The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-21
BATTLESH|P ONLY. SLIGHTLY DAMAGED BY AERIAL BOMBS
13 of 52 Bombs Find the Tar get, But Only Four Ex- pIode, the Remainder
 Being "Duds"
By Associated Press

On Board the Destroyer Leary, bh Route to Norfolk, Va, July 2o.-Air- craft failed today to sink or mate rially damage the former German battIeship Ostfreisland In the opening of the final phase of the joint army and navy bombing tests off the Vir- ginia capes to determine the ettec' of airplane attacks on capital and other types of warships.
 Dropping a total of 52 bombs, SS of gao pounds and 19 of 520 and 6oO pounds. navy, marine corps and army aviators placed 13 of them on board and practically all of the others in the water close by About all the ap- parent damage resulting, however was to the upper decks and super structure immediately around the spots where the projectiles struck.
 Only Four Explode
 Only four of the bombs landing on board exploded, two of 230 pounds each, one of 52O pounds and one of 500 pounds, the kind that sent down the light cruiser Frankfurt last Mon day. The 600-pound Hive" bomb. launched by an army Martin plane, struck at a coal chute on the for ward upper deck and going through the protective deck, which, however, was declared to be undamaged.
 The 520-pound bomb, dropped by navy F-5-L, struck on the after deck near 12-inch gun turret and in ex- ploding tore through the deck. It did some minor damage to part or the super-structure nearby. The two 23O-pounders which detonated hit within a few feet of each other on the upper deck just aft of the smoke stacks One charred the wooden covering of the upper deck and the other ripped up the wooden decking for a short distance.
 The big bombs exploding on the decks wrought no such havoc to the super-structure as did bombs of sim liar size dropped on the Frankfurt. This was accounted for, naval officers said by the heavier construction on the Ostfreisland. Presumably it was for the same reason that the big bombs exploding close alongside the target failed to open up her seams. Members of the official observing board said after an examination that the vessel was not leaking and that her vital parts, including guns, were undmaged.
 Continue Attack Today
 There was a notable gathering for the bombing of the Ostfreisland which will be continued tomorrow, weather permitting. Those witness ing the work of the aviators included Secretaries Denby of the navy depart- ment Weeks of the war department and Wallace, of the department of az riculture; Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt; General Pershing, chief of staff of the army; Admiral Koontz, chief of naval operations; Major General Lejeune. commandant of the marine corps; Major General Menoher. chief of the army air ser vice; General Radogilo of the Italian army, air attaches from a number of the foreign embassies and legations at Washington, members of Congress and a large number of army and navy officers.
 For several hours it appeared that those who had come down from Washington for the tests would be disappointed as weather conditions at g a. m were so bad the start for the attacks was postponed and the fleet of war craft around the target started for Hampton Roads.
 Before noon, however. the clouds lifted sufficiently for the bombers to work and the fleet returned.