New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-22
Bombs Sink
Huge German
Dreadnougglnt
Ostfriesland, Once Pride of
kaiser's Fleet, Wrecked
by 1000 Pound Blasts
From g liant Aircraft
lhree-Plane Men Jubilant
Regard Grand Finale of Sea
and Sky Tests as Proof
OF New Warfare Phase
From a Staff Corr.s,,oa,de.,t :


ON BOARD U. S. S. HENDERSON,
FIFTY MILES OFF CAPE CHARLES.
Va, July 21.-The German battleshlp
Ostfriesland was sent to the bottom
IN the grand finale of the navy air
plane tests off the Virginia Capes this
afternoon after six 2,o0O-pound bombs
not one Of which made a direct hit, had
been dropped at her from a height OF
about 5000 feet.
The huge enemy dreadnought sank
| IN just twenty-one minutes after the
attack with the heavier bombs by army
flyers. going down by the stern.
Damaged, but not unserviceable as a
consequence of three direct hits out of
five shots with 1,000-pound bombs in
the morning attack, the dreadnought
was not sunk until the second attack,
but then the huge bulk of the former
German terror went down ignominious-
~ as the prey of the 2,0O0-pound
bombs.
To-day's work marked the fourth
and last phase of the tests in which
army and navy airmen have tried their
attack against each of the principal
types of modern naval vessels. First
they attacked a submarine, second a
destroyer, third an armored cruiser
and to-day a dreadnought.
Depends on Size of Bomb
Only the difference in weight of
10 e J Al.
tinguished these various attacks, so far
The submarines turned up their toes
under the first rain Of 163- pound
tombs and smaller destroyer fire. The
destroyer was sunk by $50 and geo
pound bombs. The armored cruiser
required 600-pound bombs to put her
down, and finally the battleship with
stood the fire of all the attacks until
the present maximum size 2,000-pound
bombs were reached.
While it is true that yesterday s
attack by the smaller bombs somewhat
weakened the Ostfriesland, which had
sunk two feet at the stern during the
night, and probably another foot dur
ing the morning tests, there were not
the airmen that bombs from the air
could sink modern battleship.
To all the end came as an astounding
and almost incredible happening,
though the dropping Of the 2,000-pound
bombs from the great Martin bombers
and the two Handley Page machines,
which came out from Langley Field.
nearly a hundred miles distant, had
been anticipated as the big event OF
the experiment.
At 1917 a shout went up. But it
ended in laugh, for this aiming shot
with a sand loaded shell fell $50
feet ahead of the bow OF the German
warship. At 1919 came the first of
the real bombs. 1t fell short of the
/ mark by approximately 100 feet,
throwing high into the air column
| of spray mixed with the black of the
ascending smoke. At 1921 D. m. came
the third bomb. 1t fell wide by 300
feet of the bow of the ship.
The fourth shot from the ever-cir-
cling giant plane came at 1922. 1t
fell just off the starboard side of the
Ostfriesland, abaft her mainmast.
Fifth Bomb Shakes Ship
The fifth bomb was the first to shake
the ship. This struck close to the
starboard side Of the bow. In great
geyser of water thrown up by the ex
plosion went a portion of the free
board about ffty feet back from the
bow and water gushed over the fore
Continued on paea thrss)