Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-06-22
ONLY Il BOMBS ARE
USED IN SENDING
CRAFT TO BOTTOM
Sinking of U-117 in So Short
Time Surprises Naval and
Army Officers.
THREE F-5-L SEAPLANES
USED IN EXPERIMENT
One Injured as NC-7 Is Wreck
cd and Burned in Hampton
Roads--Nine Esca,e.
COLONEL CULVER ALSO FALLS
Excellent Range and Mancuyeripr
OF Three Aviators Rob Scores
OF Others of Chance.

ON BOARD STEAMSHIP, JIENpEp
SoN. OFF CAFE CHARLES. VA lima
"lrcct hit with a l63-pound
aerial bomb dropped from an F-5-I,
type scaplanc. sent the former Cor
man submarine U-lI7 to the bo,,op,
OF the Atlantic today and abrun,,v
terminated the first of a eeri.s -,
experiments by the army and navv
~ TEST the ability of naval vessels to
"''"staha damage inflicted from the
ar Inc one-time German commercs
raider and submarine planter was
bound for Davy Jones locker lust six-
teen minutes after the first salyo Of
bombs was launched
The bomb that settled the fate .,
inc u-ll7 was one OF salvo or
ninc dropped from three planes that
constituted the first and only aeriat
division to engage in tho actual Mt.
LACK y few minutes before thu, fata,
s"No was fired. the same division had
dropped three bombs 10 get the range.
me pro)ectilcs were hurled from a
height Of about l.lO0 feet ya.ile tho
planes were making moro knan Inn
miles an hour. 1T was only six min
utes after tho second salvo was
launched that the U-ll7 made its las,
crash dive" TO find a resting pIaco
nifty fathons deep.
Officers Arc Surprised.
Ihe sinking of the U-1I7 i'm so short
q Time came as surprise To mos, of
the army and navy officers who VII,
messed the experiment, many or wbo,,
mad been frankly skeptical regarding
the ability Of the planes to even bit
the submarine. regardless of the fact
that all the conditions favored th.
attaching force and no effort was
maze 10 simulate actual war condi
tons. The U-ll7 was securely an
chored, and tho bombing planes wore
furnished with charts showing the
exact position OF the target. but few
expected that fatal injury would
DC inflicted on the U-boat so quickly.
me plans for the test called for
participation by twenty-four naval
and marine planes and n later attack
by twenty-thrce army machines IL
the naval craft failed to sink ths
submarine. Nearly zoo bombs vera
provided for the affair, but only
twelve were used. and of the forty
seven aircraft scheduled to take part
In the bombing. only three obtained
shot at the target, while three more
were robbed of their chance nftcr
reaching the sccno by the effective
work OF the first division.
Tho division that sunk the U-117
was commanded by Lieutenant Dclos
Thomas. The three planes were
commanded by Lieutenants Keene.
Rumill and Garvey.
Although the detailed plans for tho
exercise called for the appearance of
the first division OF three F-5-L-type
planes over the target at
o'clock. II was an hour later when
the division was sighted Led by
Lieutenant Thomas. the planes ap-
preached the target In battle for
nation Each plane carried four l63-
pound bombs. each bomb containing
ll6 pounds OF T. y. r. AS the division
swung round for tho run past tho
t-ll7 the planes dropped down to
about l,l0o feet from the surface, and
when the head of the formation was
almost over the bow OF the U-ll7 OBJ
servers saw three bombs, one from
each plane. drop in graceful curve
toward the submarine. An instant
later great column OF water shot