The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1917-06-22
AIRCRAFT SCOUTS.
Their Value In Naval Warfare In
Locating Submarines.
NOT GOOD AT SINKING THEM.
While They Are Clever at "spottins"
the Submerged Boats, II 10 Only by
Great Skill and Good Luck That q
Bomb. Can Be Dropped to It's Mark.

|
.ne euomerseo BOATS, u - on'y oy
Great Skill and Good Luck That
| 6omb.can Be Dropped to lts Mark.
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vessel saws q q Grow editor ~ the
London Aaronlane
There 4. ! nom,iar Illusion wb,ch ,s
not exoctlv a de,us,on that the oh.
server in nm aeroplane can see as far
down into the wafer as . suhma rtne
is likely to dive Up to a point this is
true. for II the water ia clear IT IA DOS.
sible to see some twenty or thirty feet
into it from a point vertically above.
and II such water is only forty or fifty
feet deep a submarine is not likely to
dive beyond the visibility point
It is quite another matter, however.
where the water is a kind Of leaden
gray In color and where ten feet of
water over the periscope is enough to
hide a submarine as effectually as II
III.
Therefore 1t Ia fairly obvious that the
scouting air craft have to depend on
surface vision quite as much as the
patrol boats Where the difference
does come in is in the angle of vision
from which that surface view Is OBJ
tanned.
For instance. q patrol boat might
well miss seeing .periscope half q
mile away, especially II the periscOpe
were between the boat and the sun.
SO that the reflection Of the sun of
the water was dazzling the lookout
men. The aircraft observer, on the
other hand. perched up aloft, would
have a far better chance. The peri
scope, cutting through the water.
makes a very distinct wake which
spreads out on each side so that 1t
makes a light but quite distinct broad
arrow" Of foam.
When the periscope is above water
the top Of the coming tower is not
/ far below. so that this also is visible
unless there is a heavy breaking sea.
And probably the bubbles from the ex-
hausting air can also be seen.
Thus an escort of seaplanes should
have a far better chance Of spotting
the presence of submarines than could
any escort Of surface ships. At the
same time it is well to remember that
an escort of destroyers or some similar
type Of armed ship is necessary, be-
cause the aeroplane or airship Of today
Is not capable of CARRYING guns big
enough to sink submarines with GER
tainty. and the art Of bomb dropping
from aircraft has not become suffi-
cientlv a science to make the certainty
of the bombs reaching their mark as
great as ia the certainty of a shell
from four inch gun doing so.
Therefore the aircraft nv them.
selves can only hone TO keen subma.
rines submerged nv dropning bembs At
them though thew NAV sink one here
and there nv a combination NJ nersonal
st;u and pood Inch wheraas nv acting
a. "sno,ters, for The bioblv trained
punners of destroyer aotiIIas thew can
a. ono,o,a 80 ro.+or,.,,,, T., ~. 80
tuoI dcStrr,.tinn ~ onon,r s,hno r,nas
Wharo ,ha nava, air GRO ~ reoIlv do
coma 4, 10 IN the ,nnuanso snrs.ca ~
son which thov con covsr N vor,
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.nemv .uhmo r;ne. hv snrnr,sa wh;,a
wing m Tho snrfaco caring, than.
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