Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1922-02-10
Naw Has Designed One on Turn
table Which Can Be Operated
on Any Ship.
ENORMOUSLY SIMPLE DEVICE
A,rulane May Be Launched Into Wind
without Regard to Direction
BattIeship Is Headed-Com-
pressed Air Is Used.

Washlngton.-The navy has been
launching airplanes from the decks
Of battleshps for several years, but
it has hitherto been necessary always
10 maneuver the battleship so as to-
launch the airplane directly into the
wind. This manifestly, would be inn
possible in actual battle. SO the Uni
ted States Navy department has just
developed system whereby an air
plane may be catapulted into the wind
without regard to the direction the
battleship is headed.
The Scientific American gives d
complete description Of this ingeniously
simple device, which is now being
shown at the Philadelphia navy yard
Following is the article, slightly con-
densed:
ITO permit the launching of air
planes from battleship or other war
vessel the catapult has been resorted
to, and special type Of catapult has
been developed which has been des-
lgnated turntable catapult because
me catapult mechanism proper is
mounted on a turntable so that It can
be pointed into the wind when launch
Ing plane.
one catapult Of this type could be
Installed on every battleship and
could launch when needed fighting
airplane, so that fleet of battleships
would be able on the approach of hos
ule bombing airplanes to send into
the air instantly large number Of
nghting planes to shoot them down
before the bombing attack could be
developed This Is the real answer
10 The threat Of the bombing plane,
Willch was demonstrated In so spec
lacular manner by the recent bomb
ing from the air OF the ex-German
warships.
In the bombing attacks of these
N'derman warships 1t was show
UNA. bombs dropped from the air
you'd do material damage to war
ups which did not defend them
GIVES obviously warship can de-
'' Itself by anti-aircraft gunfire,
Du' never by attack I'm the air. The
"e'pohs Of offense and defense In
',e history of naval warfare haye
always developed step by step and
Tue development OF the heavy bomb
ing airplane Is being met by this de-
'e''l''heht Of n catapult which will
S'ooi last combat planes from the
uecks OF battleships into the mir to
fepei bombing attacks.
Developed In Ten Years.
Inc catapult of this particular
type Is new, but the elements nre the
ieSutt of navy catapult development
,"'llated In 1911 by Capt. Washington
T. 'ha'nbers, ut that time In charge
~ naval aviation experiments. Tho
n'St Hight was made Nov. II, 1912.
ny commander, then Lieutenant. Il.
w. fliySon Ia n CurtIss seaplane from
catnpult.
Inc mntter was resumed In 1916
Mheh the development of naval sea-
p'ahes had proceeded to such a point
,hht II was clear to the Navy 1t would
pe desirable to take aircraft to sea.
a new design of catapult, based on
experience with the first one, was In.
stalled ON the stern of the armored
cruiser North Carolina and success
iul flights were made. The North
carolina installation proved so re-
liable that similar catapults were In
stalled on the nrmored cruisers Sc
attic and Huntington, and during
tho early winter of 1915 successful
flights were made from these cruisers.
AT the time the United States en-,