New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-22
Bombs Sink
Huge German
Dreadnou.g9ht
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CONTINUED from page onc)
castle and down over the sides a.
every spectator shouted with glee.
But the Ostfricsland showed n.
material signs of damage. She still
rode the waters evenly, and like tn.
bulldog of the old Hun navy that sh.
had been she settled back to nurse tn,
scratch that had been given her.
At 1926 p. m. the airmen, having
found the range and knowing that the
Ostfriesland was damaged astern
swung their attack in that direction
with bomb that fell few yards owe,
the left side of the stern. A veritable
mountain of water gushed upward ant
broke over the entire afterdeck of the
warship. She shook under the impact
and wnen this deck wash rolled off il
was noticea5io that the stern was
lower
But there was no time for laments
Another giant Martin bomber was
swinging overhead, and at 1927 n. M.
just one minute after this blow, il
sent speeding downward another mes.
senger of destruction, which hit on.
poslte the port quarter near the main
mast, sending another mass of whirl-
ing water into the air to deluge the
now noticeably sinking vessel.
Great air bubbles from the SLOWLY
sinking stern gave the impression thai
some unseen force had started the en-
glneless propellors in vain effort ia
escape the deadly missiles beinr
dropped from above.
A minute later it was plainly notice.
able that the bow of the ship was ris.
ing out of the water, the dull paint be-
low the waterline coming into view.
IN the next four minutes this death
struggle Of the ship went on passively
The stern slowly submerged until the
after rail was Just on q level with the
water and the bow kept rising, while
the vessel began noticeably to list to
port.
At 1882 the eighth bomb was
dropped. 1t struck about fifty feet of
the starboard side opposite the main
mast, and the water rose high over the
afterdeck, swirling the after turret as
the thousand pounds of explosive in
the bomb sent the waters into the
air.
Ten minutes only had passed, yet
this ship that was once the pride of
the German navy, the survivor of the
battle of Jutland. where she had struck
mire and limped into port, was now
rolling in the water at an angle OF
forty degrees with her afterdeck awash
end her DOW beginning to rise from the
water showing the inward bend that
marks the keel.
Slowly she went DOWN by the stern
and over on her port side. The bomb
ing had ceased. The end of the vessel
was at hand. A prize of the German
navy was about to 60 to the bottom as
an object lesson in two respects-the
fate of wars and the possibilities of
the airplane in combating naval often
sives.
Speeded by Final Bomb
At 1888 p. m. the Cstfriesland was
on her beam ends. A minute later she
had almost turned turtle, excepting
that she had begun to go down by the
stern as she turned over.
1t was just 12:4O, as the last few
feet CT her bow were visible above the
water, that an army airman sailed
over the spot, loosen,ig a final bomb,
which landed squarely upon the vanish
ing mark, giving it final kick toward
the bottom.
Thus in fifteen minutes, warship
worth many millions of dollars, COM
parable in construction to those of the
modern United States Navy, was sent
to the bottom by four giant bombs
delivered from land planes far from
their base.
Brgadier General Mitchell's conten-
tons that the airplane constitutes a
menace to the capital ship of the navy,
are seemingly borne out, and the three
plane men of the navy are jubilant
tonight.
Secretary DENLY said:
"The plunge of the Ostfriesland
when she sank after the terrific pound
ing of the last two days, ended one
OF the most remarkable and interest
ing series of experiments ever con-
Quoted. They have been practically per-
feet in coordination between the two
services, and have been character ized
ship. Scientific conclusions of the ut
most value undoubtedly will result
from the series. One outstanding and
most admirable feature has been the
splendid courage and skill of the air.
men. | congratulate them with all my
heart"
Major General Charles F. Menoher,
chief of the Army Air Service, who was
aboard the Henderson, said after the
hattleship had been sunk that he did
not think the sinking of the Ostfries-
land showed that the battleship was
doomed, but that it did show that the
aerial bomb constituted a real menace
to capital ships which must be met.
"a cold material fact has been de-
monstrated," he said. "That fact is
that the battleship can be sunk by the
aerial bomb. That's the real lesson of
this affair. The only thing to be- done
is to attack the problem accordingly.
II have not changed my mind at all
as to the result of these bombing
maneuvers. | have always commended
that the bomb did constitute very
that extraordinary precautions had to
be taken to meet the menace. That's
the whole story.''