All of these photos below were part of a personal collection obtained by webmaster Ric Hedman. One of the S-31's crewmen took the photos, and Ric found several pages of an album of these pictures on eBay. All of the photos were taken while the boat was on the China Station, and all were taken in the 1926-1928 time frame. Unfortunately, we regret that the family name has been lost to us. If anyone has the names of the men shown here, please contact us.
We have turned up information that indicates that during S-31's service with the Asiatic Fleet, she collided with one of her sister boats while the other boat was submerged. Fortunately, the damage to both boats was relatively minor and no one was seriously injured, but S-31 had her propellers and stern diving planes damaged. This required repair in a drydock, which was most likely accomplished at Naval Station Subic Bay, P.I.
Photo taken from the deck of the S-31 is shown here off the China coast, in the company of a local fishing junk. The submarine in the left background appears to be a sister ship, the S-29. Identification is difficult due to the photos resolution and the submarines distance from the camera. The junks and fishing smacks were a constant companion to our submarines operating in the Asia theater. Sometimes they gathered in such numbers that they presented a hazard to safe navigation, especially at night.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman
S-31 approaching the submarine tender USS Beaver (AS-5), with the intention of mooring to her port side. It looks like the other two S-boats in the nest are being warped out from Beaver's side so that the S-31 can moor directly to her. This is likely due to some sort of work that needs to be performed that required crane services, and that requires that S-31 be directly alongside. The sailor on S-31's deck closest to the camera has a "heevie" (heaving line) coiled in his hand, ready to throw to the tender. The heevie is a small diameter line weighted on one end that is used to pull the larger diameter mooring lines to a pier or tender.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman
A nice view of S-31's bridge area, showing the ship control station. At the bottom of the photo is the hatch leading to the conning tower. Above that is a wooden seat that the helmsman would sit on, straddling it. Above that and to the left is a small lever. This is how the boat is steered. The lever is twisted to the left or right, and this sends an electrical signal to the rudder operating systems to move it in the appropriate direction. In the center between the two engine order telegraphs (used to send speed requests to the engine room) is the rudder angle indicator that will tell the helmsman what position the rudder is in. At the top of the binnacle is the compass repeater, which will tell the helmsman the course he is steering. The S-boats were unusual in that they did not have an actual helm wheel on the bridge.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman
S-31's torpedo tubes. The boat was capable of carrying up to twelve Mk 9 Mod 1B or Mk 10 torpedoes, although in peacetime she would probably carry only about 10. This would leave two of the loading skids in the room open so that tube loaded weapons could be retracted from the tube for maintenance.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman
This is the S-31's control room looking forward and to port. A portion of the boat's helm wheel can be seen, with the ballast tank blow and vent manifolds on the bulkhead behind it. This picture is somewhat deceiving in that the helm wheel is not mounted directly to the bulkhead. It is actually suspended from the overhead by angle iron stanchions and is aft of the bulkhead by about four feet. The watertight door leading to the forward battery compartment is directly behind this wheel. You have to step around the wheel to go through the door.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman
A close up of the blow and vent manifolds. If you blow the picture up a bit, you can just make out the words on the brass plates by each valve.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman
To the right of the helm wheel is the ballast trim manifold, used to move water around various tanks so that proper trim and balance can be maintained while submerged.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman
A view of S-31's control room, starboard side. This shows the trim pump with what looks like a scuttlebutt (drinking fountain) on the right.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman
This is a view of S-31's motor room, looking aft. The large white object in the foreground is the low pressure ballast pump, with the high pressure pump in the background on the left. A workbench and a vise is visible on the right.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman
A view of S-31's forward deck, looking aft. The deck flares outward around the gun to provide adequate operating area for the gun crew. The bridge fairwater flares outward so that while running surfaced in a heavy sea state spray and water is deflected outward and away from the bridge watchstanders.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman
In a view taken from the aft end of the bridge, the starboard side of S-31 is seen being doused in a heavy sea.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman
In a photo taken at the same time as the one above, S-31's stern is shown being overwhelmed by a following sea. The round hull of the submarine tended to make these boats roll and pitch a lot in a heavy sea, and with a low freeboard they tended to be wet boats while surfaced.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman
S-31's crew in a gunnery exercise. A gun action was a labor intensive exercise, with a four man crew supplemented by another five to six men in an ammunition passing train. The ammo had to be brought up from the magazine below the control room. Each complete round weighed nearly 65 lbs. (29 kg). Netting has been rigged around the deck stanchions and lifelines so that the expensive brass shell casings could be caught and brought back to port so that they could be reused. This was a peacetime practice brought on by the austerity of the Great Depression. In wartime the casings would be thrown over the side.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman
This view is from a tender, likely the USS Beaver (AS-5) as they swing over a Mk 10 torpedo to the waiting S-31. The weapon does not have the warhead installed at this point. It would be loaded separately and installed onboard the submarine. The ship in the background is the submarine tender USS Canopus (AS-9) a mainstay of the Asiatic Fleet.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman
Once the tender lowered the weapon down to the boat, it was placed on an angled loading skid where it was secured. The lines to the tender would be released, and the sub's crew would gingerly slide the weapon down the skid using a block and tackle system. The torpedo would pass through an angled loading hatch in the pressure hull and once fully inside the room it would be placed on one of the horizontal skids and secured in place.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman
This is the plaque of Submarine Division 9, to which S-31 was assigned during its tenure with the Asiatic Fleet. It is in the form of a dragon stylized as the number 9. In the photo below showing the sailor standing topside watch, the plaque can be seen mounted to the side of the conning tower fairwater. The plaque was most likely made of molded brass.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman
These are two unidentified S-31 crewmen. The man on the left has sustained some sort of arm injury. This photo was not taken aboard the S-31. It was likely taken on the tender USS Beaver (AS-5), where better medical treatment was available. On the right is a great photo of the boat's topside watch, standing on the port side forward of the conning tower fairwater.
Photos in the private collection of Ric Hedman
More of the S-31's crew. Submarine life was not all work and drudgery, there were times to relax and enjoy the camaraderie of submarine life.
