A-7

Shark making a surface run, approximately 1906. The location is not known for sure, but is probably somewhere near Newport, R.I. where Shark was based between 1903-1907. Shark still has an unmodified conning tower and fairwater, and has a single fixed height periscope aft of the conning tower.

U.S. Navy photo

 

This image is only tiny part of a much larger photo, that being the reason for the lower resolution. The information written on the back of this photo state that this is the "Submarine Shark maneuvering on Manila Bay, November 1909".

Shark is traveling at a slow speed, possibly on battery. The whole crew appears to be on deck. We count 10 people, officers and men. From the looks of this photo the torpedo loading hatch has been opened, (rectangle to the left of the men).

Initially it was thought that the smoke that is seen near the center of the photo was coming from the submarine, indicating some sort of serious problem below. In actuality, the smoke is coming from the horizon from another ship. It is a trick of photography that makes the smoke appear close. In addition, the flag at the stern shows the wind to be blowing from the bow to the stern, which would make it impossible for the smoke to be drifting to the left.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

 

USS Shark (Submarine No. 8) crew muster for April 15, 1910. Data is incomplete due to lost records.

Crew Muster April 15, 1910

Jensen, Henry M. - Ensign - age 26 - Born: Minnesota

Beaudford, Thomas S. - EM 2c - age 30 - Born: Maryland

Dowd, John J. - CEM - age 29 - Born: New Jersey

Draper, Harry - CMM - age 33 - Born: New York

Greensmith, Joe - CGM - age 38 - Born: England

Grimes, Chester J. - GM 2c - age 25 - Born: Idaho

Harris, William E. - CGM - age 29 - Born: Virginia

Hershey, Orville S. - MM 2c - age 25 - Born: Maryland

Heslar, Fred O. - EM 1c - age 22 - Born: Indiana

Miller, Thomas M. - EM 2c - age 23 - Born: Indiana

McGains, Joseph E. - GM 1c - age 24 - Born: Arizona

Sicer, Leonard - MM 1c - age 24 - Born: Pennsylvania

Streiff, Robert J. - MM 2c - age 22 - Born: Minnesota

Thank you to Linda Talbott of the US GenWeb Census Project® for providing this information.

 

A-7 at Cavite, Manila Bay, Philippines. Time frame is circa 1915. She is moored to a pier that has booms for loading torpedoes incorporated to it. A carriage for torpedo transport can be seen just right of center of the photo. Maybe A-7 has just completed loading torpedoes.

The A-7 has had the bow modification of a superstructure fairing slipped over her existing hull configuration. This kept the sub and crews on deck drier in a seaway. She has two deck ventilators installed to help bring fresh air and cooling to the interior of the submarine.

The raised "bridge" deck is surrounded by a single pipe rail. The vertical mounted helm for steering on the surface can be seen. Its shaft can be seen under the bridge area penetrating the deck to the port of the conning tower to merge with the interior drive rod leading to the rudder aft.

The submarine's single periscope is seen rising aft of the conning tower and bridge. Just aft of that is the magnetic compass binnacle and aft of those is the Allied Signal Bell used for underwater signaling.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

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