Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-08-09
Successful Steering of Iowa From
Another Vessel Leads
to New Tests.
PLAN TO EQUIP OTHER SHIPS
satrresnip Runs Without a Hitch Five
Miles From Operator During somb
Tests-Army and. Navy Off
GERS Call 1t Scien-
tific Triumph.

Washington. - The performance Of
the battleship Iowa under radio con-
troll during recent aerial bombing tests
may lead TO revolutionary changes in
naval development, officers think.
Without Il person on board, the Iowa
was unanswered from the battleship
Ohio, five miles away, with the utmost
precision and there was not hitch
in the mechanism in more than two
hours while the Iowa was being
bombed.
1t was Il scientific triumph. The
Iowa was a real Flying Dutchman,"
counterpart of that mythical crew
less ghost of the seas, az she obcycd
the will Of Capt. f. l.. Chadwick on
the Ohio almost hull down on the hO-
rZon. The invisible. magic fingers OF
the radio reached out across the sea
to whirl the Iow;ES steering wheel
operate the fuel oil and water supply
valves and start and stop the ship.
So perfectly did the control function
that the officer on the Ohio maneu-
vered the Iowa away from the attack
ing air forces at the moment the
bombs were being released, varying
the speed of The target vessel at Will.
Officers Much Impressed.
Army and navy officers who wit
messed the test were much impressed
by the possibilities OF development of
the radio control idea for use in future
wars. Il was said to be apparent that
radio control might eliminate some
loss OF life. in such enterprises as
''biock ship" operations as when the
British undertook at Zeebrugge and
OStend TO bottle up German subma-
rines. Thei. 'block ship of The future,
it was pointed out, might sail -serenely
into an enemy harbor without Il soul
on board and be sunk to ObStruct its
channel by the electrical explosion of
her magazines. = ----.,-----.--,,-s
Already the navy is working out
plans for shifting control at will from
Il surface vessel like the Ohio TO air
craft, either heavier or lighter than
air. The radio. control device. on the
Ohio is so simple, officers say, that
little difficulty is anticipated in adapt
ing il for use in an airplane or a diri.
gible.
When this development is work ed
out the controlling aircraft will be
able to work at an altitude Of 10 DOC
feet ana above, safe from any gunfire
from below, and steer the controlleG
vessel anywhere on the sea within fife
| radius.
To Equip Other Ships.
A movement is afoot to install radio
| control on at least one more obsolete
battleship and two old destroyers to
serve as targets for aerial bombing
practice and further experiments with
! radio control. Extension of expert
| ments to the possibility of applying
| the radio control idea to aircraft also
| is under consideration and it is within
| probabilities that giant crewless bomb
( ing planes, loaded With high eXpio
| sives could be launched against nava
| vessels, cities and forts with no costly
| sacrifice of trained officers and men
| The entire radio control idea, q post
| war development, in its present appli
cation is in its infancy, naval officers
! believe. and they expect great develop
| mentS in the efficiency and scope oi
| the control within the next few years