The Washington herald., 1913-01-26


foreign navies will promptly grab the
idea and utilize it. German and British
cruisers and battleshfps now building
are to be provided with flying machines
Indeed, those powers. as well as Rus
sia, France. and Italy. have already
ordered flying boats from Hammonds-
portland the launching catapult is sure
to be adopted as part of their equip
ment
Flying boats in naval warfare are ex-
pected to be useful In the foIlowine
ways:
/. To reconnoiter an enemy's port. or
assist In the operation of a blockadin
Tor blockadedD force.
2. To assist in the operation of sub.
marines and torpedo boats
q To attack and destroy the relatively
slow-moving dirigible balloons, otherwise
called airships.
& To damage or destroy an enemys
docks. magazines. and ships In repair or
under construction:
5. To provide means OF rapid confiden-
tial communication between a feet com.
mander and the commanding officer of
a cooperating force on shore, or the
commander of another feet or division.
9. To extend the 'eyes OF the fleet In
naval scouting-nying boats being car.
ried for this purpose by all scout ship.
and large cruisers.
Type Entirely New.
The first flying boat built is the ont
now owned by the navy. and which hal
recently been under experimental test al
the winter naval aviation station at Sar
Diego. Cal The Burgess boat, now In
process Of construction. will be used fol-
practice purposes at the summer avia'
tion station at Annapolis, Nd.
One should understand that the nyins
boat is altogether unlike a hydro-aero.
plane, or hydroplane, as this kind
Of flying machine Is now called.
The latter Is simply an aeroplane
carrying one or more boat-shaped
floats beneath. in order that 1t may be
enabled to rest upon water. Some hydro
planes have two such floats, arranged
catsmaran-fashion; others have only one
Where only one IL used. there are some
sometimes small balancing floats at the
ends Of the wings, so that. II the machine
careens, the wing-tips may be kept out
Of water.
The single-hoat type seems to be best
being found more satisfactory for use
in rough water. whether to start there
from or for landing therein. In fact
this kind of hydroplane may be said
to be the immediate parent Of the flying
boat-which latter, by the way, is the
invention OF Glenn II. Curtiss, who has
been called the father OF water flying.
1t may be remarked incidentally that
the worlds record for water flying was
recently made by Lieut.. ]. II. Towers,
u. s. N, with a flight of six hours and
ten and one-half minutes duration In q
hydro" With a fellow officer. Lieut..
Theodore G. Ellyson. this young naval
expert made the longest flight with q
passenger thus far accomplished any,
where in a hydroplane-from Annapolis
to Hampton Roads. Va, and return:
thus demonstrating the availability of
this type Of flying machine for long dis
tances.
To Buy More Boats
While now possessing only one flying
boat. the army plans to acquire others
as soon as possible. Meanwhile It has
in use. for practice purposes. seven con
vertibles"-that is to say, ordinary aero
planes which can be converted into hy-
droplanes by the simple process of at
taching boat-shaped floats beneath them.
II IL be asked why the War Depart
meut should need flying machines for
use over water, the question answers it.