The New York herald., 1921-07-01
SEA FIGHT PROVED
PLANES DEADLY FOE
Ability to Pick Up Warship
in $4,000 Miles of Ocean
Established.
DIRECT HITS FEW
Navy Air Pilots Landed
Only Two of Eighty
Bombs on Iowa.
FAULT CAN BE REMEDIED
Obsolete Vessel Much Smaller
Target Than Present
Ships Offer.
FAULT CAN BE REMEDIED
Special Despatch to THE NEW YORK HERALD
New York Herald Bureau,
WashinYfon n n lime 30

SpectdI Despatch TO THE NEW YORK HERALD
New York Herald Bureap,
Washington, ID. c., June 80.
Stock in aircraft as factor in war;
fare went up rapidly when the marine
transport Henderson reached Wash
ington to-day from the bombing tests
held by the navy off the Virginia
Capes, bringing the details of the ex-
periments held when twenty-five sea-
planes aided py four dirigibles located
and then attacked the obsolete battle
ship Iowa.
Such factors In Congress as Senator
Wadsworth IN. ", chairman of the
Senate Military Affairs Committee, and
others went back to their legislative
duties with the distinct impression that
aircraft despite a low percentage of
hits in the firing, had made far bet
ter showing than might appear on the
surface.
The rapidity with which the aircraft
located the Iowa in an area of $4,000
square miles of sea proved this, 1t was
admitted. even by the old line navy
officers who insist the battleship is
supreme as a weapon of national de-
fence. The search was brief, lasting
less than two hours, and this is re-
garded as a remarkable record.
Officers aboard the Henderson were
particularly impressed with the showing
made by the dirigible balloons which
first sighted the Iowa and the vessels
IN the vicinity, including the battleship
Ohio. which operated her with radio.
and the transport Henderson. which
carried the observers.
Only Two Hits In Eighty.
Aboard tne Henderson on the way
to Washington a wide difference of
opinion existed as to the lessons that
had come through the bombing. The
aircraft enthusiasts frankly were dis
appointed at the showing made by the
bombers, since only two direct hits were
registered on the deck of the Iowa
out of the eighty that were dropped.
This fell far below the percentage made
in the navy during the practice work
that preceded the tests. these percen-
tages ranging as high as 73 per cent,
4,000-foot altitude.
This figure, however, was computed
with the area of a dreadnought In
mind instead of the small area of the
now obsolete Iowa. Had a modern
dreadnought been used as a target the
exposed surface would have been fully
two and q half times as great. Esti-
mates were made that not less than
10 of the eighty bombs dropped would
,rfo Nf cttal
dreadnought or within the danger zone.
that is, in close proximity, perhaps suf-
ficiently close to damage such a vessel
below the water line,
Officials of both sffe army and navy
services said the tests demonstrated
that improvements must be made i'm the
method of dropping bombs. Instead of
the hit or miss system now employed,
they said it was necessary to develop
better bomb sight, one that would auto
matically stabilize itself, to counteract
the natural fitting of aircraft, to de-
gree where a bomb might easily be
thrown off target. They regard such
development as purely mechanical.
Misjudged Iowa's Speed.
A large percentage of the shots fell
we'll ahead of the Iowa, which would
indicate. the observers said. that the
fliers misjudged the speed of the ves-
sell The Iowa at no time was going
at more than ten miles an hour, while
the aeroplanes were going from eighty
to ninety miles 1t was the first time
the fliers had attacked a moving tar
get under such conditions.
Battleship ADVOCATES, on the other
hand, made a strong point of the fact
that the tests have not demonstrated
that floating craft as yet are in grave
danger from the air. They insist the
Iowa In the tests had only manoeuvre
ability while the modern dreadnaught
under war conditions would have nu-
merous kinds of defence, including
friendly aircraft and heavy anti-air-
craft fire.
The outstanding thing Is that the tests
that so far have been held have far
from settled the controversy that has
been raging in milkary and naval cir
cles. New points fAr arguments have
been created on botf Asides OF the ques-
tion, but little mor II will require
completion of the I'd Is to be held in
July, which include ny n bombing. but
with live instead OF dummy bombs, be-
fore the more mature Judgment can be
developed.