Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-02-07
MAY END ROW
ABOUT VALUE
Of WAR GRAF I
One Naval Officer OFF,
ers to Ride Ship as
Aviators Bomb at It.
Real Experiments. Are
Asked With Fleet of 5
Vessels in Maneuvers.

Washington, Feb. 6.-The contro-
versy as to the relative superiority of
battleship and aircraft, which recently
has stirred the navy and war depart
ments, and has bobbed up in congress-,
may be settled through actual tests,
high naval officers said Monday night.
Btgadier General William Mitchell,
assistant chief of the air service. who
recently told a congressional commit
tee that developments in aircraft had
spelled the doom of the present day
dreadnaught, and other air service Of
ficers, are understood to have issued
a virtual challenge to the navy depart
ment to permit them to prove their
contentious. The navy department is
a firm believer in the superiority of
the capital ship, and, naval officers be-
lieve, will accept the challenge in the
hope of settling the controversy, at
least for the time being.
Wants Five Ships.
General Mitchell has asked his su--
.periors in the war department to send
a formal request to Secretary Dan
iels that two torpedo boats. two sup
ply vessels and one battleship be de-
signed for the tests. Naval officers
expressed the belief that such a re-
quest, even if made. would be refused
because of the large amount of ma
terial involved and the cost Of fitting
the five vessels with distant radio
control apparatus. q
There ia a strong likelihood. how
ever, naval officers said, that the old
battleship Iowa, already fitted with
radio controlling gear and capable Of
a speed of more than 10 knots and Of
being maneuvered with no one on
board will be used for target for
aerial bombs after experiments now
being conducted on the control device
are completed.
May Tow Targets.
Another suggestion going the rounds
of the navy department now Is ina.
large lighters be towed at high speed
behind destroyers or cruisers and used
as targets. Many officers believe that
no test of the ability Of the aviators
to hit naval vessels would be conclu-
sive unless the target were moving at
least 20 knots an hour, pointing out
that all modern cruisers, battle cruls-
ers, battleships and destroyers and
the proposed airplane :: carriers r i;l. nave
more speed than this. If the lighters
were used, it is said, constructive
area equal to that of capital surface
would be allowed the aviators around
The lighter in which all hits would be
counted.
No Test Conclusive.
No test even under these condi-
tions would be entirely conclusive,
MANY naval officers maintained, be-
cause all Of the elements of defense
would be lacking, including anti-air-
craft guns and protective aircraft. 1t
was generally conceded. however: that
such experiments as General Mitchell
had proposed would give good idea
Of the ability of the aviators to act
ually hit vessel moving on the
water. ,,
II am SO confident" said one high
naval officer. that neither army or
navy aviators can hit the Iowa when
she is under way that l would be per-
fectly willing to be on board her when
thev bomb her. providing that they
were kept at the altitude they would
he compelled to maintain in battle
Eager For Trial.
Army aviators maintain that any
surface vessel in existence can be de-
stroyed by airplane attack. citing the
tests on the old battleship Indiana
with dummy bombs as proof Of their
ability to hit the target. Many otfl-
GERS asserted that it is one thing to
hit a battleship anchored in bay
and another to hit the same ship NOV
ing at 16 to 20 knots All hour far out
at sea. Officers of both services are
eager for the test.