R-10

A closeup of the R-10's bridge area. The location is unknown but the date is likely the early 1920's. The horizontal strakes on the side of the bridge were intended to break up waves that crash against the fairwater while the boat is running on the surface. This prevents solid water from swamping the bridge and the watchstanders there.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman

R-10 assisting in the salvage of the R-6 (SS-83) after it sank in San Pedro (Los Angeles) Harbor, CA. Due to a malfunction in one of her torpedo tubes, R-6 sank on September 26, 1921. She was refloated on October 13, 1921, reconditioned, and put back into service.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman

R-10 crewmembers on the deck of their boat during the R-6 salvage operation, October, 1921.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman

R-10 (foreground) and R-18 (SS-95) in Hawaii circa 1930. It appears as if the boats are returning from sea and there is some sort of celebration going on, possibly Navy Day. There are large numbers of both Sailors and civilians on the pier, and it is decorated with signal flags and three Navy aircraft.

The aircraft on the far right is a Martin T3M-2 floatplane torpedo bomber from squadron VT-7. The aircraft on the far left is a Curtiss F-5L flying boat from squadron VP-4. Both of these squadrons were based in Hawaii. The aircraft in the middle is an unknown type. The presence of these aircraft indicates a date of, or prior to 1930 as both types were retired from service around that time.

The exact location of this photo is not known, but the presence of the aircraft and the buildings on the pier indicate the Naval Air Station on Ford Island, in the middle of Pearl Harbor. This would be the easiest location to have the aircraft on display, as facilities and equipment existed there to move the seaplanes onto the shore and then onto the piers. Any other location in Hawaii would have required the moving and handling equipment be relocated there as well. Not impossible, but less likely.

The most surprising aspect of this photo is the fact that the R-18 is painted black, in an era when all USN submarines were painted a light gray. In the early 1930's the Navy began to rethink the paint schemes for submarines and there was a great deal of experimentation going on to find the optimal colorization that would provide effective camouflage for the boat while surfaced and submerged.

Various shades of gray, blue, black, and even dark greens were tested, but all of that came about several years after this photo was taken. We are speculating that this was a test sponsored and authorized by the local command in Hawaii, either Commander Submarines, Scouting Force, or the submarine squadron to which these boats were assigned.

There may have been some curiosity on this subject locally in Hawaii with the commands there footing the bill for the change in paint before getting the authorization to do so from big Navy in Washington. All other USN submarines retained their light gray paint scheme until the 1934-36 timeframe when the Navy made a wholesale changeover to flat black for submarines.

Both of these boats left Hawaii for the mainland shortly after this photo was taken, with R-18 going straight to Philadelphia for decommissioning and mothballing. It is possible that she retained her black paint for the trip back to Philadelphia. R-10 remained in commission and was engaged in training and experimental duties based out of New London, CT and would have been repainted black in approximately 1935.

Both boats served in WWII, with R-18 being reactivated and brought back into service in January 1941.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman

Detail from the photo above. The aircraft shown here is a Martin T3M-2 floatplane torpedo bomber from squadron VT-7. At this point, the Navy was still operating non-carrier based torpedo planes. Within a few years that mission became solely a carrier based one.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman

Further detail of the left side of the large photo above. This view shows a Curtiss F-5L flying boat from squadron VP-4. We apologize for the fuzziness. Detail just can't be brought out at this magnification. The whole photo is a postcard sized image.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman

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