Submarine War Art

"Going Home" watercolor by Georges Schreiber, 1943. "Going Home", that phrase sounds sweeter to a submarine man than the men of perhaps any other branch of the Navy. Fine-drawn and weary from weeks of patrolling enemy waters, with death often just around the corner, the submarine man and his ship both need rest and "overhauling" when their mission is concluded. A dark, pencil-like shadow under lowering skies, the Dorado (SS-248) skims along on the surface while the night hides her from enemy eyes.

In September 1943, the USS Dorado (SS-248) took aboard two artists employed by the U.S. War Department, Thomas Hart Benton and Georges Schreiber to document the ship's cruise and preserve the images of a fleet boat at sea during wartime operations (although safely in U.S. waters most of the time).

While underway Schreiber and Benton sketched, painted and interacted with the crew. They even got some excitement when the ship encountered a derelict vessel in the sea lanes that Dorado dispatched with her deck guns.

The art from that cruise lives on for eternity.

 

"Conning Tower" watercolor by Georges Schreiber, 1943. There is no surcease in the vigilance aboard a submarine. Vulnerable to depth charges and bombs, eternally a "lone wolf" on a mission, the Dorado (SS-248) must be ready to crash-dive at an instant's notice. The skipper and executive George Andrew Wagner, Jr. of "old 204" augment the regular lookouts on the conning tower between submerging. Thomas Hart Benton and Georges Schreiber, 1943 collaborated in producing the Abbott Collection of Submarine Paintings, a project largely executed aboard the American submarine Dorado (SS-248), that was later lost in action with all hands. The following drawings are from their collection, courtesy of the U.S. Naval Historical Center.

 

"Stand by to Fire" watercolor by Georges Schreiber, 1943. The crucial moment has arrived—the vital occasion for which the Dorado (SS-248) was built and the men were trained—the firing of torpedoes at an enemy ship. In the confinement of the machinery-laden warship the tension is almost a physical presence as all watch the marksmen ready their deadly bolt.

"Rig for Red" watercolor painting by Georges Schreiber, 1943. "Rig for Red" is normally a command used in the Control Room. It is normally used when the boat is going to be surfacing or coming to periscope depth at night. The purpose is to give the lookouts and the officer designated to head to the bridge upon surfacing a chance for their eyes to adjust to darkness, or the OOD the same thing before looking through the periscope. During battle stations and at night, many spaces are rigged for red in order to simulate night conditions. While submerged underwater during normal operations, the only real reference for the time of day is the meal being served, since most boats operate on an 18-hour rotation and not a 24-hour rotation (six hours on watch, 12 off). The red/dark conditions are more so people can sleep rather than to simulate night. Underway, the sleeping areas are always dark unless it's a cleanup day, a drill is going on, or battle stations has been sounded.

"Clear for Action" watercolor by Georges Schreiber, 1943. Choosing to fight on the surface rather than crash-dive, Dorado (SS-248) relies on her three-inch gun rather than costlier torpedoes. While lookouts eye the skies for signs of enemy planes, the gun crew speedily prepares to open fire on the foe. High seas—a constant peril on the narrow, slippery deck of a sub—add their menace to the scene.

"Sighting the Target" watercolor by Georges Schreiber, 1943. A smudge of smoke on the horizon reveals the presence of an enemy ship, pray for the Dorado's (SS-248) hungry torpedoes. Only her periscope shows as the sub races below surface to get within target range of her next victim.

"All Hands Below" watercolor by Georges Schreiber, 1943. Relieving the tension of hours below surface, crewmen on board Dorado (SS-248) play a round of cards while a shipmate kibitzes from his bunk. While pondering his cards, each player also listens for the call to battle stations. In the foreground, the bulbous warheads of twin torpedoes seem to peer balefully in quest of targets.

"Loading Tin Fish" watercolor by Georges Schreiber, 1943. "Sleek and cigar-shaped like the submarine itself, marine torpedoes are loaded aboard the undersea warship in dock. The greatest care must be exercised in this operation—not only because of the danger, which is comparatively slight, but because a slip might injure one of the immensely valuable "tin fish".

"The Kill" watercolor by Georges Schreiber, 1943. Final act in a drama at sea. The skipper of Dorado (SS-248), LCDR Earle (Penrod) C. Schneider, and one of his lookouts watch eagerly through their glasses as the victim of their torpedoes up-ends and plunges toward the bottom... one less ship for the enemy to throw against the Allies. The flame of the fire lights a pathway for the sub as she races toward the sinking ship in the hope of picking up prisoners.

"News from Home" watercolor by Georges Schreiber, 1943. Excited gestures add emphasis to a crewman's comments on some news contained in a letter received from home. His shipmates peruse the letter while a fourth crewman does "bunk duty" on board Dorado (SS-248).

“Score Another One “ oil on board by Thomas Hart Benton, 1943. This scene depicts Dorado (SS-248) in a WWII scene that solidified Benton's characterization as an artist committed to portraying a specific piece of American history. Although Benton was often grouped with leftist intellectual circles, he also contributed a series of war propaganda paintings after the outbreak of WWII. The vivid colors and skewed perspective are characteristic of Benton's style that became his trademark in later years; Benton's dramatic use of the Renaissance technique of chiaroscuro, the heavy contrast between light and dark, is also captured in this painting.

"Up Periscope" watercolor by Thomas Hart Benton, circa 1944. Sweater-clad U.S. Navy submarine men blend into the gloomy background of their ship, Dorado (SS-248), illuminated in eerie fashion by a light in the overhead, as they go about their duties far below the surface while on a patrol mission. An officer keeps his eyes glued to the periscope as he scans the horizon for the outline of an enemy ship.

"Up the Hatch" oil on press board by Thomas Hart Benton, circa 1944. Crewmen of Dorado (SS-248) race up ladders to get aloft through the open hatchway of the conning tower, exhilarated by their eagerness to get a breath of fresh air after hours of confinement below.

"Slumber Deep" watercolor on paper by Thomas Hart Benton, circa 1944. Completely relaxed in exhaustion, crewmen of Dorado (SS-248) do "bunk duty" above a deadly but quiescent torpedo. A shipmate whiles away his off-duty interlude by reading.

"Interlude" watercolor by Georges Schreiber. Time to eat, drink coffee and smoke…but the eternal alertness that prevails aboard a U.S. Navy submarine shows in the abstracted demeanor of these men. Relaxed and intent on their separate endeavors, they reveal a common inner tension as they listen for the call “general quarters!”

"On Course" watercolor by Thomas Benton, 1943. “Steady as she goes” comes the order on the ship’s talker…the man at the wheel, his eyes glued to his instruments, keeps the submarine on course as a shipmate stands by.

"War Isn't All Mechanized" pen and ink on paper by Thomas Hart Benton, circa 1944. The lowly mule still pulls guns and supply wagons, the foot-soldier still fights hand-to-hand with the foe...and the mess cook must still peel potatoes by hand. Some U.S. Navy ships have automatic peelers, but Dorado (SS-248) doesn't, but don't mention it to this man!

"Hashing it over" watercolor by Thomas Benton, 1943. Arguing volubly between bites of their chow, U.S. Navy enlisted men cover subjects ranging between the best Road to Tokyo to the connection between religion and philosophy—with a few brief comments on the New York Yankees, American Women, and the two-party system.

"Eighty Feet Below" watercolor by Georges Schreiber, 1943. Specialists of the Silent Service—the submarine fleet of the U.S. Navy—eye their gauges and instruments with calculating care as Dorado (SS-248) slides through the dark water eighty feet below the surface. Heart of the undersea vessel, the control room contains the giant wheels which operate the diving planes. Here also is the "Christmas Tree", where green or red lights, constantly gleaming and blinking, reveal whether valves and hatches are safely rigged for diving. At the right a "talker" inputs vital information to other parts of the ship, while at the left a crewman goes up the ladder to the conning tower, located just above the control room.

"Surface" oil on press board by Georges Schreiber, circa 1944. Up from the depth, like a primordial monster, the Dorado (SS-248) rises to charge her batteries, and "air out" under the protective blanket of the night. Often a submarine spends the whole day on the bottom when enemy ships or planes are about.

"Surfaced for Speed" watercolor by Thomas Benton, 1943. With the horizon empty of enemy ships, the sky barren of Axis planes, this U.S. Navy sub cruises on the surface to make speed in getting to its objective. The instant danger looms the sub will crash-dive and remain below to strike or hide, depending on the tactical situation.

"Coffee and Chow" pen and ink on  paper by Thomas Hart Benton, circa 1944. Drawing of Dewitt Harris, Steward's Mate, Second Class, Dorado (SS-248). Eyes almost closed in concentration as he reads a periodical spread open on his leg, a crewman munches on a sandwich and sips a cup of the ubiquitous Navy "jamoke"—coffee aboard Dorado.

"K.P." watercolor by Georges Schreiber, 1943. Even in the depths of enemy waters, the prosaic work of the “kitchen police” must go on. The cramped galley of a submarine is the locale for this scene…not spacious, but the source of what is proudly claimed to be the “best chow in the Navy”.

"All's well below" watercolor by Thomas Benton, 1943. Crewmen of the Navy’s “silent service”—submarine branch—relax in the torpedo room of a submarine during off-duty moments as their warship proceeds on her way. One man goes up the ladder on duty aloft. In a second this peaceful scene could be turned into an ordered chaos by the call to general quarters.

Schreiber and Benton along with the Dorado’s skipper, September 1943.