Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-02-05
Proqress of Planes Has Made
Capital Navy Vessels Use
less, Mitchell Says.
COULD SINK ANY SHIPS
ATTACKING OUR COASTS
General Wants Army, Navy and
Commercial Aerial Activities
Brought Into One Control.

Army advocates of a united air serv-
ice carried their fight today into the
camp of the enemy.
Appearing before the House naval
committee, with number of aids,
Brig. Gen. Mitchell. chief of operations
of the Army Air Service, urged I'M
mediate unification of all Army, Navy
and commercial aerial activities ana
reiterated his belief that the airshlp
had made capital vessels useless.
Members of the Navy general board.
who have consistently combated the
idea of a united air service, listened
to Gen. MitchelfS arguments Win op-
vious impatience, awaiting thelr oppor-
tunity to present their arguments IN
favor of the capital ship as against the
: airplane.
Gen Mitchell urged the substitution
of enormous air and Seaplane carriers
to accompany the light vessels OF the
tie cruisers.
Could Defend Coast.
Il think that with our present avia-
ton facilities properly developed,
ihe asserted, that we can sink any
enemy vessel, armored or unarmored.
that comes within 200 miles of our
coast. With airplane carriers housing
at least thirty planes we could ex-
tend this area far out to sea-.
Chairman Butler interrupted to re-
mark that he didn't think the people
could be interested in large expendi-
lures for air forces until they knew
what had become of the money appro-
priated for aviation during the war.
The people are determined to
know, and they will know what be-
came of the S1,400, ,000. 900 appropriat ed
for aviation for war purposes" de-
clared the chairman.
Gen. Mitchell replied that he was not
familiar with the financial end of
aviation development during the war.
England stops Information.
American flying officers have little
knowledge of airplane Carriers Gen.
Mitchell said, because England has
F, absolutely stopped up on informa-
/ tion." He thought Great Britain had
six such carriers and was building
more.
The witness said he asked the gem
eral board in 1919 for ships to use in
maneaVers- to demonstrate the ef-
fectiveness Of air forces against naval
vessels. The idea met with favorable
comment. but no action he said and
another request for two torpedo boats
one battleship and two supply vessels
10 be attacked from the air and ac-
tually bombed for experimental pur-
poses had been put through this week
committee would urge the Navy De-
partment to arrange for tests.
Sims Voices Opposition.
Nobody is going to take his hand OF
MS gun until conditions in Europe are
settled. Admiral Sims told the commit-
tee yesterday in voicing decided opposj-
.tion to discontinuance Of the great 1918
naval building program.
The superiority of the battleship over
the airpiane or the submarine was de-
Tended by Admiral Charles ]. Badger
head Of the general board and former
commander Of the Atlantic fleet He
said that battleships and battle cruisers
would remain the backbone of the feet
Tor years to come He did not believe,
he said, that anything very definite
would come out Of the proposed dis
armament conference. but said it was
a worthwhile effort
Still another view was presented by
Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske. re-
tired. former member of the general
board and inventor Of the torpedoplane.
who told the committee that aerial dread
,naughts would be the capital ships of
the future.
Gen Mitchell. called to the stand, told
the committee that it was a simple mat
ter for air forces to hit and destroy a bat
tleship, and repeated his testimony of
last week before the appropriations COM
mittee to the effect that aerial develop
ments had made surface navies obso-
lete. Gen. Mitchell cleared up one point
that had been causing the committee
some wondefment all day when he de-
clared that data, supposed by Navy Off
'cials to be secret. but disclosed by him
before a Senate committee. had been
secured by Army officers who attended
diana, at the invitation OF Secretary
DanielS