The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-22
ABILITY OF PLANE ID SINK CAPITAL
 WARSH|P PROVED
Army Planes, With 2,000- Pound Bombs, Destroy Huge Former German
 Ship In 25 Minutes
By AssocIated Press

9r Route to Norfolk, Va. July 21.--The ability of the airplane to destroy the capital ship was demonstrated today off the Virginia capes.
 Army bombers, launching projec- tiies weighing one ton, sank the for mer German battleship Ostfriesland, heavily armored ship of 23,O00 tons displacement, in exactly 25 minutes after they opened their attack at 1915 D. m, from an altitude of ap- proximately 1.7Oo feet. Two bombs which landed overheard within & few yards of the port quarter gave tLe ship her death blows.
 Seven of the one-ton weapons were dropped by as many army planes which came from Langley Field, Va, so miles away, but immediately alter the two had exploded near the port quarter, the Ostfriesland began to settle by the stern. Those bombs were launched by separate planes within n minute of each other, the first at l2:26 D. m, and within five minutes the ships quarter deck was slightly awash and she began to list to port
 Turns Bottom ID
 As the water rushing in through rents torn in the hull by the l,sVo pounds of T N T, which the bombs carried floooed compartment after compartment the big hulk went over gradually until she had turned bottom up. She was then badly down by the stern and as she started the final plunge the bow rose high
 
 Thus the end came to once great ship of the German navy which took an important part with the German first battle squadron in the battle of Jutland, and reached home sately after having struck mine laid py the attacking British fleet. Naval men and many others of the thou sands assembled on half score ot war craft viewed the end or the piS ship. but the army men and partic- ularly the aviators were highly l elated. Many of them regarded thls as proof of the claim of Brigadier ! General Mitchell, assistant chief of 1 the army air service that the airship was making the battleship obsolete l Every Type Bombed With the sinking of the ostfrieS- Hard. the alrmen during the month ot io.nt bombing tests off the coast nad sent down by means Of bomos prac- tically every type of fightlns Ship submarine. q destroyer, cr1issr and a dreadnaught In addition navy tairn.en,s had round and bombed tlle fold bats ship iowa, while that sratt was Se Ning to approach the coast from the sea under radio control.
 Soon after Inc Ostfriesland dis appeared beneath the sea. Secretary IDenby of the navy department' wh", with Admiral Koontz. chief ot naval operations, and many other high ns- va, officers army officers and mem bers of Congress. had viewed the bombing from the naval transport Henderson. issued the following statement:
 "The plunge of the Ostfriesland when she sank after the terrific pounding of the last few days, endAd one of the most remarkable and ln- teresting series Of experiments ever conducted They have been practi- cally perfect in coordination be- l tween the two services, and lave been characterized throughout by fine spirit of comradship. Scientific conclusions of the utmost value un- doubtedly will result from the series. one outstanding and most adu,ira- ble feature has been the splendid courage and skill of the airmen. congratulate them with all my heart. A Real Menace
 Mai. Gen. Charles Y. Menoher chief of the army air service, who also was aboard the Henderson, de- ciared in a statement that he did not 1 think the sinking of The .'stfrie5land | showed that the battlesliip was doomed, but that 1t did show that the aerial bomb constituted real men ace to capital ships which must be met.
 "A cold material fact has been de- Imonstrated," he said That fact Is that the battleship can be sunk by the aerial bombN That's the real les son of this affair The only thing to be done is to view that as a cold. material fact and attack the problem Accordingly.
 q have not changed my mind at all as to the result of these bombing maneuyers. I have always. contended that the bomb did constitute very grave menace to the capital ship, and that extraordinary precautions had to be taken to meet the menace. That's the whole story
 | Naval experts said the science of 1 naval construction had not pro-
 gressed to the point where a ship could be built which would withstand such explosions as those occurring | almost directly alongside the Ost- friesland. They said the problem of
 protecting the battleship would have
 to be attacked, just as was that Of protecting them against torpedo l boats and later against submarines. Two Distinct Attacks i Two distinct attacks were carried out today against the Ostfrieslana after the bombing of her yesterday with 230. 520 and GOO pound bombs. The first began at s:s5 a. m. and was made by seven army Martin bombers which launched five combs of LIDO l pounds each. scoring three hits. These apparently failed to damage | the ship in any vital part. and, while | the official observers went over to examine the hull. the army planes carrying one-ton bombs were ordered out.
 Only one of the seven one-ton bombs dropped by the airmen who were in six Martin bombers and one l Handley- Paige struck the Ostfries- land |, was evident that the bomb | CTS were seeking not 70 hit the ship. | tContiuued on Page TWo1