The Washington herald., 1921-02-13
HUGE AIR FLEET
, TO REPLACE NAVY,
SAYS HAMMOND
tcoNrINuNp PROM PAGE oNE.

SA1S hANlMOISDl
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.
improvements may be classified
as follows; --..'-,-sss, .e
l.. Increase in range and ex-
plosive charge of the naval tor
pedo.
2. Means to direct the same from
distance.
g., improvements in the torpedos
boat, whether subsurface, surface
or aerial,
The Torpedo Attack.
On account of the prime requisite
of speed in the torpedo boat in the
delivery of its attack. the Fisk tor
pedoplane" will possibly be the tor
pedo boat of the future. 1t will
launch its adio-directed torpedoes
at distance from ,the target and
the control of these torpedoes will
be, taken up, by swail, speedy OBJ
serving planes plying at an altitude
of ten thousand feet. We will con-
seryatively say that the technical
methods employed in this system OF
torpedo attack should reach prac-
teal perfection twenty years from
now. At this time the range OF the
torpedo attack may easily cover a
distance of a hundred miles.
Hours before the fleets are within
sight of each other and while their
guns are silent the aerial confic
will be fought out in the effort Of
the opposing forces to bring their
torpedo planes to bear on the capi-
tai ships. The aeriaF duel decided,
the victorious side wilI- have an
enormous advantage in being free
to deliver its torpedo attack against
a fleet whose sole reliance will be
it's ineffective anti-aircraft artillery.
In this way, long before the gun
duel has been entered into by the
opposing forces, the ultimate out
come of the action may have been
decided.
bombing Uncertain.
From this time on the long range
weapon-the torpedo-wiu grow and
the gun, 1 believe, will diminish in
Importance. In attacking ships the
torpedo is the ideal weapon for the
airplane to employ, since it cannot
carry guns of sufficient caliber and
in sufficient numbers to damage ar
mored vessels, and since dropping
bombs from great heights is a very
uncertain thing IN the face of anti
aircraft guns located almost be-
meath the bombing plane.
AS the capital ship is essentially
nothing more than a floating gun
platform its primary role in the
scheme OF battle will wane 1t is
then' and then only, that we may
may ask what is the use of build
ing oattleships. But in these twenty
ODD years all the ships which we
are building now, or expect to build,
Will nave served their purpose.
me- second phase of naval de-
Nelopment Will be characterized by
gradual growth in the aerial arm.
Lthe hghting planes growing con-
stantly larger to accommodate their
increase Of armament until the tim,
iS reached when they will be too
Dig to be carried on their mother
ships.
To Supersede Ships.
The present rate Of aerial nrop-
ress should in fifty years produCe
hghting planes of such maRpitndo
and radius of action that an air-
oorne navy will supersedc the slow
moving water-borne craft of TO-DAY
II will possess the advantage Ht
movement in three dimensions ho.
ing unrestricted by sand hars
peninsulas or continents. and beirg
capable Of delivering its attack
within a few hours, thousands of
uil!es away at any desired point
AT this juncture there will ram
pear the same phase of comnetftiop
between the gun and aerial torpedo
uut uhoer these new conditions
since there is no new dimension
from which the torpedo attack NAV
De ueHVered' We will have a state
!oentlcal to the composition of our
meets today. where the large Run
Platforms are screened by small
swift craft. The gun at this stage
more. ohce
bisarmament in Future,
The only solution which 900 ,o-
the end of fleets and battle craft
Will be discovered when that w..
comes when it will be found mn
prohtable for any power to taka tbo
ohehslVe. Today it is well known
Ihat naval forces are of little avail
when pitched against adeGuate
coast defenses. In the future the
same condition will probabIv ne
round and the aerial fleet will NOT
De able to withstand the artillery
Volcano unloosed from ground forti-
tications and the overwheIminr
number of small torpedo -directing
planes swarming up from their pro-
tected land bases.
The advantage will be with che
detense OF the invaded territory in
the same degree that coast defenses
today have the inestimable value
over the present fleets. In Other
words. it is impossible for a mobile
gun platform of necessarily limited
dimensions and weight carving
ability to compete with a gun Mat.
form of unlimited dimensions and
capable of carrying any weight Of
artillery.
Thus the nations may gradually
be led to, abandon their fiphtinp
meets and the day of disarmament
will dawn.
Copyright, 1921, by United press.)