Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-01
By CHEDWORfH PAINE.
Who Predicts That the Navies Of the Flu
ture will Consist Of strangs Flying
and Diving Ships.

SCuiuS CdH pc dppHtu, wrote a
memorandum demonstrating the
submarine menace.
He had drafted similar statements
so far back as 1908 and 1904. 1t is
absurd to call them prophecies.
They were the product of brains and
vision.
Lord Fishers paper remained Sc,
cret. but on June 4, 1914. Admiral
Sir Percy Scott wrote letter to the
press about submarines in which he
said among other things that Sub
marines and aircraft have entirely
trevolutionized naval warfare" He
was instantly derided by FIVE ad-
mirals, a host of other experts"
and innumerable newspapers. No
one ventures to deride Lord Fish
er and Sir Percy Scott today.
British Fleet Obsolete.
Within the last month these two
great seamen have publicly warned
the nation that our present feet is
obsolete.
Lord Fisher insists that the war
has shown us that Britain is on the
verge of far greater revolution in
naval warfare than was caused by
the introduction of steam. The war
ship of the future must be able to
get under the water out of the way
of aircraft.
Sir Percy Scott maintains that the
surface battleship is practically dead.
She can be destroyed by aerial tor-
pedoes launched from the air.
In spite of all the lessons of the
last five years, these declarations
have caused another outburst of in
credulity. How slow-witted we are,
while centuries thunder past us in a
year.
The Coming Membership.
The coming warship will be able
to dive, to skim the surface of the
sea at almost INCREDIBLE speed and
to fly. Already we have craft which
can move on the waters at the rate
of II miles an hour.
The germ of the new vessel is dis
cernible in those wonderful little
skimming craft, furnished with tor~
nedoes, which wrought such havoc
in the bolshevist squadron at Kron-
stadt not long ago.
They are small today, but they
will grow. Nowadays both guns
and new types of warships rapidly
increase in size. As soon as fresh
kind of ship is success the con-
structors get to work and build big
ger ones.
Look at the steady process of evo-
luton which followed the introduc-
ton of the first tiny torpedo boats.
Look at the way submarines grew in
size and armament during the war.
These new warships will have
wings which will fold against their
sides, like the lee-boards of Dutch
galliot, when they submerge. Straits
held by an enemy will no longer stop
them, nor isthmuses, norsmine-felds.
They will rise from the water and
fly over such obstacles.
Can Pass All Obstacles.
In a few years. time an episode
like the attempt to force the Dar-
danelles will be entirely unnecessary.
Should such an operation be ordered
the attacking squadron will ascend
into the air and fly over the Straits
into the Sea of Marmora. The Sucs
canal will be crossed in a single
swoop, and it will be the same at
Panama.
Impossible" you say? Hearken
to Rear Admiral Adair, we'll known
on the Clyde, who said in the
house of commons so recently as
December IS: II believe that in a
very short time there will be craft.
perhaps as big as destroyer, nor
mally floating on the sea, and steam.
ing at high rate of speed, perhaps
getting up to. 20 miles an hour, but
when the occasion arises spreading
her wings and travelling $50 miles
through the air"
OF course there will, but ! do not
think Admiral Adair went far
enough. He did make his flying
warships suhmersible. He also said
that he did not foresee "a battle
ship aircraft" He clung to the con.
ception of large surface-hghtine
craft, fitted with deck armor ITO
keep off bombs" and presumably
aerial torpedpes. Faith in these
waddling monsters dies hard.
Aircraft Masters of Ships.
Five years ago torpedoes were
discharged from aircraft. This year
it has been demonstrated that air
craft armed with torpedoes can sue
cessfully attack feet. Sir Percy
Scott says that the development OF
aerial torpedoes makes it necessary
to consider the question carefully
"before we even think of building
another surface battleship." I would
add that no battleship can long sur
vive such an attack from the air
unless it can either fly or dive, or do
both.
I'see no reason whw these new
warships should not ultimately far
exceed destroyer in size. We think
too much in grooves. Our imagina-
ton is still clogged by the idea of
ponderous armor and weighty en-.
gines. We made no allowance for
the extraordinary advances now be.
ing made by the science of metal.
lurgy. Who knows how soon we
may not discover an alloy combin. |
ing extreme lightness with great
power of resistance and explosives.