling, Including Aircraft Loading - 1963 -20:25 - Black&White - An A-4 Skyhawk aircraft rises into view on a platform aboard the aircraft carrier USS Independence. A double rigged crane transfers Mark 43 and Mark 57 nuclear weapons in a coffin to the Independence from a carrier support ship. This video demonstrates how nuclear weapons and delivery aircraft function in a coordinated effort that could effectively be used against an enemy of the U.S. The weapons, one by one, are placed on an elevator and taken to a lower deck to await mating with an A-4. They are removed from the transportation cart and placed in a sturdy fixture bolted to the floor.
Reflecting the times in 1963, the narrator of the video emphasizes the importance of readiness and safety as twin components of reliability to counter any enemy threat in the Cold War. The video shows a drill in which a nuclear strike plan is created and sent to weapon assembly officers on board. They direct teams to take the weapons from storage, move them to the A-4s, and install them.