The Washington times., 1925-03-03
ADM II Al
SAYSNAVY
L|VES|N
PAST
He Flags General Board for
NegIecting Aircraft, Saying
Nation Is DefenseIess
By international News Service.

By international News Service.
A double barrelled attack on
the American air services, and
the navy's preparedness for war,
was made here today.
Congressman Roy o. Woodruff
(Rep.) of Michigan, declared in
. statement that the army air
service has been grossly negli-
gent" in the purchase of planes.
Rear Admiral w. F. Fullan,
u. S. N, retired, declared in
testimony before the House Air
craft Committee that the navy is
prepared to lose the next war by
its short-sighted policy of ignor-
ing aircraft in favor of battle
ships.
Rejected Better Plane.
AS an example of how the army
has erred in purchasing airplanes,
Il rejected a bombing plane which
il far superior to the ones now in
use
In 1921 the army purchased the
Barring bomber which will carry
q 2,000-ton bomb 500 miles without
refueIing. In 1919 J. V. Martin,
New York airplane inventor, of
fered a plane which would carry
5000 pounds of bombs 200 miles
without refueIing. This plane was
rejected.
'If. for instance. England had
one of Martins bombers, it could
bomb New York, and then escape
Into Canada without refueling."
Woodruff also charged the navy
had been "wasteful' in purchasing
planes, citing the example of the
purchase of the seventy-two Mol
type planes (which have had to be
practically remodeled to make serv-
iceable.
Fleet Useless, Says Fullam.
Tn nation which fails to recog-
nize the dominance of airpower
over surface ships will lose the
next war, Admiral Fullam said.
Because of illenss, Fullam's testi-
mony was taken at his bedside by
Congressman Perkins Rep) of New
Jersey.
Our fleet as II now exists Is
modern war" F>uuan declared.
1T cannot defend itself against
modern naval forces. Still less can
II leave the home coast to take the
aggressive. 1t must, therefore, to
avoid the humiliation of disastrous
defeat, remain at home under the
protection of our coast defenses and
Of the air force of the army and the
navy, which alone can protect it
from the airpower of the enemy.
81 do not assert that we should
scrap the battleships we now have,
but ] do claim that their doom as
q type is sealed. that a new type
must soon appear, and that it is
wasteful and futile to spend money
In patching and attempting to keep
them afloat in modern war.
Surface Ships POwerIess.
"The advent of submarines in
the world war and of airpower sub
sequent TO the war have brought
about a complete revolution in naval
warfare. Surface ships are danger.
ously threatened from above and
below. Seapower expressed in sur
face ships is completely dependent
today and will be still more in the
future upon air and submarine
power.
1.-THE sun of a past naval era is
setting. The sun of a new naval
era is rising. The nation that fails
to see the rising sun will inevitably
lose the next war"
Fullam vigorously assailed the
conservatives" of the navy, charS
ing that they alone were RESPONSE
BILE for our mistaken naval policy"
Attacks General Board.
He also attacked the report of the
general board which held that the
battleship is the backbone of the
fleet.
1T is believed that this report.
CONTINUED on Page =. Column p
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