Evening star., 1925-12-02


that this type plane never had carried
a 2,000-pound bomb to an altitude of
5000 feet. Comdr. Whiting previously
had testified that the full load ceiling
Of the CS was $500 feet. He added
he never knew of 1000 pound bomb
being dropped from this altitude.
The torpedo planes with the fleet,
Corndr. Whiting said. are equal or
compare favorably with the same
type craft in other navies Can the
British bring pursuit planes to sea-"
asked Mr.. Reid.
Yes" replied the witness.
<Can we carry pursuit planes to
fea?"
Have No Pursuit Planes.
we could If we had them"
We'll, have we any?"
NO"
What is the purpose of planes
NTH the tieet?"
For observation and offensive
work.
Then II the Navy cannot take
pursuit planes to sea It is not equip
ped extensively? The British CAM"
81 said we can take them to sea
when we get them
The witness was subjected to lengthy
crossexaminati ton on the matter Of
carriers. since he had qualified as a
carrier expert. Numerous questions
brought out the fact that the Langley.
the Navy's experimental carrier. car
ries SO planes ready for action and 60
in the hold. However, the witness adj.
mitted that the flying deck can &C
commodate only about 10 at one time.
and In order to get more planes in the
air they had those on the fiy-off deck
a q g. those
below
Asks Information Source.
Mr.. Reid demanded the source Of
Comdr. Writings information on for
eign carriers and asked If it always
was correct. Comdr. Whiting replied
ii not always was correct, but 1t was
given him in naval attacne reports.
publications, photographs and from
personal conversations with persons
who had seen the ships in question.
The object of Mr.. Reid'S examination
along this line was to exonerate the
accused from statements made before
congressional committees that the
British ships Rodney and Nelson were
half battleships and half carriers.
Comdr. Whiting said his first informa-
tion on the two ships was to the same
effect. but since they have been
ldullcileu anu persons nave seen lleIil
it develops they are not what was
originally rumored to be.
Comdr. Whiting said he had not
seen foreign carriers since 1918 when
he was aboard a British and a French
ship of this type. 1t IS on the informa.
tion he obtained personally at that
time that he bases his conclusion that
the landing facilities on the Langley
are as good as. il not better than, other
nations. He admitted the possibility
of an improvement in the method OF
retarding the speed OF airplaneS once
they hit the deck OF foreign carriers
but declared he had no positive knoWl
edge to this effect
Comdr. Whiting vigorously defend
ed the test conducted against the hull
Of the battleship Washington the
early part of this year. and declared
the Navy did not attempt to give the
impression that airplane bombs could
not sink a battleship. The tests were
in three phases, he said, first. to de
termine the effect against the bottom
OF high explosives placed in the water
alongside; to determine the effect OF
an armor- piercing shell. built like a
bomb and dropped from an airplane
onto the protective deck, and, third
the effect OF gunfire against the sides
of the ship which embodied the very
latest in battleship construction.
When Mr. Reid read testimony
given by Admiral Hilary Jones before
the Lampert aircraft committee about
the tests which he said was "mislead
ing" the witness declared the admiral
had given a very fair explanation OF
what took place and what was intend
ed. The court then recessed for
luncheOn