The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-06-26
IS THE BATTLESH|P DOOMED AS SWIFT
 A|RPLANE ATTACKS
Experiments Being Made Have Not Settled Question, as Other Tests Are Still
 on the Programme
By ". ROBERTS NAYLOR | Special Correspondent tO The Age-Herald. | Copyright. 1891, by The Age-Heraid)

| Copyright, 1D2i, by The Age-Aeraid)
 Langley Field, Va, June 2G.- 1 Especial. )-Elaborat as are the ex- perments now in progress as to the value of air attack upon a naval fleet no definite settlement of the contrD- versy as to whether or not the air plane has made the modern battle ship obsolete is likely to be reached this month or next.
 Despite the sweeping assertions of the advocates of the underwater boat ever since the first submersible took the sea, the battieship has remained the unit of strength fin the navies of the world. It was the battleship which won the greatest struggle of the ages at Jutland during the World war when the high seas fleet of Germany was sent scampering back through the Kiel canal to appear no more un- til in complete surrender.
 So now with the development of aircraft to high state of offensive efficiency and power. the battleship once more las been doomed" by the jealous advocates of the fast-wing- ling bomb carrying plane.
 AirpIane a Scourge
 Thus far the experiments have proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that the airplane is the scourge of I the U-boat. But this is a navy con tention and the airplane instead of wiping out the battleship as unit of strength has in fact wiped out tone of the great enemies of the battle ship. There is no question but where aircraft can search out the under water craft, the latter has but little chance for its life so long as 1t re- mains near the surface of the sea The only surprise of the experiments this week with the condemned Ger man U-boats was the swiftness with which a single squadron of naval planes sent terror of the days of war to it's last resting place bO I fathoms deep.
 The bigger and more interesting experiments are yet to come. One will be this week dummy bombs will be dropped on the battleship Iowa as she is maneuvered at sea with | wireless control. This wireless con-
  I'tion of John Hays Hammond, Jr.. and it is the first time a ship of the size of the cid Iowa has been brought under the strange influence by which a vessel with no living soul on board can be steered, started, stopped and held at given speed.
 First Moving Target
 This will be the first moving tar get the airplanes have had, and the number of direct hits they make ID the tests will be watched with eX- treme interest.
 Less than a month from now there will be a supreme test as to the eff feet of high explosives bombs on the decks and armor of a modern man-ot- war. On this occa sion the target VIII be the German battleship Ostfries- Hand, surrendered to the United States, and subject to destruction as were all the German craf yielded 10 the allies.
 An impressive array of amy and |navy aircraft here for the experi- ment will be sent against the Oest- l friesland but there will be such rush. ling overwhelming attack made upoH her as would be the case in actnai war. Instead, a squadron or planes will be sent over the German battle craft Whenever direct hits are ob- tained, hostilities will be halted While a group of experts goes aboard 10 observe the measure, theamount or l damage inflicted. As the experiments proceed the bombing employed will be of constantly increasing caliber.
 Army Pliers
 The army fliers, who have been anxiuos to demonstrate how com pletely they could annihilate an at- tacking naval fleet off the coast or the United States, are not altogether satisfied with the rules Of the game. They would like to fling themselves at the Ostfriesland with one grand continuing salvo. and they claim II they were allowed to use the largest bomb-w ighing 1000 pounds-the would be able to break the battle- ships back in the first few minutes of action. The army men claim tfae one of these giant bombs dropped within GO feet of the battleship, ana set to expode under the water, would lcrumple the thin shell of the battis ship below the armor belt, and seno her. to the bottom With the sanle speed that the depth bombs often ,dispatched U-boats in the war zone
 All is not wholly serene between the army and navy fliers. The latter claim they are not likely to get real chance to show the amount or destruction they can inflict. Ine navy authorities are interested III the experiments from different anu Hess spectacular angle. They want to study the exact amount or damage each bomb inflicts and to deter mine how best this damage can be proyided against. The army would hike to go in and smash the Ost- lfriesland in the least possible tme- Enough bombs have been concen- trated here, it would seem, to wipe ont all the navies of the world. Tns Hand abounds in INT
 Not Battle Conditions
 This is not under actual battle con- ditions and fliers have the pet.ei , of it in that they are not being suo- iected to anti aircraft fire from the ships as they calmly go about tneir work of dropping the shrieking mis- siles of destruction. The airmen , lclaim. however, that no amount or anti aircraft fire ever stopped oe- termined aviator, and the history or , the western front abundantly proves l this theory.
 Despite the lack of actual battle ) conditions, however, the casuai.ies li, } lthe preparation and carry out or Ithe tests, have been heavy. No less !, than 22 deaths can be traced directy and indirectly to them. These deaths . Include seven at the arsenal grounds 3 lat Aberdeen. Md, where test were heinz made; seven in the crash or f the big eagle plane at Indian Heau Md. IS it was returning to Washins- : ion from Langley Field, and eight deaths of fliers here at the scene o' T the actual experiments
 | touring Europe with her aunt, Mrs { Hagermeyer, and Miss Evelyn Scott