Fits Aeroplane For Firing Torpedoes.

New York Times 100 years ago today, June 29, 1913:
A Swoop from the Sky and Missile Is Sent on Its Way.
DROPS AT HIGH SPEED
Naval Guns of the Present Day Unable to Hit an Aeroplane Under Such Conditions.
    Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske, until recently in command of the first division of the Atlantic fleet, now on duty as aid for operations in the Navy Department at Washington, has invented an apparatus which is believed to make possible the firing of submarine torpedoes from aeroplanes. The device can be fitted to any type of aeroplane. Naval officers who have seen the model in The Patent Office in Washington are enthusiastic over the possibilities of the Fiske invention as a means of defense. The torpedo which the aeroplane attachment is designed to discharge may be of any of the standard types, and is carried in chocks on the bottom or lower frame of the aeroplane. A strap connected with the aeroplane passes below the torpedo, holding it. and is then again connected with the operating part of the aeroplane proper. The torpedo is held rigidly in place, its bow pointing in the same direction as the airship. The projectile is released by a lever apparatus operated by the foot of the aviator, the torpedo falling horizontally out of the chocks into the water and then speeding on its way to the ship against which it is aimed.
    In directing and delivering the attack the naval aviator flies at a comparatively high altitude to a point about 1,500 yards distant from the target. He then swoops downward at a high rate of speed, and, as nearly vertically as possible until within ten or fifteen feet of the water, directing his flight so that on reaching the desired low elevation the bow of the torpedo bears on the target. The aviator then throws his lever which starts the propelling mechanism in the torpedo, after which the projectile drops into the water and thereafter performs its work.
    The advantages of the Fiske invention are that the torpedo is held firmly to the airship, and practically becomes a part of it, so that the directing of the aeroplane toward the target also directs the torpedo. It is suspended in the position which it assumes in the water — that is, horizontal — and retains that position after being released. The releasing device is under the control of the aviator at all times.
    The advantage of approaching the target at a relatively high elevation and then rapidly descending to a lower one before releasing the torpedo is, supposing the target to be a battleship, that it is practically impossible with present-day naval guns to hit an object falling from a great height, owing to the resulting change in range and the consequent elevation of the guns. The advantages obtained by proceeding to within about 1,500 yards of the enemy are that the chances of the torpedo getting home are increased, and the aeroplane is able to carry torpedoes of lighter than ordinary weight, since torpedoes designed for long ranges are much heavier than those fired at shorter distances.
    While the Fiske invention is attracting the attention of naval officers here and abroad, there comes news of still another wonderful invention, the object of which is to protect war vessels from torpedo attack. This invention is of German origin. It is an "illuminated shell" loaded with calcium carbide. The shell is fired in the usual way. On striking the water the shell sinks a few feet and the water entering the shell through apertures, sets up chemical action which generates gas, the resulting buoyancy driving the shell back to the surface, after which the gas is automatically ignited, .shedding an equal light over a large area. The light is equal to 1,000 candle power and will burn for an hour. The object of the inventor is to surround a battleship at night with these illuminated shells, thus rendering practically impossible the unobserved approach of torpedo craft of all types.