Here is what started it all...notice the open hatch just aft of the forward gun emplacement. It was evidently quite common for crews to leave this hatch open to provide cooling in the hot Pacific environment. Of course, this hatch leads to the forward crew head, so they may have wanted "more air" for other reasons as well! :-)
There is enough room to see at least some of what is in this space, especially the ladder and bulkead hatches.
Here are some pictures of this area on the inside:
From Bill Maloney:
From Al Ross:
Here is a picture (again from Al Ross) of the Crew's berth on the aft side of the bulkhead I'll be modeling:
Finally, here is an interior photo from Bill Maloney - note the hatch design...and actual PT crew member Jack Madden (Thanks Bill!).
As a side note I highly recommend www.williammaloney.com! He has a "military museums" section that is really a great resource for modelers!
I've been scratch building the forward compartment area and will take some pictures and post them soon!
John