The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-08-02
Successful Steering Of Iowa From
Another Vessel Leads
to New Tests.
PLAN TO EQUIP OTHER SHIPS
BatrIesnip Runs Without Hitch Five
: Miles From Operator During Bomb
Tests-Army and Navy Off
GERS Call It Scien-
tiAc 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 person on board, the Iowa
| was Unanswered from the battleship
Ohio, five miles away, with the utmost
precision and there was not a hitch
in the mechanism in more than two
hours while the Iowa was being
bombed.
| 1t was scientific triumph. The
Iowa was a real Flying Dutchman,"
q counterpart of that mythical crew.
less gh@st of the seas, as she obeyed
the will of Capt. F. l.. Chadwick on
the Ohio, almost hull down on the no.
rizon. The invisible, magic fingers Of
the radio reached out across the sea
to whirl the Iowa's 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 We're 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. 1t was said to be apparent that
radio control might eliminate some
loss of life in such enterprises us
block ship" operations as when the
British undertook at Zeebrugge ard
Ostend to bottle up German subma-
rines. The ''block ship of the future,
it was pointed out, might sail serenely
into an enemy harbor without soul
on board and be sunk to obstruct its
channel by the electrical explosion of
her magazines.
Already the navy is working out
plans for shifting control at will from
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 it for use in an airplane or Il diri-
gible.
When this development is worked
out the controlling aircraft will be
able to work at an altitude of 10000
feet and above, safe from any gunfire
from below, and steer the controlled
vessel anywhere on the sea within fuel
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
that giant crewess bomb
ng planes, loaded with high explo-
sives could be launched against naval
,essels cities and forts with no costly
sacrifice of trained officers and men.
The entire radio control idea. post
var development. in its present appli-
,atiOn is in its infancy, naval officers
believe and they expect great develop
nents in the efficiency and scope of
he control within the next few years.