Omaha daily bee., 1921-08-21
Battleship Still
Bulwark of NAVY.
Bomb Tests Show
Vessels Not Made Obsolete by
Modern Air Methods of
Fighting, Report
Declares.

Washington, Aug. 20.-That the
battleship is still the backbone of a
naval fleet, is the conclusion of the
joint army and navy board, which
reported on the results of the recent
aerial bombing tests conducted by
the army and navy off the Virginia
capes.
The report, approved by Secre-
tary OF War Weeks and Secretary of
the Navy DENLY, holds that the
bombing tests thoroughly demon
strated the Importance OF aviation in
naval and military defense, but on
the much-disputed point of airplane
or battleship supremacy, the latter
is regarded as the bulwark of the
nations sea defense despite airplanc
development.
Based on the experiments, the
beard holds with reference to the eff
feet of aircraft on future naval con-
struction as follows:
A. The mission of the navy is TO
control vital lines of transportation
upon the sea. If no opposition is
met from enemy naval vessels. this
mission can be accomplished with
out entering an eneny's coast zone
within which aircraft based on shore
or in sheltered harbors are effective.
Defense Against Blockade.
B. Without an effective navy in
time of war nation must submit to
an economic blockade fatal to its
trade and the transportation Of
necessary materials for the produc-
tion of war supplies.
c. If heavier-than-air craft are to
be effective in naval warfare they
must have greater mobility and since
their radius of action is not great.
additional mobility must be obtained
by providing mobile bases-i.e. air
craft carriers.
d. So far as known, no planes
large enough to carry a bomb ef-
fective against a major ship have
been flown, or landed on, an airplane
carrier at sea. 1t is probable, how
ever, that future development will
make such operations practicable.
E. Even in the present state of
development the aircraft carrier as
exemplifed by the Argus, the British
navy use type essential to the high
est efficiency of the fleet.
F. Aircraft carriers are subject
to attack by vessels carrying guns,
torpedoes or bombs and will require,
as all other types of vessels, the
eventual support OF the battleship.
Backbone of Fleet.
G. The battleship is still the
backbone Of the feet and the bull
wark Of the nations sea defense and
will so remain so long as the safe
navigation OF the sea for purposes OF
trade or transportation is vital to
success in war.
H. The airplane, like the SUBJ
marine destroyer and mine, mas add
ed to the dangers of which battle
ships are exposed, but has not made
the battleship obsolete. The battle
ship still remains the greatest factor
Of naval strength.
!. The development Of aircraft, in
stead of furnishing ali economical
of war leading to the
abolition OF the battlcship, has added
to the complexity of naval warfare.
The report says that the aviation
and ordnance experiments conduct
ed with the ex-German vessels as
targets, have proved that it has be-
come imperative as a matter Of ma
tional defense to provide fer the
maximum possible development Of
aviation in both the army and navy.
They have proved also the necessity |
for aircraft carriers of the maximum
size and speed to supply our fleet
with the offensive and defensive
power which aircraft provide, with
in their radius Of action. as an eft |
fective adjunct of the fleet. 1t is |
essential that effective anti
aircraft armament be developed.