AIRCRAFT NOT DANGER TO BATTLESHIPS

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21727, 9 March 1936, Page 11

AIRCRAFT NOT DANGER TO BATTLESHIPS

reported 'Testimony of

EXPERIMENTS

(Received March 8, 7.45 p.m.)

LONDON, March 6

Mr Hector Bywater, naval correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph,” says that experiments have convinced the Admiralty that aircraft have not greatly endangered the modern battleship. Tests involving explosions of numerous bombs above and below water have proved that every heavy bomb highly charged with explosives damaged the superstructure of the ships surprisingly little, while “near hits” under water, which enthusiastic air partisans claimed would be fatal even to big ships, were also ineffective. The American navy has carried out similar experiments with similar results which, according to the American delegate to the Naval Conference have led America to retain battleships as the backbone of the fleet.

Mr Bywater adds: “British battleships being laid down in 1937 will be virtually bomb-proof.”