Evening star., 1933-06-15
MISTAKEN POLICY
OF NAVY STUDIED
Congressional mmittee
Urges Correction Be Made
by Next Session.
BY the Associated Press.

| BY the Associated Press.
Recommendation that the high Navy
command be given until the next ses-
sion of Congress to correct its mis-
taken policy of transferring airship
personnel to sea duty, under penalty
I; of losing aircraft operations to sepa-
rate Navy air corps, has been made
to Congress by the Special Joint Con-
gressional Committee appointed to
study the Akron disaster.
In reports submitted simultaneously
to the Senate and House yesterday
members of the committee criticized
naval activity. both before and after
the Akron plunged into the sea off
Barnegat Light. The investigation of
the disaster by the Naval Court OF In
quiry, the committee members report
ed, was lacking in thoroughness.
Cites Akron Disaster Cause.
Committee members charged that
lack of experience and knowledge of
weather conditions contributed largely
to the disaster" and that had there
been more experience and better
trained men in command of the Akron,
the disaster probably would not have
occurred"
1--WE feel bound to warn the Navy
mistaken policy in the management of
the Macon new Navy airshipl that
contributed to the disaster to the
Akron, so that every safeguard should
surround the operation of the Macon"
the committee stated.
ct is our opinion that in case the
Navy Department has not corrected
this situation before the convening of
the next session of Congress that it
will be necessary to enact further legis-
lation seeking safe operation of air
craft, including probably such pro-
visions as the creation of Navy Air
Corps"
The warning came in the form of
supplement to the committee report,
signed by eight of the 10 members OF
the committee and introduced stimuli
taneously in both houses late today.
Neither Senator King, Democrat, of
Utah, chairman Of the committee, nor
Senator Johnson, Republican, of Cali
fornia, signed the report.
King said he intended to enter a
minority report to show the folly" OF
several of the majority recommended
tions as soon as he had reviewed the
testimony.
After hastily reading the conclu-
sions" he said, 81 find I do not agree
with most of them. I shall, as soon
as Congress adjourns, prepare my own
by Col. Henry Breckenridge, the COM
mittee counsel"
Saying that experienced men were
available, the general committee called
attention to the need of such personnel
in managing "the experimental and
highly specialized airship."
The Navy Department has not oper-
ated its air service in compliance with
the spirit of the act entitled
An act to authorize the construction
and procurement of aircraft and air
craft equipment in the Navy and Ma
rine Corps, and to adjust and define
the status of the operating personnel
in connection herewith and
this fact contributed to the loss of
the Akron"
Policy Criticized.
In the main report, made public last
week, the committee took occasion to
cite evidence criticizing the naval
policy requiring alternate sea and air
duty for advancement of officers.
1t was to this portion of the evidence
that the committee referred in stating
the Navy had not operated in accord
ance with the spirit of the act of 1926
providing for the Navy air division.
Comdr. Herbert ". Wiley, who spent
weeks in describing before various IN
vestigatory groups his experiences in
the Akron crash and his beliefs as to
its cause, has been transferred to sea
duty. The Navy announced the shift
almost simultaneous with the publica-
ton of the committees first report.
In its supplementary report the COM
mittee set forth four points recon-
mended for energetic study" by the
Navy:
1. Equipment Of training ships with
duplicate controls to add to training of
air officers
2. The use of stabilizerS on airships.
3. Means to determine the draft of
airships under adverse weather .condi-
tions.
4. Means to determine more accu-
rately the altitude of airships.