--Originally posted 5/17/09--
In most builds, the biggest question about deck planking is what color it was - less of an issue for most subs - but in
this case, the question is of the very
existence of planking; exactly where was it installed (if anywhere), on a given S-18 class boat?
So far, all reference pics suitable - i.e., taken close enough and sharp enough - to show planking, agree on only one thing:
Click on Image to Enlarge It appears that, in all cases, prominent planking was laid around the base of the (sole) deck gun; as seen here for S-32 (right), and S-30 (left), in a pic dated April, 1941. On both subs, note the adjoining decks areas - ahead as far as the forward hatch, and behind all the way aft - exhibit practically no texture at all; if they
are planked, then it must be with extremely fine, flush-mounted planks (see below) - virtually undetectable here. From the hatch forward to the tip of the bow, S-32 clearly has
no planking; but instead rows of rivets and/or small flood holes, unmistakeably indicating a bare (steel) deck.
But very different foredecks are readily in evidence:
Click on Image to Enlarge Note in all these shots, planking continues, seamless and uninterrupted, beyond the gun platform; extending both forward (at least) to the hatch, and - where shown - aft to (at least) abaft the sail (and actually
past the sail, as subsequent pics, below, will show). At top-left and -right, pics show S-40 in 1935 and earlier, in 1930, respectively, while at bottom S-23 is shown, in 1942.
By far the majority of relevant pics indicate such extended, foredeck planking:
Click on Image to Enlarge At top, no doubt shot the same day as the 1935 pic of S-40, above, this pic reveals S-38 and S-41 nested alongside her; all three displaying extended foredeck planking, with the views of S-38 and -40 revealing it to be
raised, in very much the same fashion as the gun deck planking observed on S-30 and -32, above - except now extending forward to just short of the hatch. At bottom-left, a closeup of S-32's bow, revisited in 1942, reveals planking now extended forward to just
ahead of the forward hatch - as is also the case at bottom-right for S-28, seen head-on June 10, 1943.
In addition, beyond the ends of the
raised planking, on S-40 and S-38 (top), as well as S-32 (bottom-left), the pics present faintly visible textures suggesting that additional, very fine planking -
flush-mounted and very tight; like parquet flooring - continues forward perhaps as far as the sonar head (globe-on-a-stick, in the mid-war pics).
Regarding
my own build, a couple pics of S-37 date from far too early, but may prove helpful to the more general description, particularly regarding the deck further aft:
Click on Image to Enlarge This pic (with insets at full-resolution), dated 10/29/24, reveals 4 distinct deck surfaces, IMHO. There is a black (-painted) circular gun platform - presumably with heavy, raised planking as on S-30 and -32 in mid-1941, above - and the (steel) tips of the extreme deck ends are likewise painted black. In between, the deck transitions through three shades of gray; the lightest of which exhibits no texture, extending from the bow back to, again, about the location of the sonar head, while both of the darker tones are accompanied by a faint texture, again suggestive of a delicate/flush type of planking. The darker of the two appears to begin at the forward hatch and to extend - interrupted only by the gun decking - clear back to the aft hatch, the next lighter shade again resuming to continue back to the (black) steel aft tip. Thus, it appears at least two - and quite possibly three - types of planking cover this deck almost completely, from he bow sonar aft.
However, a still earlier pic of S-37 presents yet another contradiction:
Click on Image to Enlarge Removing casualties following a mishap in October, 1923, the men looking down mark the location of the after hatch; the deck visible in the foreground is well within the fine-planked area presumed above, yet in this pic - which is easily close enough to see - there is absolutely
no indication of planking. So, either S-37 was, in her early years planked only around her deck gun - again, just as S-30 and -32, as late as April, 1941 - or S-37s deck had been extensively reworked - almost completely planked-over from the original steel - sometime between late 1923 and late '24. Given the range of modifications definitely known to have been applied to these boats, I consider either scenario to be quite plausible.
Ironically, this earliest of my reference pics, depicting an unplanked steel deck aft, is consistent with the
latest pics; showing the mid-war refits:
Click on Image to Enlarge At left, the aft deck of S-28 on June 10, 1943 appears very smooth, flanked by rows of limber holes, lining the deck edge. On the foredeck, a faint texture clearly suggests planking, and extends to just ahead of the forward hatch, just as observed earlier, from head-on. At right, S-41 (top) and S-38 (bottom) in April, 1943 (no doubt on the same day; while moored opposite sides of the same pier) - confirm steel decks aft, and, beginning shortly aft of the sail, a heavy, raised deck; no doubt consisting of coarse planking.
Together, the above - spanning a full two decades, and numerous different boats - argues that there simply was no "standard evolution" of deck layout for these boats, but instead that each went through its own unique evolution, per its own unique timeline. If any generalization is possible, it would be that - for most boats, most the time - the foredeck was continuously planked with a heavy, raised planking; extending forward from just behind the island to the vicinity of the forward hatch, and - particularly by late 1943 - bare steel decks, aft. Of course, it was prior to this time that these boats performed all their most historic exploits - for which the precise appearance could be "anybody's guess"; depending entirely on the particular boat, and date.
And this is regarding
just the decks so far; believe me, this is just scratching the surface, regarding these subs!
Cheers,
-Matty
