New Britain herald., 1926-02-25
BIG DIR|G|BLES
 WITH HEAVY GUNS
 FOR AIR DEFENSE
House Naval Committee Plans Dreadnau8hts Of the Sky to
 Ward Oii AirpIanes

HELIUM GAS WOULD BE USED FOR INITIATION Bullet Holes Would Have Little Ef- feet, Admiral MoNctt Explains a and Also Declares That Chances Of Enemy Bombcrs In Effort To 7 Get Direct Hit On Drigiblcs Is Comparatively Slight.
 Washington, Feb. 2j GPl-- Nary plans for great ,ircudiJ0ughts of the cir, pristlinB with guns to ward off airplane attacks, uuIcrit action ot the house naval committee in pro Niding for construction Of two G,000,- ' 'goO-cubic foot rigid airships in the fi00, 0,0oo.060 naval expansion pro isram it recently reported 10 the ggouse.
 Has HCa,y Armament A glimpse of new monsters that ave been designed. given the com hittee by Rear Admiral William A. .toifett, navy air chief shows seven | r the new 50 calib"r machine guns, ' thirty caliber and one of the post Ear 1-pounder automatics, together with S7,000 rounds of ammunition for these weapons as a part of the regular military load of each ship
 "The guns are so situated that an enemy aircraft cannot approach rom any direction or angle without permitting 6 concentration Of fire" : Admiral Moffet said.
 Hclium Gas Used
 Instead of armor, tie air dread uaughts will rely on the nou-intiam- inability of helium gas for protec- ton from hostile airplanes. Already the naval air chief said, introduc- ton of helium had compelled reVi- sion of aviation tactics for use against helium inflated ships owing 10 the fact that machine gunf1re of small shells cannot set the gas afro and thus send a great ship down in flames.
 Errors Likely
 "rhe present contemplated but un- trie tactics of airplancs against helium- inflated rigids call for tht former to get above the airship and bomb her with light demolition bombs" Admiral Moffet explained A light plane moving at the rate oI 90 miles an hour is not conducive 10 accurate bombing. It takes 2, seconds for bomb to drop iron l2.000 feet. An error of one half O. one degree from vertical of a homi sight causes an error of over l0( feet In aim. During the period 0 the bombs fall, If from 12,000 feet q rigid moves one half mile on he course.
 Bombing Is Difficult
 "The obvious impossibilty Of ser ious bombing under such difficul ties will necessitate diving tactic upon the part Of the plane whel close to the rigid. the fighter vii attempt to pull up, at the same In stant releasing her bombs, The air ship can bring her 1-pounder, fou 50-caliber and five double noun SO-caIiber guns to bear on the at tacking plane or planes. It Is no conceivable that success is possibl against such Q volume of fire"
 Can Stay Aloft Long
 To illustrate the endurance Of th big airships themselves against gu fire from attacking planes, Admira Moffett said it would take hours C gas leakage from bullet holes 1 the cells of the ship to bring down. The ships crew could sto these small leaks before there va any appreciabie loss, he added.
 Ut has been calculated" said th air chief. that the ships can | pierced with 200 holes, % of on inch diameter in each of the te ,ras cells. and lose but 20 per eel of gas volume in five hours. Bl during that five hours such shl could continue to carry out her ml' sion."
 Plans for a G,50o, ,000-cubic foot' drawn by an American commerci' concern, the navy officer said, ha been calculated 10 show the value such a ship as an aerial troop tran port. She would have capacity ft 75O men with their individual tigh ing equipment, he explained, ar could take that force 500 miles ? speed Of S5 miles an hour ar still retain a 50 per cent fuel r serve.
 "In this air vessel" the admir- ' continued, inflated with 90 per cel helium and ten per cent combustih gas. 500 men, each with 45 poun' of equipment, can be carried fro San Francisco 10 Hawaii in 30 hou with q 20 hour reserve Of fuel.
 Forty rigids of this capaci could move a division over this di tance."
 
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