Evening star., 1925-12-13

planes at Baltimore. naval aviation
so far this year reports 159 aircraft
crashes, in which "a men were killed
Those seriously injured and those sus-
tanning minor injuries are not listed.
1t cannot be denied that the fore
going list of accidents and fatali-
ties is appalling, and it would not be
unusual if the general public should
ask: What is the matter with the
Navy? Why all these accidents? Is
the Navy shot to pieceS?" AS a mat
ter of fact such misgiVings are natu-
raj, but they are not justified even
with this list of exhibits before us.
Certain il is that our naval authorities
must give extraordinary attention 70
the safety factors in the operation of
ships and aircraft. but the very fact
that we do have these accidents indi-
Gates that the Navy is increasing
its activities in time of peace as a
preparation for time If war. The
the one which is dismantled and laid
up on the beach and the one in which
aircraft are never flown.
Admiral i. w. EberIe. chief of
naval operations, in commenting on
naval accidents during the last three
years, says:
For our Navy to be prepared TO
fulfill its duty in war 1t must carry
out a great variety of drills, exercises.
target practices and war games in
peace time. There is no way in which
these can be made realistic and valu-
able without Introducing the element
of risk. DeStroyerS mast run at high
speed at night among columns of bat
tleships, neither showing any lights.
Submarines must make quick dives at
l,a Of I,A lyla l1- he
captain, when each man must per-
form his duty rapidly and exactly,
without the supervision of any officer,
and when any single mistake may re
suit in the loss of the ship. Air
planes must be shot off battleships
by catapults and land on the deck
Of a carrier.
"In addition to these special exer-
cises, the ordinary operation of GER
tain types, destroyers, submarines and
aircraft Is dangerous. When such a
large number of ships is in constant
operation accidents cannot be avoided.
The only way to stop them would be
to cease operating. Our accidents are
due in some cases to the fault of our
own personnel, in others to the fault
of personnel outside the naval service
and still others to unusual Clrcum-
stances over which no one has any
control"
In justice to our Navy, especially
in those cases where new elements are
being fitted into the Organization
elements which increase the hazards
of operation--the officers and men
must be given the benefit of the doubt.
Take aircraft crashes. for example.
Here the risk is greatly augmented by
training beginners, by experimenting
with new and untried types Of air
craft, by mechanical devices for
launching and landing planes on ship
board and by unknown weather haz-
ards. Even SO, despite an increase
in operation each year, the number
of hours and miles flown per fatality
and crash is running up to new and
encouragingly impressive figures.
Then there are the submarines, in
creasing in number, in size and in op-
Grafton stunts each year. Submerged,
these vessels are like whales without
eyes or ears, and when they are
operated in a manner to simulate
battle conditions there is very great
risk of collision and of mechanical
breakdown.
Again, the amount of explosives