Salt Lake Telegram | 1921-08-07 | Page 18 | Aircraft Fails in Grest Test

AIRCRAFT FAilS Ir IN GREAT TEST I I Observers Hold Capitol Ship Mainstay of Navy By RICHARD LEE Universal Service taff Correspondent t. t WASHl WASHINGTON A Aug us- us 6 Naval Naval of officers of- of comprising the of official tic 10 I board bard of or observers in the recent te tests ts of or airplanes air air- Planes against battleships in the At- At At 1 oft off ff the Virginia Cap Capes s have ha I found that the capitol ship holds hold Its Us Usi I place as the backbone of ot the nn navy y de despite despite de- de j de-j spite aircraft They will leave It to I the Joint army an and navy nan board however how how- ever to bring in the formal verdist I This board of observers composed I II I entirely of ot naval nl headed i men headed h b by Cap Cap- tain thin Luke MacNamee compiled its Hs re report report reM re- I II port on the bombing today Instead of ot I I going to the public with their findings I will go 0 to the Interdepartmental board which meets meet next week That board hoard is made mado up of or army officers In Including in- in I I eluding General Pershing and antI naval otI of- of J j I I The Thc reason for tor this is obvious A cr vor- I j diet exonerating the battleship from Crom the charge that It has been rendered useless as an instrument of or war by tho the airplane and its bombs bombs' will wilt carry much more weight with the American public and with congress If IC decorated with the I si signature nature of or tho the head of or the arm army It ItI was In tho the army that tho the indictment of ot I the battleship was drawn Of Ot course the na navy department has yet to win three arm army representatives es on tho the joint board boal over to their vindication vindication vindi vindi- cation of ot the battleship before the program program pro pro- gram ram can be carried out In addition toG to G General P. P Major Generals Haan I and Jersey are arc members of ot that Jury The na navy is counting cO heavily hea on the he j i case for Cor the battleship by the board of or I observers INo i iNo No attempt has been made to discount 1 dis- I count tho the features of or the tho airmen in j 1 ocean bombing of or the German ex-German ships h made against them I Iby thou though points were i iby by the made necessary by the state of ot the weather It will be 1 pointed out enemy battleships designing operations against our coast could not be expected to postpone an any attacks on account of or Inclement weather I er making difficult if It not impossible i the counter operations of tho the aircraft I With a congress and a n public opinion already beginning to lO believe the char charge e made mado b by Brigadier adler General Mitchell as assistant as- as chief of ot the army air service that his airplanes wit ran ranging in weight up ip to pounds can drive battleships off 0 th the seas the I na navy has been very cry anxious over the results of or tho the bombing tests A navy victory Ory before beCore the Joint board would bring a a. great relief i iI At tho the same samo time there thero is in both I arm army and navy circles a a. growing belief beliet I that tho the coming International conference confer confer- enco ence on disarmament is going to produce pro proM duce duco results which will determine for tor aU nil all nations the question of or whether or not to build battleships With a definite agreement among all nations on naval al construction that i point would necessarily be settled Jointly I The army armr however has shown no disposition to let lel tho the recent bombing close the controversy ers over airplanes I vs battleships At the present time the arm army airmen aro are preparing for a aS S September test in which the newly conceived ed pound bombs will bo ho turned loose on the old battleship Ala Ma- bama