This silent short newsreel shows U.S. Navy Martin T3M or T4M biplanes sinking a decommissioned battleship with torpedoes. The event was part of war maneuvers conducted in the 1930s. At 1:18 the torpedo is seen streaking in the water towards its target, which is seen sinking at 1:29. It's unclear precisely which ship is shown sinking here, or whether in fact the torpedoes are responsible for the sinking. Most likely the footage dates from 5 September, 1924 when USS Virginia and USS New Jersey were anchored off the Diamond Shoals lightship, off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina for the tests, which were conducted by the Martin NBS-1 bombers of the 2nd Bombardment Group. Observers were aboard the Army transport ship St. Mihiel. The bombing runs began just before 9:00, and on the third attack seven NBS-1s dropped a pair of 1,100-pound (500 kg) bombs each, scoring two hits that caused extensive damage. The blast destroyed the bridge and knocked down both masts and all three funnels. The rest of the bombs landed close to the ship, causing major underwater damage. Within twenty minutes, Virginia capsized, and ten minutes later, she slipped beneath the waves sinking to 50 fathoms, joining New Jersey, which had been sunk earlier that day
The Martin T3M was an American torpedo bomber of the 1920s. A single-engined three-seat biplane, it became a standard torpedo bomber of the U.S. Navy, operating from both land bases and from aircraft carriers from 1926 to 1932.
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