PigBoats webmaster Ric Hedman at one time had received a series of emails from a former crewmember of the R-7. Chief Petty Officer Guy Covert served aboard the R-7 from 1942 to 1943. His emails give a very good view of what life was like aboard an old R-boat in WWII. Please see this link for these great emails.
R-7 approaching the finger piers at Submarine Base Pearl Harbor, approximately 1925. Note the extent to which the main deck had to be flared outward to form a sponson for the deck gun. The gun itself is elevated upward.
Photo by MMCM(SS) Rick Larson, USN (Ret.)
This and the next four photos are of the R-7's crew and were taken at Pearl Harbor in 1925. The commanding officer, LTjg Robert Andrew Knapp, is shown in the center front. The R-2 is moored on the right side of the photo.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
The R-7's enlisted crew are lined up on the main deck behind the gun, and the officers are shown on the bridge. Pearl Harbor, 1925. Sister boats R-2 (SS-79) and R-10 (SS-87) are moored alongside.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
A close up of the photo above, showing the crew on the left side of the photo.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
The center closeup of the photo above. This also gives good details of the 3"/50 caliber Mk 6 gun that was carried by the R-class boats. For more information on this gun, see the link here and this link to the NavWeaps.com page.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
The right side of the crew photo. Strangely, this photo shows only one Chief Petty Officer. These boats were billeted for three to four CPOs. Why there is only one shown here is unknown.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
The final closeup of the crew photo, showing the officers on the bridge. The CO, LTjg Robert Knapp, is in the center. Normally these boats would have been commanded by a full Lieutenant. The Pacific Fleet submarine force may have been experiencing some personnel shortages at the time which forced the squadron to assign a LTjg as CO, or Knapp may have been selected for LT but had not yet been advanced. The exact situation is not known.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
A series of photos gifted to Ric Hedman that show R-7 and her crew at sea off Hawaii for a training cruise in 1925. The weather was uncharacteristically rough (or "ruff" as described by the photographer) with water breaking over the deck. It is actually unusual for the CO to let his crew up on deck under these conditions. It was not safe.
Photos in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
R-7 crew members McLaurin & Hively at Submarine Base Pearl Harbor, 1925. They are topside standing near the aft end of the conning tower fairwater. Note the configuration of the air whistle at the top of the shears, above their heads.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
Gunnery practice off Hawaii, 1925. This photo was taken from the bridge.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
It was not uncommon for the crew to try to supplement their diet with fresh fish. Also, at times it was just a recreational activity to have a bit of fun. Here two R-7 sailors proudly display their day's catch. Photo taken off Hawaii in 1925.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
R-7 crew photo taken at Pearl Harbor, approximately 1926. The R-1 (SS-78) is moored in the background. There are two officers, one Chief Petty Officer (to the right of the officers), and 27 crew shown here.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
Pearl Harbor, circa 1929-30. According to the photo caption in the scrapbook the R-7 is undergoing a dockside upkeep in this photo. There is a man standing, half hidden, in front of the conning tower. He must be standing on the back of the deck gun to be at that height. One foot appears to be resting on the lifeline. R-7 appears to be painted black in this photo, well ahead of the Navy's mandate to repaint all submarines black in 1934-35. It is known that the command in Hawaii was experimenting with different paint schemes in the early 1930's, as it became apparent during tests with aircraft that the haze gray painted boats were still very visible at periscope depth in the clear Hawaiian waters. Apparently, several different colors were tried, including dark blues and even several shades of dark green. So it is possible that the color shown here is not black, but there is no way of knowing this in a black and white photo.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
R-7 in a refit period at Pearl Harbor, approximately 1930. Some of the crew are posing for the camera while chipping paint. There appears to be a destroyer in the dry dock with her. Looks like they are preparing to remove the bow planes hinge cover, it has "R 7 Port" written on it in chalk. They have yet to chip the paint from the lower bow, also they seem to be avoiding the draft marks. Chipping paint was an extremely tedious but very necessary process during a submarine overhaul. Chipping away the old paint revealed corrosion problems that could be addressed before new paint was applied.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
Another view of the R-7 in dry dock approximately 1930 showing the bow with towing fairlead (aka "bullnose") on the far left and open torpedo tube shutter doors below. The bow planes fairing cover shows the "R 7 Port" marking. A crew member is in the bottom of the dry dock. He probably has the messy job of chipping paint from the mushroom anchor seen hanging from the bottom of the sub on the right side of the photo.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
The crew of the R-7 in the late 1920's and early 1930's were apparently quite the fishermen. Here they are gathered around on the aft deck with their latest catch, a rather large mahi-mahi, commonly known as a dolphinfish, the symbol of the Submarine Service. It appears that one of the Asian Mess Attendants is examining the catch. The rest of the crew look on. On the back of the submarine can be seen two large "pipes". This is the normal storage location for the torpedo loading King Post, (right) and Boom, (Left).
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
A better look at the mahi-mahi. The bottom of the fish is to the left in this photo. The large dorsal fin can't be seen. The Asian Mess Attendant who was looking at the fish in the previous photo is now standing behind the fish. Another Asian Mess Attendant can be seen on the aft deck of the conning tower to the right of the flag. One of the sub's officers is seen on the bridge.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
The R-7's engine room, approximately 1930. It is not totally clear in what direction the view is but we're inclined to think the view is looking aft to the motor room. The NELSECO 6-EB-14 engines can be seen on either side. These were reasonably reliable engines and they served the R-boats for their entire lives.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
The R-7 commissary man has out done himself. This is a holiday meal laid out for the crew. It could be Thanksgiving or Christmas. The scrapbook gives no indication. The cook moved as the photo was being taken so we can't get a good look at his face. Behind him is the ever-present Navy coffee pot with hot coffee available at all times of day or night. It can be seen that this space, when not used for eating, could be used as a workshop as evidenced by the vise on the counter to the left side. The counter also holds several decorated cakes. When not in use, the tables and benches could be collapsed and stored away, probably in the rectangular brackets seen in the overhead, top center. Good food has always been an essential element of morale onboard USN submarines, and the force goes to great lengths to ensure that the crews are fed very well. This photo was taken at about the same time as the ones above, approximately 1930.
