World War I pigboats

[Rick Potter]

WWI submarines (often called pigboats) were in an old movie I watched last night. At the end of the movie, the hero steers the sub, loaded with explosives, into a gun emplacement, blowing it up. It shows him outside the conning tower, aiming the boat with the wheel (steering). Anybody know if the WWI subs had an outside wheel for real, or was it just for the movie? This movie was made in 1933, so I imagine very few people had any real knowlege of subs, and my guess is that it was just put in there for dramatic effect.

I have tried and tried to stump creekers with arcane questions like this. Could this be the one?? Besides, I really am curious.

Rick Potter

[Jim Sears]

Your post peaked my interest. So I Googled WWI Pigboat. I found a picture of what looks to be a "steering wheel" on a sub.
197123

I probably spent an hour or more looking at the pictures and reading about subs on this site. Very cool.
http://www.pigboats.com/subs/a-boats.html

[ray hampton]

I was not there but this wheel appears to be the means to open the hatch so they can enter the sub

[Rick Potter]

In the movie, Robert Montgomery was crouched behind the coaming of the sail, and steering with a wheel just like a boat, or car.

That is a great website, Jim, but I don't know if I can award you the trophy on that pic, since Ray has put it in doubt.

Looking at the website, the one in the movie, made in 1933, looks like the S-1. It definitly had a cannon. The earlier R-2 is a close one too. On the pic of the S-1, it looks like a seaman is steering it, but you can't see the wheel to be sure.

Rick P

[ray hampton]

the submarine were in use during the civil war and they might had been steer with the use of a wheel but I think that the modern sub are steer with a rudder

[Howard Garner]

All subs use a rudder for steering, controlled by the wheel
ex-sub sailor

[Rick Potter]

Ray, they actually had a submarine in the Revolutionary War too.

Howard, have you ever heard of a wheel up top?

When I was in eighth grad I read a novel about WWI subs. The title was 'Pigboat'. I have no idea why I still remember that after 55 years.

Rick P

[Jim Sears]

I was not there but this wheel appears to be the means to open the hatch so they can enter the sub

I wasn't there either. But I really don't think it would be used to close the hatch. I can't think of any reason the wheel would be located so far from the hatch. I believe any closing system for the hatch would be directley on the hatch itself. I don't know.

This has me puzzeled. I have sent an email to the webmaster of Pigboat.com asking if there were any subs that had a steering device on the outside. I've never really thought about the question at hand before. But now I need to know.

[Mike Cutler]

Rick

That boat was a little before my time on a sub, but if I had to hazard a guess, based on sub experience, that "Steering Wheel" is a remote valve operator, of some sort. I would further guess that it is the remote operator for the ballast control tanks vent valve. The ballast control tanks, even on a modern sub, work by opening a valve in the bottom and either pressurizing, or venting the tank to increase and decrease the buoncy of the sub. (This is a very basic overview.)
Submarines of that era did not travel submerged, they traveled on the surface and dove prior to an op, some actually never completely submerged, but ran very low on the surface.
The only thing I can say for certain is that some poor sailor had to Never-Dull all of that brass and copper to keep shining. Glad it wasn't me.

[Jim Sears]

I wasn't there either. But I really don't think it would be used to close the hatch. I can't think of any reason the wheel would be located so far from the hatch. I believe any closing system for the hatch would be directley on the hatch itself. I don't know.

This has me puzzeled. I have sent an email to the webmaster of Pigboat.com asking if there were any subs that had a steering device on the outside. I've never really thought about the question at hand before. But now I need to know.


OK..Here's the "poop" on the steering wheel issue. This is the response I got back from the webmaster of Pigboat.com.

Jim

You may inform your forum mates that most definitely submarines could be steered from topside up into WW II.
The WW I era had most submarines with that feature. I will link you to a few photo from my web pages that show this to the best advantage.
These photos are from my "Through The Looking Glass" page: http://pigboats.com/subs/legends.html

The first submarine in the fleet had a topside wheel as shown here: http://pigboats.com/subs/plunger.jpg on the USS Plunger.

Here the Grampus is underway with the vessel being steered from topside: http://pigboats.com/subs/running4.jpg

Here is a good photo of the USS C-2 showing the topside wheel dismounted and stowed just forward of the steering pedestal, at the top of the photo you can just make out the steering hub the wheel goes on; http://pigboats.com/subs/c2.jpg

Here is the USS F-1 lost through ramming during WW I on the bottom. If you look at the top of the photo you can see the steering wheel still in place. 19 men lost their lives. Americans first War Time Submarine Loss. The submarine is a war grave: http://pigboats.com/subs/f1/f-1b.jpg

This photo shows the USS G-2 with the bridge helm manned: http://pigboats.com/subs/g2color5.jpg

The USS G-3's bridge wheel can be plainly seen here: http://pigboats.com/subs/1-g-3a.jpg

The USS K-5 that made patrols in WW I under construction showing her wheel: http://pigboats.com/subs/l5batt03.jpg

WW I submarine USS O-15 showing wheel and helmsman on bridge: http://pigboats.com/subs/o-15-3c.jpg

Attached is a photo of the USS Plunger SS 179 taken during WW II clearly showing her bridge mounted helm forward of the periscope sheers.

I hope this helps answer your question and let me know if I can be of further help.

Ric Hedman TN(SS)
webmaster PigBoats.COM (http://pigboats.com/)
USS Flasher SSN 613
USS Cusk SS 348

Hope this helps clear the issue up.

Jim

[ray hampton]

make a note of the hatch wheel position [ waist high ] and hozin. while the steering wheel position are ver. [similar to a car steering wheel ]
how many people did it take to steer a submarine ? I will guess 2 or more

[Rick Potter]

WOW. Curses, foiled again. Jim sure gets a win on this one (I was gonna say gold star, but then I remembered what that meant in WWI & II). Above and beyond, Jim, and a great website to study.

Will the Creeker panel ever be stumped? Stand by.


I'll be back.
Rick Potter