The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-07-01
PLANES CAUSE
BIC CHANGE IN
SEA WARFARE
Battleships Of Future May
Be submerging Type,
Say Experts.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP STMMS,
Foreign Editor, scripps- Howard News

By WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS,
Foreign Editor, scripps- Howard News
papers
WASHINGTON. July NAVAL
warfare, and every ship that is to
participate in naval warfare, is in
for early and drastic changes, in
the opinion of advanced critics here.
Thus from a purely practical
point OF view, the three sea powers
now in conference at Geneva will
be guilty Of useless extravaganza in
the expenditure Of the taxpayers
money if they fail to agree upon
some fair and sensible program OF
limitation.
Few, even in the air service, agree
with Col. William Mitchell, former
assistant head Of the Army air corps,
when he says navies are obsolete be-
cause a battleship can be sunk by
an airplane.
But everybody save the die-hards
admits the victor in the next war
will have to be able first to gain
control Of the air. And while the
battleship is likely to continue to be
the backbone of naval power it will
have to be a radically different
craft from what it is today.
All Will Garry Planes
Every ship, down to and includ-
ing the smallest submarine, pro-
gressive naval opinion holds, will
have to be equipped to carry air.
craft and to fight aircraft. Rear
!. Admiral William S. Sims, retired,
says submarines and aircraft will
be invincible in future naval en-
gagements. And many agree with
him. But some go even a step
further and predict that what we
now call battleships will be able to
submerge to escape destruction from
the air.
In sense, then, the probabilities
are that new navies will be COM
posed Of submarines ana summers
ible battleships, cruisers and de-
stroyers, each unit being, to all in
tents and purposes, and aircraft
CdI11C4 cU OllC Octll4C uI4AlCs
Radio, aerial torpedoes capable
of carrying death and destruction
thousands of miles, picture trans
mission, listening posts in the air
and under the sea, poison gases, and
q. score of other weird and amazing
inventions are already revolutioniz-
4 ing the tactics and strategy of war
Become Obsolete Quick
At Geneva the British have sug-
gested that the life of a battleship,
for replacement purposes, be raised
from 20 to Is years. Yet the chances
are that the Rodney and the Nelson,
Britian's newest and finest $4,000
Z ton battleships, will be obsolete be-
fore they have reached half that
!. age.
Aviation is just coming into its
own. Lindbergh's nonstop fight
across the Atlantic and Chamber
Inns duplication of that feat within
a fortnight, are already having eff
feet. The worlds attention is now
focused on the air. and, once the
public is thoroughly awakened to
the value of the plane, like the auto
mobile, it's development will be ex-
tremely rapid.
Existing navies are not yet use
less. Aircraft cannot yet take their
+. place, and it may be some time be-
fore they can. But naval units are
in for, a period of rapid obsolescence
during which they must be changed
rapidly to keep up with progress
in the air. Nayies are going to have
to dive and fly as well as swim
Like Style Changes
The economical housewife does
not lay in a large stock of this sea-
sons hats. She knows there will be
new styles next season and she
wants to be in style.
An economical nation will not now
lay in too large a supply of this
years Warships, if it,,can help it,
for the world just now is entering
upon a period when warship styles
are apt to change mighty fast.
Tnei trouble is, "a single nation
cannot act in this matter alone. A
navy is no good unless it can defeat
the biggest navy which may be
brought against it in given regions
OF possible, or potential, danger.
For us these regions extend south
ward as far as Cape Horn, because
of our Monroe Doctrine, and to the
Western Pacific, because of our
Open Door policy in China, the
Philippines, and SO on.
Acting in concert, however, there
is no real reason why naval tonnage
may not be held within reasonable
limits thus saving hundreds of mil
lions Of dollars for each of the ma
tons concerned. In fact, ordinary
common sesnse warns us that this
is the thing to do.