If you are claustrophobic, take a deep breath and follow me:
Here's the superstructure I was telling you about. The deck and sides of the boat are just welded to a cylindrical chamber. You must pass through the superstructure in order to enter the boat:
Forward torpedo room. Notice the bunks above the torpedoes. I forget how much the torpedoes weighed, but they were loaded by block and tackle:
Now I don't know how it is on those newfangled submarines, but if you ever visit a WWII submarine, don't go when it's crowded. Everywhere you go, it feels like you are moving around in a closet.
A real small closet.
Here's the head:
Sailors "hot racked" meaning they slept in the same bunks. As one shift got off, they would get into the same bunk the other shift had been sleeping in.
Sleeping space is a premium:
Officers didn't get much better:
Hard to believe eighty men served on board at the same time.
Here's the control room:
Galley and mess.
I can't even imagine:
And finally the engine room and the rear torpedo room:
The Bowfin had four supercharged diesels that put out 6,400 horsepower. I wonder what kind of gas mileage it got.
More later.
Here's a link to more pics.
