The USS Pampanito is a WW II, diesel powered submarine, that's been preserved in San Francisco as a museum open to the public, and a National Historic Landmark.
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This compartment is called the after battery because under the deck were 126 lead acid battery cells, each weighing over a ton. These cells comprised one of the vessel's two main storage batteries. The cells were stacked in six rows of twenty-one cells each with hard rubber panels placed on top to serve as a working deck. Each cell produced two volts of DC power and all the cells were wired to each other in series to produce the 250 volts DC.
The upper level of this compartment holds 36 bunks and was the main enlisted berthing area on Pampanito. On some patrols there were more men than bunks, which meant that some members of the crew had to "hot bunk" or share available bunks. One man would use the bunk while another was on duty. The normal procedure was for 3 men to use 2 bunks, so each crew member would have a chance to get closer to a full watch period of sleep all at one time.
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Taking a
virtual tour of the Pampanito, the pictures make is look kind of spacious. It is not.
I've been on a couple of this class submarine, and they are small, very small.
I should clarify, I didn't sail on them, oh my god no! I toured them... above the water, hatches open, with fresh air pouring in.
But even with only 12 or 15 fellow tourists, it got a little claustrophobic.