Watch TUDOR's New Documentary, "Splashdown" Now!

"First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth." -  President John F. Kennedy, Congressional Address, 1961

By the summer of 1969, NASA had pulled off a seemingly impossible feat: Man had walked on the moon for the first time, ever. Along with an American flag, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin even left a plaque on the moon proclaiming, “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.”  The mission was a success; history had been made.

The goal that President Kennedy set forth in 1961 had been met. The entire world celebrated.

Today TUDOR brings you the story behind the part of Kennedy’s proclamation that isn’t as well documented, “ returning him safely to the earth”. This is the story of the brave Navy Frogmen who made it possible for the astronauts to make it back to terra firma. These men wore TUDOR watches issued by the Navy to carry out their daring duties.

Prior to the splashdown of Apollo 11, the Frogmen had plenty of practice. During the ‘60s and ‘70s, throughout the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs, they were tasked with recovering the capsules—manned and unmanned. Their recovery efforts continued through the end of the Apollo program.

Splashdown: The Little-Known Story of Navy Frogmen and the Space Program honors the legacy of those who took part in this little-known, but incredibly important, part of history. Please enjoy this short film.