Evening star., 1925-02-19

| found by the board, which cites testt-
mony that "in the Meuse-A -Argonne
campaign aircraft could operate less
than half the time on this account"
and then comments: 1T will be rare,
| indeed, when q modern battleship Is
prevented by wind and sea from
| using her main battery guns and she
can use her anti-aircraft guns in any
| weather in which she can see"
In analyzing the bombing expert
ments Of the Army air service against
the battleships New Jersey and Vir-
ginia, In 1929, the board says the
salient facts are as follows: Ships
old and obsolete; no watertight sub
division: ideal weather: preliminary
trial flights by attacking aircraft; no
! aircraft defense; no pumps In service; 4;
| low altitude OF bombers and ships at
/ anchor" 1t then goes into detail
about the Nays experiments on the
Washington.
Says Ship Not a Target.
| Strictly speaking" says the report,
"the Washington was not target,
but a hull embodying the latest ideas
| Of underwater construction, upon
| which was measured the destructive
| effect of both torpedo and bomb ex-
plosions by actually placing the ex-
plosive charges at such points OF sub
mergence as would test the resistance
| Of the hull"
! After suffering the explosion OF
| three underwater bombs OF the largest
size and two torpedo explosions, also
| of the largest size, directly against
| the hull, with no repair of leaks and
no pumps going" continues the re-
port, the Washington remained
afioat four days, and was finally sunk
| by IA hits Of 14-inch shell fired at
very oblique impacts to obtain data
| with respect to penetration of ar
NOR. The ship sunk two and three
quarter hours from the time the guns
| opened fire.
For the purposes of the test the
ship was ballasted to draw 25iz feet
and all watertight subdivisions were
| completed up to the third deck. This
! deck, which was about FIVE feet above
the water line, was not watertight be-
| tween frames 81 and 1913, a distance
| of 1874 feet. The deck plating over
both engine rooms was not in place
and was only bolted down over the
motor room. The third deck was ope n
| to all boiler rooms, motor rooms and
machinery spaces. Airport openings
were blanked. Both main condensers
| were installed.
Five Bombs Exploded.
Five bombs were exploded Three
! or these contained 1000 pounds of
explosive each and were detonat ed
under water at the most effective
depths and at distances from the
| ships side well within the zone sur
rounding the ship which had hereto
fore been claimed as an area in which
| similar explosions would DESTROY a
snip. Two charges, each amounting
10 the largest now carried by tor
pedoes, were detonated in contact
with the hull 13 feet below the water
| line.
The Following is a summary of the
| report setting forth the damage sus-
tained by the ship after being sinh
1ected to all five explosions:
After test No. / t2.0Oo-pound ~,
aerwater bomb) the ship assumed a
| Ist TO starboard of about III degrees.
| Outooard explosion spaces and dou-
pie bottom spaces were flooded. Inner
| bottom was bulged, but in no place
ruptured Leaks in inner bottom
could have readily been stopped by
pine plugs and wedges
| NO damage was noted above third
| oeck. Ihere would have been no loss
or life, except possibly by men being
| washed overheard by water thrown
on weather deck by the explosion.
Test No. 2 Results.
After test No. (2,0O0- pound nm
oerWater bomb) the damage was sim
iiar to that caused by No. /, but less
| severe and less in extent; probably
| more damage to ships side, but less
| to bottom. List increased to 2h de-
grees.
In engine room a bulkhead cast
ing was broken. Front brick work in
| boilers and Z was broken down
G ~
condensors not affected.
Test No. (400-pound torpedo
charge). During the night the list
had increased. After third test list was
found to be about S degrees.
Damage-Two outboard explosion
spaces flooded and one explosion
space between longitudinal torpedo
bulkheads and also flooded Some
front brick work of boilers 2, 4, 6 and
came down. This probably was Gu
| mulative from other explosions. No
| apparent damage Of third deck or
| above.
For some reason this did not ap-
| pear to be a first-order explosion.
Ships List Reduced.
"'Test No. (400-pound torpedo
| charge). List reduced from to de-
| grees. Five torpedo explosion spaces
| In wake of explosion were flooded.
Double bottoms between frames so
and 81 also flooded Slight leak in
| boiler room No. s from double bottom
and from butt in outboard bulkhead
where rivets had torn through. All
| could have been stopped by plugs and
! wedges and without these could read :
| lily have been handled by bilge
| pump. All front brick work in boil
| ers Nos. 4 and 6 came down. In no
case did any side or back brick work
come down.
"'Test No. (2,000-pound under
! water bomb). The most violent Of the
bomb tests. Ship increased her list to
starboard from to 5 degrees Dam
age similar to that caused by No. |,
| but more severe and more extensive
| Inner bottom nowhere completely
| ruptured.
After all FIVE tests members Of the
board were able to get to inner bot
tom of ship and make all inspections
necessary or desired
50 At the end Of these five explosive
tests, and after riding out a gale of
wind for three days, the ship could
have been towed to port.
Had a repair party, Immediately
after each explosion. used wooden
plugs and wedges to stop minor leaks,
the ship, without the use of pumps,
would have remained practically on
| an even keel. A ship in commission
would have no trouble in making port
| under her own steam after the FIVE
| explosions.
Doubt LOSS Of Life.
| juries and practically no loss Of life
Mt fvny tNys y L.