Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-11-22
Fire TORpED()ES
FROM SEAPILANEES
Newest Development in Navy kIF
Service Proves Success in
Series OF Tests,
STlRS UP TACTICAL Officers
In Experiments at Hampton Reads &
Hit Anidships Was Scored by Mis-
siIe Fired at an Angle
of 90 Degrees.

of 90 Degrees.
Washingtun.-The newest develop"
ment of the navy air service, the fir
Ing of torpedoes from seapianeS, the
success of which has just reen demon
strated in a series of remarkable tests
off the Virginia capes, with the dread
naught Arkansas us a target Is c9us'
ing no end of concern among the tao
teal officers aboard these monster
fighting ships.
While the fleet officers are consid-
ering methods of defense against such
torpedo attacks, which admittedly pre-
SCENTS many obstacles, work in perfect
ing offensive tactics is going aheac
at the naval air station at the Hamp-
ton Roads naval base. The tests just
completed have been valuable not to
the flyers alone. but TO those officers
whose duty it is to keep i'll action
what they believe probably always
will be the backbone of naval warfare
the battleShip.
The success of firing torpedoes from
searlanes admittedly has brought the
science of naval warfare into new
phase, with the result that, while bat
tleships will continue to be essential
TO supremacy ut sea, that tghuns
force which is superior in the air Will
be dominant. 1t is the problem now
Of Admiral Jones and other high
,.-bn control naval
aviation as well as surface craft, tC
coordinate the TWO for the best re-
suits.
The development of firing torpedoes
from aircraft has been the work OF
wear and a half. largely in the hands
of Lieut. FL T. Bartlett, and 1t has
been conducted at various stations
along the Atlantic coast Hampton
Roads, Yorktown. Pensacola and New
rort. One of the problems has been
the perfection of launching gear SO
that the torpedo, carried under the
seaplanr. may he let go at the proper
time another has been the manTac-
ture of a torpedo which wien dropped
into the water ut from twenty to fly
feet will withstand the jar. recover IL
self and function properly; still m
other has been The training Of pilots
and the working out of tactics for
attack.
The tests Just completed with the
battleship Arkansas as the target
showed thar these obstacles have been
overcome to q large extent, although
II must he said that HIS kind of Ter
peGo firing is as yet not fully 0eYei-
oped. The tests have G2nCnStra,rc
that there are many things yet 70
overcome-fcr instance. the necessity
for a better type of seaplane, to pre-
vide greatcr speed and endurance; a
longer rat1ge for firing torpedocS, 50
that il will not he essential that the
seapiane get dangerously near The tar
ge,. and Il still greater problem, TRAIT
Of dropping a torpedo from distance
higher than forty or fifty feet from
the surface Of the water. These weak
nesses are recognized, and the airmer
are trying to overcome them.
Flew NlHSIy MILES ~ 'SAAN'
In the attack on the Arkansas the
seaplanes carrying torpedoes flew
from the naval base at Hampton
Roads, a distance of SO miles, to tie
scene of the operations. The tor
pedoes were slung under the sea.
planes, each seaplane carrying one
The Arkansas, accompanied by two
other battIeships, the Wyoming and
the North Dakota, were under way,
stesming at II knots an hour.
The problem for the seaplanes was
TO get to the target, lGIlnch the torpe-
does to register hits and get away
again. The comparative success of
this was demonstrated in the tally,
which showed that of seventeen tor
pedoes launched line hit the target. !
The Arkansas w2S able to dodge three
of the torpedoes by quick maneuver-
ing, although one of these went on
and. by accident. hit the North Da- !
kota.
The torpedoeS Of course, were dunn :
mics, but in every other way except as |,
to explosive charge they were Of the !
navy standard type, weighing about !
1900 pounds.
The planes, from an altitude Of !
about 1000 feet, swooped down to |
within 40 feet of the water and when I
about 1000 yards from the target ler
go the tOrpedOeS. II was easy enough,
from the bridge of the Arkansas, to
see thes rop When they were let