The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1921-02-06
Plans Drawn by Congress
Provide Huge Craft to
Carry 80 Fighting
Planes on Deck.
TO VOTE ON TUESDAY
Proposal Is Made to Halt
Battleship Construction
and Divert Funds to
Ships for Aircraft.
ACTION IN BOTH HOUSES
Gen. Mitchell Says Navy With
out Dominating Air Force
Will Be Helpless in
Next War.

Special Despatch to THE NEW York HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington, ID. c., Feb. 8.
Steps were taken In both houses of
Congress to-day to provide for much
greater development of naval aviation
in accordance with the views expressed
by Rear Admiral William S. Sims of
the Naval War College and Brig. Gen.
William Mitchell of the Army Air Ser
vice, that a fleet with an inadequate
air force can be defeated by a power
full aerial attack.
The greatest weakness in America s
defence programme, even those Of
ficials of the General Navy Board who
hold that the airplane has not yet
jeopardized the supremacy of the
dreadnought admit. is the lack Of fast
big aeroplane carriers.
Senator Gerry OR. - of the Senate
Naval Affairs Committee. after the
testimony of Rear Admirals Sims and
.Fiske before that committee, intro
duced an amendment to the naval ap-
preparation bill authorizing the Presi-
dent to start the construction OF four
airplane carriers at an estimated cost
Of s24,oo0.000 each. f
IT become apparent during the testi-
mony Of Gen. Mitchell before the House
Naval Affairs Committee to-day that
the immediate construction of airplane
carriers was favored. Two motions were
made which will be voted on next Tues
day.
Representativ Britten (Ill) proposed
that present unexpended balance in
the fund for constructing the 1916 naval
building programme. of about S54.oOO,-
600. be used to construct two carriers.
This would to some extent halt con-
. struction of big battleships now to al
low work on the airplane ships.
Representative Oliver (Ala.) sug-
gested that the committee authorize a
new appropriation Of $s0,000,00o for the
Immediate construction of two of the
carriers Chairman Butler tPa) and
other committee members expressed ap-
proval of the proposals.
The contemplated carriers would be
about the size of the modern battle
cruiser, with about the same speed
as knots--so the planes could be trans
ported quickly TO any place and easier
landings made on the vessei. fne car
rter would nave a capacity of about
eighty planes, including bombers, fight
ers and Observers or in other words a
complete battle force. Its deck would
be a big Hat platform for landing OF
planes. Admiral sims explained that a
fast carrier h needed to make success
full landings on II.
"If a plane has a speed Of 100 miles
an hour. the speed with which 1t touches
the landing platform can be relatively
decreased by having the carrier steam
80 knots into 90 knot wind Inc said
"The speed OF the plane when II touches
the platform would thus be relatively
reduced more than half
Efforts are now being made In Con-
gress by Gen Mitchell and other air
offlcials for a united air service.
I'VE have no air policy now Gen.
Mitchell told the House Naval Affairs
Committee Under a unified plan we
could build up in three years a service
as good as France now has. as compared
with the little inefficient nothing we
have now. At the same time we could
reduce appropriations 80 per cent. We
ought to frame an air policy by deter
mining the smost powerful possible ali
enemy and preparing ourselves to whip
it."
Gen. Mitchell insisted that air SUI
preniacy depends OF air power. statlns
that the United states could not with
Uy.sN
stand an aerial attack that Great BRIT
ain Is now able 10 make
awe cannot learn anythins about
Enuiand's construction Of alrplanc car
riers,'ho said. but We do know that
she IL going strong In developing her
air strength over the water. navy
does not need to be abolished and prob
ably should not be. but navy without
q dominating air force soon VIII be help
lCf't