Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-14
ARMY AGAIN FAILS
TO SINK MT. SHASTA
Planes Expected to Try Once
More Tomorrow to De-
stroy Target.
Continued FROM First page.l


scription Of the naneuvers. Aboard the
Coast Guard cutter Carrabasset Mayo
told Of the feet which surrounded the
aoonoed freiahter. There was another
cutter and fleet Of small patrol boats
standing by to aid any Of the land
plane flyers who might be forced down
on the surface of the choppy sea. In
the air was the dirigible TIL ana q
group of at least six observing airplanes.
All the Army bombefs had to do was
snot the feet and the target was theirs.
At II so am. the motors of the adj
vance guard of the nine bofnbers was
heard bv the men aboard Mayo's vessel
and the announcer declared they then
we're AZ minutes late. That time had
nernitted the wind to carry away the
smoke screen which other planes had
laid about the freighter he said IN
theoretical effort to blind the ships
anti-aircraft batteries.
First Bomb Missed.
At 1888 am. the first bomb hurtled
o,,t of the sky IN the direction OF the
waIInwinr hulk. The bomb. 100
noInder. released from an altitude Of
6 600 feet. according to the radio an
nouncer. splashed into the sea "a few
feet" off the Mount Shastas starboard
bow. The defamation Of the explosive
was picked up by the nnicrophone and
carried the length of the land. The
second bomb landed to port OF the
target. The third hit the sea likewise
but MAYO failed to say where in relation
10 its intended target
The next bomb exploded in 1nidair,
MAYO reported, explaining It detonated
prefnaturely.
The first hit of the maneuver landed
Ave minutes after the first bomb was
released and was the six missile TO be
released at the ship. It crashed onto
the Mount Shasta's forward deck Just
aft the stem. Some plating was ripped
up, Mayo reported.
And so the bombing went, as Mayo
described IL over the sir.
The seventh struck OF the stern
quarter on the port side, the eighth
missed on the bow, and the ninth,
Mayo declared, missed mile"
One Direct Hit.
BY 1912 pm. the first 1naneuver was
over. The nine boHnbers had come over
the Mount Shasta in single file, each
dropping l00Apound bomb. The score
then was one direct hit, seven misses
and one premature explosion.
The next iInaneuver, according to
Mayo, was bombing in groups of three.
Three planes were to ny over the vessel
at once, each releasing 100-pound
bomb. The first salvo Of three missed
the vessel
The third salvo, according to Mayo,
was ''dud." It plunged into the water
and, although Mayo waited for IL to
l1eave the surface Of the sea somewhere
near the old ship, nothing happened.
Drop 3OO-Poand Bombs.
At 1890 o'clock Mayo reported the
dropping Of the first 300-pound bombs.
These, too, he said, were dropped in
salvos of three. The first salvo. ac-
cording to his account, struck close
aboard the Mount Shasta's port bow.
The detonation, he said, was terrific
snd must have torn gaping hole In
that ships plating about on the water
line
The second salvo Of 300-pounders
missed OF the starboard bow, but the
third salvo struck near the waterline
again and convinced Mayo that the
vessel had suffered damage. He re-
ported. however, that inspection of the
ship throtoh binoculars failed to reveal
any signs OF vital hurt
And so other saIvos were dropped
without spectac ular effect. Mayo was
convinced, however, that an occasional
bomb landed near enough to the vessel
to cause waterline damage to her
plating
At 1927 pm. six planes few over
and dumped as many bombs at the
target A terrific defamation under the
Mount Shasta's counter, he reported,
seemed 10 lit the old vessels stern
Derceptibly out of the water and thrust
her bow forward.
Ship Begins to settle.
Three minutes later Mayo declared
the old ship seems to be settling"
thus convincing him she had suffered
from the waterlir1e near-hitS and
probably from the hit OF the stern.
Col. Bey Kirkland, commanding Lang
ley Field. yesterday declined naval as
sistAnee In locating the doomed ship.
David 8. ingalls,, Assistant Secretary of
the Navy for Aeronautics had written
letter to Secretary of War Hurley
offering the assistance Of Navy navi-
gators
"'The Army taught the Navy how to
bomb ships" Col. Kirkland stated, "and
with any sort Of visibility we can To-
cate our target unaided"
Col. Kirkland explained Tuesdays
failure by saying that the bombing
squadron set its course down the coast
and then turned out to sea.
Had we struck straight for the tar
get, he said, I'VE would have found II"
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