Evening star., 1921-06-26

ably, Will SO llluCn 10 SUR puD-
lie interest in the Navy's prepared
ness program as the series of aerial
bombing and gunnory tests which
started June 20, fifty miles at sea off
the Virginia Capes. and which will
continue for thirty days under the
keenly observant eye of the Army
and Navy experts. military attaches
from foreign. nations. congressman
and press representatives.
These tests began with the sinking
of three captured German subma-
rines, which once had terrorized the
seas by mine-laying and torpedoing.
Tuesday they continue with truly
remarkable demonstration in which
the old battleship Iowa Will be op-
Grated by radio control from the
Ohio, five miles aStern of her, ana put
through a series of maneuverS head
ing toward the Virginia coast at top
speed as a test for Army aVlatorS IN
search for the enemy tactics ana
bombing with various types OF planes
and various sizes of bombs.
The Iowa is to be given a secret
station Tuesday morning.
Spirited Contest.
This event will be a spirited contest
between the Navy StrateSlsts maheu-
vering the attack of the Iowa ana
the Army bombers. charged with the
duty of sinking" her 50 far as
dummy bombs can sink a battleshlp.
The recent controversy between
Brig. Gen. William Mitchell. who
convinced the naval affairs committee
of the House that aerial attack
methods had become so efficient as to
threaten all battleships and cruisers
with obsolescence, and the naval Off
GERS, who convinced the Senate COM
mittee on naval affairs that air FORCES
had not yet proved any special advan-
tage against the battleshir. which
they describe as still the backbone
of the Navy" will make this siren
uously played war game.
The Iowa is to be given secret
station Tuesday morning somewhere
between Cape Hatteras and Cape Hen
lopen," from fifty to 100 miles at sea,
lust as if she were an enemy vessel.
AT the zero hour her engines will be
thrown into full speed by the radio
control located on the Ohio. and TINS
target vessel, without single soul
aboard, will begin her effort to reach
the coast without being detected and
sunk by the Army defense planes.
which simultaneously begin their
search for her over this wide
range of sea. If she is discovered
aerial radio doubtless will summon
scores of attacking bombers. and the
tneOrttlcal COMBAT between tHe AR
planes and the battleship will be on.
Both on Their Mettle.
Both sides will be on their mettle
and the results of this days work
will do much to determine future
naval policy in the matter of armor-
ing the decks of capital ships against
air attack. in developing anti-air-
craft guntire, which the Navy has not
yet done to any extent. and also in
the matter of building airplane car
riers." which can serve as aircraft
bases with the fleet at sea. This last
project is being widely discussed and
experimental with. and was one of
the House and the Senate in negotia-
tions over the naval appropriation
bill for the next fiscal year.
In July other tests will be held
along this same line. only real bombs
will be used and their object will be
actually to sink the ex-German cruis-
er Frankfurt and the ex-German
battleship OStfriesland.
Worldwide attention has been
aroused over this series of tests on
account of the contradictory positions
assumed by the Army air service and
the fleet officers of the Navy. The con-
troversy in Congress between the
House and the Senate committees
charged with iegislating naval af-
fairs has also brought this question
to a head, on account of the fact
that the House committee favored di-
verting money from the construction
of capital ships to aircraft and car
riers and bombing program. while
the Senate committee declared that
the 1916 naval program should be
carried out, this providing for
eighteen more capital ships, which
are now planned within the next five
years. and with no special emphasis
on aviation.
Sims Views Accepted.
The House committee accepted the
views of Admiral Sims who said:
Il do not think there is any question
in reference to the efficiency of our
fleet that has anything like the i'm
portance of pushing ahead with the
development of airplanes and airplane
carriers"
They favor the expenditure of $751;
900, 900 for two large airplane carriers
and the elimination of some cruisers
which now are only 1 per cent under
construction.
Other naval officers who believe the
battleship will ever remain the back
bone of the Navy" and who doubt the
ability of airmen to threaten a battle
fleet successfully, continue to urge the
building of big ships, until Englands
power is at least equaled. and decry
the value of submarines and aircraft.
The younger naval officers are
divided in opinion, but many are frank
to admit that submarines and air.
planes, while much less comfortable
and roomy as commands" are deadly
weapons Of warfare and are bound to
take a more important place in
modern warfare since the Germans
and the British demonstrated what
could be done with both in the world
war.
Army experts are unanimously for
a larger air service. and cite the
tremendous progress which has been
made since 1915, when the alrpiane's
first offensive power consisted OF SIX
shooters or Shotguns which were car
ried aloft by one set of observers to
kill off the rival observers when they
should meet over the lines.
Aircraft Percentage of Hits.
II is an interesting fact that while
the science of naval gunnery is 5oO
wears old, and offensive aviation Is
only six years, aircraft bombers are
already able to get as large a per-
centage of hits at the range OF mile
as the average destroyer. More time
for the development of sighting and
releas sing devices will undoubtedly i'm
prove the art of aerial bombing tremen-
douSly.
Results of bombing tests on the
Old battleship Indiana last fall as
reported to the House committee on
naval affairs, showed that out of
twenty bombs dropped from 1000 feet
altitude IL per cent were direct hits
and Al per cent were hits within the
sixty-foot danger zone. wherein the
concussion opens up the ships plates
and eventually sinks her. One PA
pound bomb Of INT was put thirty
feet under water and twenty five
feet from the side of the vessels
stern and the explosion bent the pro-
pelIer shaft, the rudder post. broke
the plates and made the vessel be-
gin to sink. A 1.65o-pound bomb con,