The San Francisco call., 1908-03-22
- EHE WAR SHIP Az IDEAL lAUk(h'
~ INC PLATFORM AND the SAIL
u OR PECULIARLY FITTED
eQR AERokAUT1cS

of the conditions aboard ship rhat
make the use of the aerOplane pract5-
cable and of the peculiar fitness O
seamen for aerOnautics. leaving for last
what is really the first consideration
the adaptability of the aeroplane for
what we may call offensive warfare"
-the detection of submarine dangers"
and scouting
It is interesting to speculate upon
the possibilities OF naval warfare con-
Quoted with the aid OF AN ideally sue
cessful airship as a weapon of attack.
An aerOplane that could rise to the
height of 200 or 500 feet would be out
of range of the guns of enemy's
feet. as large guns on shipbOard can
not be trained toward the sky at any
great angle without the recoil from
the discharge doing incalculable dam
age TO the vessel. and the lighter guns
have not sufficient range to reach such
an object. Such an airship. then, could
drop explosives into the fleet OF an
enemy and do great harm without SO
much as exposing itself to danger.
The value of the airShip in detecting
submarine danger is not a matter OF
speculation. In fact. it would seem
TO afford very real protection against
submarine vessels and both stationary
and floating mines. 1t is a we'll known
fact that. to limited altitude. the
higher an observer is lifted above the
surface the more clearly and to tho
greater depth can he see into the
water. The seaman from time imme-
mortal has used the masthead OF the
ship as a lookout station from which
to pilot the vessel through intricate
coral channels. and it has been the
pleasure of the sailor in the vicinity
of the Bermudas and the famous sea
gardens OF Nassau to view from that
height the wonders of the deep.
An instance OF the facility with which
submerged objects can be seen from
the height attained by an afrship was
given by Captain T. T. Lovelace. who
at the time OF the earthquake at
Jamaica took an airship TO that vicinity
for the purpose of studying the effects
of the earthquake upon the bottom OF
the sea. He found that the whole bed
of the ocean for considerable distance
from the island was perfectly visible to
him and in deep water comparatively
small objects were plainly seen. 1t is
believed that had such an appliance az
an airship been available at the tins
OF the sinking in San Francisco bay OF
the steamship Rio Janeiro the long and
vain search for that lost ship would
not have been necessary.
Uses of the Aeroplane
Neither the naval man nor his lay
brother needs to be impressed with the
advantage to a commander in time OF
war given by a knowledge OF ths
whereabouts and movements OF the
enemy. This is not less true upon the
water than upon the land. The war ball
loon of the army has come in response
to the recognized demand for thorough
scouting In the navy the aeroplans
would I'LL the needs Lord Nelson when
chasing the vessels of his arch enemy,
Napoleon, in the early part OF the last
century, said that OF all things ho
missed most were scouting vessels,
which he properly called the "eyes oe
the feet" 1t is only necessary to read
of his campaign to appreciate the truth
of this expression and to see Of what
tnestimable value a small. compact
aeroplane would have been to him. I'm
doubtedly had use been made OF such
an appliance the history of Napoleon's
campaign in Egypt would never have
been written.
Several of the ships OF the v1adfvo-
stok squadron which wrought such
havoc among Japanese transports and
merchantmen during the late war be-
Sween japan and Russia had installed
on their decks captive balloons, with
which the ships were able to make
more than one examination OF the coast
of Nippon without themselves being
seen. Much of interest OF this phase OF
from one of the Russian officers who
took part in it. who gave our officers
much valuable information as to the
uses OF the captive balloon
1t appears that the Russian vessels
kept about 80 miles of the coast OF Ja-
pan. and from there they made many
extremely successful scouting expedi-
tions. Such of the Japanese ships OF
the smaller kind which may have been
near enough to have seen the balloon
in its fight took no alarm from the In
nocent looking black dot against the
sky. since no Russian warship ap-
peared upon the horizon TO threaten
their safety
By long living with and lighting the
winds the seamen know their habits
and how to turn them to their own ad-
vantage. Who better equipped then to
overcome them in a new field Of en-
deavor? In addition to their equip