In the Control Room ex PO David Yeoman stands alongside the main periscope. Note that the CO sits at the scope - the red bar to the left side of the base is his left foot rest. Below right from David's left hand is the seat and position for the aft planesman who, together with his colleague to his right out of shot (the forward planesman ) is responsible for keeping the submarine on even an keel and depthkeeping underwater by means of the 2 sets of planes.

These are the 2 planesmen seats The one to the left (aft) is usually the senior man and responsible for the stern hydroplanes which maintain the equilibrium of the boat. The rating in the right hand seat operates the bow hydroplanes which are used for diving and change of depth. In front of each man, aside from the big depth indicator is a curved glass tube with the bubble inside it. The skill is in keeping the bubble in the top of the tube and thus the boat level no matter what maneuvers are being carried out.

Forward torpedo compartment, view of the 2 starboard tubes seen through the watertight doors, which would seal off the tubes and bow from the rest of the submarine in the event of a mishap.

Mk8 torpedo weighing 1.5 tons in the forward torpedo compartment. The boxes with red stripes on them carry individual submarine escape immersion equipment.

In the forward torpedo compartment this shows the bottom of the escape trunking/hatch. The black and yellow covered ends are of the torpedo ramp, hinged adjacent to the rectangular hatch in the deck which is lowered when "fish" are being loaded.  Slung by a centre of gravity cradle they are swung over and into the hatch from the loading crane and then it is down the muscled crewmen to maneuver them using slings runners and slides into their stowage along the hull until needed for loading into the tubes. All four torpedo tubes can also be seen.

(All photos courtesy of Robert Edmonds)
© 2008 Robert Edmonds all rights reserved