Arizona republican., 1921-07-22
BOMBING PLANES
 DESTROY GERMAN
 MA VAL MONSTER
[RepubIican A. P. Leased Wirej

ON BOARD THE DESTROYER LEARY FEN ROUTE TO NORFOLK. ya-. July 21s-The ability of the air plane to destroy the capital ship was demonstrated to the satisfaction of war department officials today off the Virginia Capes.
 Army bombers. launching project iles weighing one ton. sank the for mer German battleship Ostfriesland, 23,000-t ton heavily armored ship. in exactly 25 minutes after they opened their attack at 12:15 D.. m. from an altitude of approximately HOO feet. Two bombs which landed overheard within a few yards of the port quarter gave the ship her death blows.
 Seven of the one-ton missiles were dropped by as many army planes which came from Langley Field, Va, so miles away. but immediately after the two had exploded near the port quarter the Ostfriesland began to settle by the stern. Those bombs were launched by separate planes within a minute of each other, the first at 12:26 D. m-, and within five minutes the ships quarter deck was slightly awash and she began to list to port
 As the water rushing if through rents torn in the hull by the 1900 pounds of TINT" which the bombs carried, flooded compartment after compartment. the big hulk went over gradually until she had turned bot | tom up. She was then badly down l by the stern and as she started the 1 final plunge. the bow rose high out of the sea to disappear slowly. 1 Thus the end came to a once great I ship of the German navy, which took an important part with the German i first battle squadron in the battle of ! Jutland, and reached home safely af- ter having struck a mine laid by the attacking British grand fleet. Naval | men and others of the thousands assembled on a half score of war craft, viewed the end of the big ship
 almost in awe. but the army men and particularly the aviators were l highly elated Many of them regard ed this as proof of the claim oi
 Brigadier General Mitchell, assistant | chief of the army air service. that the airship was making the battleshlI 1 obsolete.
 I With the sinking of the Ostfries-
 land. the airmen, during the bombins | l means of bombs practically every 1 type of fighting ship-a submarine. z l destroyer, a cruiser and a. dread naught In addition, navy airmer had found and bombed the old bat l tleship Iowa while that craft wal
 seeking to approach the coast iron sea under radio control.
 Soon after the Ostfriesland disap l peared. Secretary Denby of the navy l department vino with Adm1ra Koontz, chief of naval operations
 and many other high naval officers I army officers and members of con
 gress, had viewed the bombing iron
 the transport Henderson, issued tn'
 following statement:
 The plunge of the Ostfriesiand
 when she sank after the terriffl
 pounding of the last few days, end
 ed one of the most remarkable ant interesting series of experiments eve
 conducted. They have been prac
 tically perfect in coordination be
 tween the two services and have beel characterized throughout by a fin
 spirit of comradeship. Scientific con clusions of the utmost value un ! doubtedly will result. One outstand
 ing and a most admirable featur
 has been the splendid courage am
 skill of the airmen.
 "I con 2ratuiate them"