Arizona republican., 1917-07-15
A|RPL LANES ARE THE ONLY CRAFT ID MN
 AGAINST U-bOATS

Of all three dimensional craft today the most efficient is the airplane. and that efficiency is steadily increasing. It is the natural enemy of the sub marine as the fish hawk is of the fish. The sole difference is that the fish hawk is airplane and dejectile in one. Is it not a vital problem, therefore, how to develop and apply the airplane to the direct destruction of subma- rine?
 All naval strategy teaches that the best place to attack an enemys fleet is at the base from which it emerges and before it can scatter. Therefore we want aeroplanes- and lots of them stationed off the German submarine bases regularly organized to keep their stations, airworthy as ships are seaworthy, and capable of pouring projectiles upon the U boats as they go out or when they attempt, after exhaustion of food fuel. mines or torpedoes, to return.
 The British danger zone in the North sea, a huge mine field swept along it's outskirts by destroyers and other surface vessels, dominates the German coast, leaving but two pas sages for vessels, one off Jutland and the other off Holland and Belgium. Zebrugge, on the Belgian coast, lies outside of the danger zone and is dis tant only about seventy five miles from the mouth of the Thames. It has been reported that parts of subma- rines made to standard forms in many factories throughout Germany are here sent to be assembled to form the completed vessels. Since the port came into the hands of the Germans it has, of course, been extensively fortified. It appears to be generally conceded that if the German submarines could be prevented from using Zeebruggc as a base, a long step toward getting rid of them would be made.
 Off Zeebrugge for about, five miles the depth of the water is small. The government charts show that the soundings at low water of ordinary spring tides in some places are as little as about fourteen feet The range of the tides on this coast is very irregular. Even, however, with the increase allowed, for, the maxi mum depth of water may, for our present purposes, be taken as thirty feet, in which a submarine is visible from an airplane. This being the case, it is not necessary for the airplane to come directly over the harbor at Zeebrugge or within the range of air craft guns. On the contrary, she might be stationed well beyond the smile line and still be able to see her prey.
 At this distance and especially at high elevations, it would be practical ly impossible for the heavy guns of coast Notifications to hit her, or even to do any effective execution among a fleet of such air vessels. As targets they would be difficult to see, especially if the weather were at all hay. Their rapid movements and their abrupt changes in elevation would necessitate constant changes in the setting of gun sights, so that to hit them might well baffle the skill of the most experienced pointers.
 From such a fleet of airplanes, sub marines once discovered under the surface could be followed and bombs literally rained upon them. and not only bombs but self propelled torpe- | does. for any air fleet of the kind i would certainly include Fiske'ss fotpe7 | do planes which the Germans them selves are now using.