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 NavWeaps.com page for this gun.
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.
