Friday September 21, 1921. The USS Alabama and Billy Mitchell

Near Miami, September 23, 1921.

 

Stony Lake, New York.  September 23, 1921.

Lake Bratingham, New York.  September 23, 1921.

On this day in 1921, the Army Air Corp began bombing experiments on the USS Alabama, BB-8, a decommissioned Illinois Class, pre dreadnought battleship.

USS Alabama.

The tests used a variety of scenarios before direct bombing of the ship which would ultimately cause her to sink.  The sinking itself was used by Billy Mitchell as evidence that aircraft could sink large ships, but in reality, as pointed out by the Navy, the Alabama's example was less than convincing.  The ship was an old one, was undefended, and took two days to sink even after the fatal hits were made.