This fine collection provided courtesy of Al Sabatino. Again, if you recognize unidentified shipmates or have other comments to offer, . (Click the photos for larger versions.)
1 - Reverse side of our brow in 1964 after finding a beachball at sea on a patrol during a hurricane. We are moored outboard the tender Orion, a rare and temporary situation. Painting by yours truly and Al Sabatino.
2 - The dress side of the brow, again alongside Orion. The bright canvas often had to be freshened up with white paint after long periods of storage inside a sealed compartment (sea locker) within the conning tower sail.
3 - Al Sabatino in the forward torpedo room. Note the dry stores stacked behind him between the tubes. Leaving on a long patrol, all available space was used to store consummables. We even used a torpedo tube to store many cartons of cigarettes. Returning from foreign ports, we sometimes stored our duty-free booze in there, too.
4 - ??? and Al again.
5 - Look at all that bright-work! Cubera's forward torpedo tubes. A real torpedo in the upper left (Tube 1 - "Warshot" sign) and a practice fish in upper right (Tube 2 "Excercise"). Tube 4 also contains a warshot in this photo. Don't want to fire the wrong fish during excercizes with friendly forces!
6 - A sailor sleeping with cold death in "tubes forward" (forward torpedo room). An electric "fish" lies strapped into its skid beside him and below another bunk, portside just ahead of the sonar shack, visible in the back. The crew's breathable net bunk bags (center) held shaving kits, books and other personal items.
7 - Radioman Jack Roan relaxes (or studies?) with a book in the forward torpedo room, about 1963.
8 - Control room, looking aft over the table under which stood the main gyro. Firecontrolman Gibbons in the teeshirt needs a shave. Behind him on the periscope well is the ladder leading up to the conning tower.
9 - Topside watch in port Looking aft. Two of the four mooring lines are visible, and are "doubled up" or stretched twice to the boat she's moored to. No. 2 line is first here, with No. 3 farther back and "spring" lines in between form a stable "X" pattern to prevent the boat from drifting fore and aft with the tidal currents. The after engine room and after torpedo room hatches are open this fine day.
10 - Steaming surfaced at sea. A practice fish secured on deck is visible through the deadlight (window) and windshield protecting this officer from the Atlantic chill. The oval hole in the foredeck leads to the escape trunk door where crew returned below after retrieving the fish, fired during practice excercizes.
11 - Lt. Hubbard talking to Seaman Spears and two other shipmates.
12 - Moored between USS ARGONAUT (SS-475) and USS SIRAGO (SS-485), I believe. Moored side-by-side like this, subs were said to be in a "nest".
13 - Shot of the CUBERA's sail and bridge from the forward deck. The ECM (electronic countermeasures) mast is raised. In front of the mast are two periscopes (not visible here) and the radar antenna. Below the radar antenna is the "anchor" light. Our communications antenna is lowered, on the left in this shot.
14 - Sea swell breaking over the bow. Typical Atlantic weather. Notice the torpedo recovery boom and deck safety track. This "T" track connected a personal restraining line to deck workers for safety during operations topside at sea.
Courtesy of John Clear, ENC(SS) USN Ret., webmaster of the USS SEALION SS-315 website.
1 - Shot of CUBERA's after deck. Must be tied up port-side-to somewhere, with the hatches open, lifelines rigged and the ensign flying at the turtle-back. The sail looks freshly painted.
15 - Ships brig? No, just Spears and Don Waits below the superstructure, either studying for qualifications, painting, or maintaining bow boyancy tank vent gear... or caught hiding.