The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-22
Rear Admiral Fiske' In
~vention Combines
Aerial and Subaque.
Gus Attacks on Bat.
tleships

X enemy. Surprise him II you
- can, and other things being
equal the chance Of victory Is greatly
N your favor. That Is one Of the most
striking lessons of the present war"
This is the conclusion Of Rear Ad-
miral Bradley Allan F1ske. one Of the
navy's most original inventors and an
officer OF wide experience ana brilliant
attsinments.
Let me explain just what I mean."
continued Admiral Fiske. 80 long a.
only one OF the belhgerents was able
to use choking gases her men could
break the deadlock of arms and sweep
triumphantly down upon the enemy's
defences. Other examples might be
i%nstanced. but you no doubt sec the
drift Of my argument. 1t was tust
this principle of anticipation that in
spired me TO work out my method and
apparatus for delivering automobile
torpedoes from an aircraft instead Of
launching them from Destroyer or
uu,,.iihe
WITHIN "e'i uennoa i ~ SUI
w ny o'peuo oon.
~ s.eo' ""po " Wv,
uyI"e ~ 49, .,,
reasonably conclude that the chances
Of success were greatest for getting
.,oo ~" .no.en n a ~
ms .no ~" 10"
.ne un'. unn" n upon
ene nm 49,
usn..
~ N."sAn -. 80
SnS" =. -
5000" ~ ~ snooI =, 49,,
- EraN IL.
~ 80 seunN..". .p,uns ~,
-. 80,
ns.a.a ,hs ,s,,,a H.. ns,h .ou,naas
.T,o .a,,o,, - s,reoon
.rooa y, tho s,,hmorna n,acs. a. a, a
tactical d-i.adyon,aoo uhen con,rg
u,,,h Tho for Easter ae.trover and
,h.ra 10 a n,,a, ner,od ~, delay when
nnos d,sco,oraa IN uhtch M. s,,h-
-. hau.., GA 80.
- 49,, - 800 49,, ,ho .,,rsoca
- -. $500 a.
- am,ua.a go
~a. sS.."n n.a..au n,S,,Sas a,
I,oie nu.Ns p"..u...
Sah 10 ui'e' NJ"
.asoiiNs u, u
Sc -. Niooo a..
'e' na ~ .oIpeu -,
~ = 80.
ihs -. ep.
eneIuNe !" ou -.
marines U eheihy ues.'o'..' i-
apPioaeh Wy wa! Vi 'ne o.
- no, suarueu ahy "as Inv - wei
"ork II seems 10 nne 'Iia Ut
craft anu parucuiariy seap'anee' oneI
Us an iueai means ior enhpioyi"s ny
mooiie torpedo ei'ner IN "'tacA Vi
LOT oeience.
Eariy IN lsis aiter considerapie
STUDY ana with iuil appreciation Oh the
GROWING lfting power OF the
applied Tor a patent covering ootn a
hethod n an apparatus Tor delivering
torpedoes from an airship-
n term airship being purpoSely COM
~prehensive and applicable to all sorts
OF aerial craft. About three months
later my patent issued and my inven-
ton proved to be extremely v
MY plan was to have the flying
machine carry a torpedo In such a
me that It could be quickly re-
leased and at the lime OF dropping the
movement or the same lever would
also start the weapons propulsive
The aviator was 10 shape
MS course at a comparatively high
elevation until he was at a point
about 1000 yards away from his OBJ
1ective. Then to descend rapidly and
as nearly vertically as possible until
within ten or fifteen feet OF h water
all the while heading his seaplane
20 that on getting close to the surface
the nose OF the torpedo would bear on
the target.
THE advantage Of approaching the
target at a relatively high elevation
and then swooping down to a low one
before releasing the torpedo is that II
the target be an enemy's war vessel
II Is practically impossible with pres
ent guns to hit an object swiftly fall
ing from a height owing to the rapid
resulting change in range and conse-
quent elevation Of the guns. The ele-
waiting gear functions slowly COM
pared with the descent OF a volplaning
f1ying machine. Accordingly gun
pointers would find It very difficult
either to get the range OF the aero
plane or to keep pace with It during
its swift descent just prior to releas-