Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-31

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plane on tho morning or August s.
1915. and performed tho feat single
! handed
II was in the same month too. that
X. y. a. s pilots serving in tho Oar
dancilcs first practiccd successfully the
discharge OF torpcdocs from their ma
chimes. Tho Admiralty havo con-
tirmcd the report that several ships
were sunk In the Dardaneiles by aerial
torpedoeS from scaplancs, and. al
though il has not been stated that any
OF these were subma rneS. II vas OBJ
viousky only step to the use of the
new Eissiles against underwater craft
once their utility had been demon
strated.
Naturally. however the Admiralty
! in their references TO combats between
aircraft and submarines. have not al
ways given an indication OF the pre-
else means employed by tho former In
/ their attacks. The following Official
l report. Issued on October q. 1917. gives
/ stirring account of an exploit which
/ is becoming more common every day:
TWO British airplanes on subma rtne
[ patrol above tho North Sea sighted a
submarine on the surface travelling at
about fourteen knots. Two men we're
observed on the coming tower. Like
pair OF hunting ~&.trcis. the sea-
/ planes swooDed down To height Of
Z
dropped n bomb. when burst on tho
starboard side OF the submarine. half
way between tho stern and the coming
tower. The submarine heeled slowly
over to port. and remained in that
position. The bow rose into tho mir
as she stopped and began to sink.
The second scaplanc then dropncd
her bomb. which burst i'm front OF the
coming tower. and as the submarine
sank another bomb was dropped by
the nFst machine. which had wheeled
round and passed over the SPOT fifteen
seconds later Having disposed of
their quarry. tho two then ,.ircIed
round for quarter Of an hour search
ing for possible survivors, None were
seen, however and they accordingly
returned TO make their report"
AS is indicated by the above e,trac,
IRON official records, the co-operation
OF the Royal Naval Air Service viii,
tho coast patrols is an important for-
tor in the Admiralty organization OF
! antisubmnrine warfare The method
employed both by the small coast NJ
troll airships and by the seuplancs is
similar as regards the bomb-dropping
devices and depth charges while ey
pericnce has shown that success ia
ocst obtained when subma rine can
be bombed from height OF bctween
300 and 500 feet. The adon,ion NJ
guns IN the airpena and scapIancs
however. has tended to simplify The
problem. since these Weapons nre more
reliable. and can be aimed with much
greater precision. especially after the
Euhiaycrs have had a little practice
IT is only matter OF time also before
heavier guns in the larger tvpcs of
machines now bcin< manufactured will
be able TO innict as much damage as
direct hit from Il bomb
Turning TO what our allies have
done. 1T Will be found that the British
lead in this respect has been we'll fol-
lowed up. The French and Italian
aviators in the Atlantic. the Mcdi,er-
ranean and the Adriatic have per
formed some wonderful feats, OF which
more VIII be heard n little later on.
as early as July l. 1915. a French
airman. Subl!eutcnant Eoulilet. got off
Two bombs from his airplanc a, the
Austrian submarine C-ll from a
height OF only nifty feet. The bombs
exploded under the water very close
~ the coming tower. and the boat
was disabled, having to be lowed back
into harbor for repairs. with several
dead and wounded on board Il an
pears that the U-I1 was lying lazilv
on tho surface of the water. ana those
in charge apparently failed to notice
or scent any danger from the airinau
circlinE overhead.
The manner in which an incident
regarded as very exceptional in 1915
had come to be quite commonplace In
1917 was indicated by tho French Of
hcial monthly reports on the work of
,heir aircraft. During the mouth of
Ma! the French seaplanc patrol SER
wee carried out e.G27 flights, in all
weather, and il was also officially
stated that ION fourteen occasions
French seaplancs attacked German
submarines; whilst in three cases they
were successful in locating enemy
mina fields"
lot l,~
question connected with the suppress
sion Of The submarine menace, upon
the accomplishment or which task so
much else in the war depends. Why
cannot the U-boats be iinpeached In
the lairs from which they must depart
on their murderous cruises? Why not
eradicate the menace at its source
by an overwhelming attack from the
air.
That this question has been cxcrcis-
ing the minds OF thoughtful writer's
in several OF the allied countries OF
late Is we'll known. In America. +. u.
Roosevelt. Assistant Secretary Of the
United States Navy, has said that tho
force which can he cXcrted by air
planes and "torpedo-plancs" is more
concentrated than any other kind Of
force; and. furthermore, 1t can be put
to do the thing which is most urgently
required-that IS, to eliminate the
German submarines.
Similarly, Rcar-Admiral b. a. Fiske,
of the United States Navy. has ex-
pressed himself In favor OF nm am
bilious acronautical program. 1t
would be foolish, he argues, to hope
that any operations on land will he
able TO save the allies from the ruin
threatened by the submarine, and il
would be equally foolish to expect
salvation from any purely defensive
measures on the sea.
Unless. therefore. some efficient Of
fenSive plan is undertaken and pushed
aggrossiYcly. no scientific methods for
detecting submarines. no arrange
ments OF nets To catch submarines, no
shields on ships. no methods OF
elusion. hiding or escape. can do any
more than make Gcrmany's submarine
warfare somewhat more difficult and
to delay Its final triumph.
Italian authorities have expressed
like Views. On October lG. 1917. Signor
Caproni In an interview with the
Petit PariSien, said that the methods
used by the allies we're not quite up
n Tho toSlx they had IN perf,rp,