The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1921-10-06
NO MORE WARS,
THINK EXPERTS
AIRCRAFT AND SUBMARINES
WILL KEEP ENEMIES FROM
COMING TO GRIPS.

Fighting has been made hlpoS-
sible."
The man who said it IS 9 naval Of
ficer. He stood on the bridge deck OF
the Henderson and watched Gen. Bill
Mitchell's bombers sink the German
battleship Ostfriesland. After that
affair was over he expanded his
thought.
"a period hes been put to battle
ship buildings" said he. "Icu can
not escape that conclusion. Glenn
Martin. who built the Martin bomb
ers which carried the ton bombs that
smashed the Ostfrieland, is building
a larger plane that will carry a four
ton bomb. He says that the carry
ing of a ten-ton bomb is only 2 mat
ter of building larger planes. His
new four-ton bomber can go 500 miles
at sea and return"
Such bomber, the officer said, can
sink any ship that floats today. Our
PENNSYLVANIA, our Tennessee, any Of
our magnificent, new dread-aaughtS,
would be as easy for it as . duckling
is for a chicken hawk. The bombing
experiments on the Pacific coast not
long ago proved that. Captain Mos
tyn dropped smokescrecn down over
the Pacific battleship fleet and then
went in safely with his bombers.
Theoretically he got the flagship. His
attack was hidden behind the screen.
"No battleship fleet" said the speak
er, could approach within 500 miles
of our coasts under such conditions,
even if protected by fleet of aircraft
carried on ships. Sucn feet might
-might-be able to keep the shore
,et of aircraft away from the invad-
Ell. Not likely, of course, for more
a'lcraft can be stabbed on shore than
can be carried on q fleet. But such
q feet might keep tie air clear above
its battleships during the day. 1t
could not at night. The experience
of the late war is conclusive there.
Aircraft can find towns or ships by
night but can not find other aircraft.
Planes can be heard at night but not
seen. The planes could find and bomb
the fleet while covered by darkness"
If it is impossible for an invading
fleet to get within 500 miles OF our
coasts, reasoned the officer, it is
equally impossible for our fleet to
get within 500 miles of the encmy's
coast. Battleships, then, mus either
STAY at home 70 be bombed in their
harbors or venture trembling out to
sea to be exposed to submarines which
will be lying in wait &C the h:rDor
gates. For submarines now have a
cruising radius of four months. Bat
tleships may still be built At cost OF
fifty or sixty million dollars each.
"But they DO not mean anything
any more" said the officer. when
they have been protected by 'blisters'
against underwater torpedoes and
mines and serial bombs that fall
alongside, and heavy enough armor
to withstand the 20 inch shells that
will be hurled ct them from the new
guns, and topside protection against
aircraft, they will be imraovable.
There will not be room in such hulk
for engines if the ship is kept within
the external limits prescribed by the
depth and width of the cea canals.
He believes that the congressman
who witnessed this last experiment
will 50 reason. He does not think
they will appropriate money for more
battleships. He even thinks that the
construction of the battleships now
10 per cent completed may be halted.
1t is at least likely that careful con-
sideration will be given to the new
problem before congress will grant
money to finish them.
"If the other fellows battleships
can not reach US, and we can not reach
the other fellow with battleships, why
build battleships?"
Fast cruisers may be built, of
course, for use as commerce destroy
ers. But the speaker thought that
they would be unlikely to come with
in 500 miles of any enemy shore, for
there they could be destroyed by the
aircraft which would patrol every inch
of the coastline. By withdrawing
commerce from the seas, except along
the coast, country would only suffer
a loss of business. Such condition
would be inconvenient, but certainly
not fatal. Especially it would not be
fatal for the United States, which
could live on its own fat indefinitely.
Aircraft, he said, would make the
;ob of copveviop troops overseas