Ogden Daily Standard | 1916-01-28 | Page 4 | Coast Scouts on Wings

oo COAST SCOUTS ON WINGS. Seaplanes, to give warning of the approach of enemy ships, are part of the plans of defense of the United States as worked out by the Aero Club of America. Stations are to be built along our sen coast, 100 miles apart, where hangars han-gars would be established. The plans worked out contemplate uiat encn seaplane snail oe equippeu with wireless apparatus, powerful glasses and a sensitive microphone. When In active operation these seaplanes sea-planes in each section would take their position some fifty miles off shore, and patrol their respective beats continuously back and forth; in clear weather two thousand feet or more above the sea, from which altitude alti-tude ships fifty miles distant may be seen. At night or In fog seaplanes would of course sweep much lower, as all times themselves Invisible to an enemy. Bjr means of the wireless, information in-formation as to the character, number and apparent destination of approaching approach-ing ship or ships would be transmitted to the shore station and from these to Washington, whence, if the ships were hostile, orders would Issue directing di-recting the movements of our fleet and the submarine squadrons for the preparation of the coast defenses and for the concentration of troops, if necessary, nec-essary, while reserve planes, hurrying out, would keep the approaching craft under continuous inspection while themselves Invisible. It Is claimed that such a system is a new departure. The like of it ex Ists nowhere at present, and yet It Involves In-volves no new principle, but Is simply the utilization and multiplication of the known capabilities of a single sea. plane.