Starting rank in SH4

[hyperion2206]

Does anybody know which rank we'll be granted upon our first patrol?
I've read that the captains of the bigger subs were LTCDR and the captains of S-class subs were LT.
I'll guess we'll start as an Ensing anyway:p

[Takeda Shingen]

Seaman, First Class.

[hyperion2206]

Seaman, First Class.

That's ok for me as long as I don't have to start as a Marine!:p:lol:

[Hylander_1314]

If you start as an Ensign, you better be the Exec, and not the C.O.

[Boris]

is an ensign like a midshipman?

[hyperion2206]

is an ensign like a midshipman?

The Ensign is the same rank as the Leutnant z.S. in the German Navy. A Midshipman (in the US Navy) is the equivilant to the Oberfähnrich z.S. in the German Navy.

[Boris]

Yeah, I knew a Midshipman was an Oberfähnrich (or just Fähnrich), but doesn't the US have two Lieutennant ranks as well? 2nd and 1st or something.

[CCIP]

Yeah, I knew a Midshipman was an Oberfähnrich (or just Fähnrich), but doesn't the US have two Lieutennant ranks as well? 2nd and 1st or something.

I guess you could even say 3...

The whole list:

Ensign
Lieutenant Junior Grade
Lieutenant
Lieutenant Commander
Commander
Captain

Which would be roughly equivalent to

Oberfahnrich
Leutnant zS
Oberleutnant zS
Kapitanleutnant
Korvettenkapitan/Fregattenkapitan
Kapitan zS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparative_military_ranks_of_World_War_II

[Sailor Steve]

Seaman, First Class.
Been there, done that.

[Elder-Pirate]

Seaman, First Class.
Been there, done that.

Me too but never the 'Skipper' of a Sub. And could not be with SFC rank. ;)

[hyperion2206]

Yeah, I knew a Midshipman was an Oberfähnrich (or just Fähnrich), but doesn't the US have two Lieutennant ranks as well? 2nd and 1st or something.
I guess you could even say 3...

The whole list:

Ensign
Lieutenant Junior Grade
Lieutenant
Lieutenant Commander
Commander
Captain

Which would be roughly equivalent to

Oberfahnrich
Leutnant zS
Oberleutnant zS
Kapitanleutnant
Korvettenkapitan/Fregattenkapitan
Kapitan zS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparative_military_ranks_of_World_War_II


I think you mixed something up.
Ensign= Leutnant z.S.
Lieutenant Junior Grade= Oberleutnant z.S.
Lieutenant Senior Grade= Kapitänleutnant
Lieutenant Commander= Korvettenkapitän
Commander= Fregattenkapitän
Captain= Kapitän z.S.

That should be right, at least since the NATO exists.

[Takeda Shingen]

Seaman, First Class.
Been there, done that.

Then you should have a leg up on the rest of us. Mind if I pick your brain on how to kiss up to the chief? I really don't want to spend all of my SH4 time peeling potatoes.

[Takeda Shingen]

Seaman, First Class.
Been there, done that.

Me too but never the 'Skipper' of a Sub. And could not be with SFC rank. ;)

Really? Are you sure? We'd better check the WWII records just to be sure that there were no Seaman CO's. I want this to be historically accurate.

[Tigrone]

Ranks, especially junior ones are never exactly equal across services, but the Royal Navy did not have the Ensign rank and by tradition those junior officer duties were performed by Senior Midshipman. A US Ensign could be said to be equivalent to a Senior Midshipman in the Royal Navy. US Midshipman did not go to sea, except for brief training cruises.

I'd expect in SH4 to start as a Lieutenant Senior Grade, go on to Lt. Commander, and end as a Commander. But, it is just a game, and for play they may want at least 4 ranks; so, Lieutenant J.G is fine to start with.

[Iron Budokan]

In SH3 we were known as Kaleuns. Are we Skippers in SH4 or Commanders? What is the preferred term for the commander of a U.S. sub?

[hyperion2206]

In SH3 we were known as Kaleuns. Are we Skippers in SH4 or Commanders? What is the preferred term for the commander of a U.S. sub?

Perhaps we're going to be called "skipper" or "old man".:hmm:

[Sailor Steve]

"Captain" is the accepted term, even for an Ensign commanding a PT boat. "Skipper" is also acceptable, but not as common.

Never call the captain "Old Man" to his face. I bet that was also true of "Alte".

[Elder-Pirate]

1955 I was aboard USS Sarsfield EDD 837 and are CO was a full commander but we did call him either "Skipper" or "The Ole Man" ( 'The ole man' was behind his back though :roll: ). Don't know about a Sub though, but imagine it was/is the same.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/oleman/EDD837.jpg

[sunvalleyslim]

I was on the USS segundo (SS-398) '68-70. The only officer you had to address with rank was the Captain. And he was always the "Captain" His actual rank was LCDR. All other Officers While out to sea could be called by their first names.....

[Sailor Steve]

Another Gearing guy!:rock:

I was on USS Brinkley Bass (DD-887) in 1970. Our skipper was a Lt. Commander. If I spoke first I called him "Captain", but mostly I just called him "sir".

All other Officers While out to sea could be called by their first names.....
FIRST NAMES???? I called our ops officer "Mister Adell", and the comm officer was "Mister Anderson", but I've never heard of anyone but a superior or an equal calling an officer by his first name.:-?

Oh, by the way,
WELCOME ABOARD!

[Elder-Pirate]

I was on the USS segundo (SS-398) '68-70. The only officer you had to address with rank was the Captain. And he was always the "Captain" His actual rank was LCDR. All other Officers While out to sea could be called by their first names.....

I think it depends on the Commander of the ship ( boat if a sub ) and whether or not any other high ranking officers are around or not ( ones that do not belong to your ship ) but on the EDD I was on you could call "Commander E. Johnson" Captain ( which was best ) but I and a few others 'Seaman First' and below that rank could and did call him "Skipper" with no problems........Well unless he was upset with some matter THEN it better be "Yes SIR Captain Sir". :yep:

BUT NEVER "Hey Ed is the smoking lamp lit yet ?" Hehe that would be brig time for sure.

[sunvalleyslim]

Thanks for the welcome Sailor Steve,
Well in subs there was just a little less need for formality. And it was only while we were under way that it was allowed. There were only 10 officers on board and all stood OOD watch. Most of the time while underway on the surface it would just be two lookouts and the OOD. So there's many a watch (4 hrs.) that we would swap war stories with the officers. And there were many a liberties spent with an Officer at our table. Although it was never the Capt or XO.

[Tigrone]

I was only on subs a few times for our SEAL training and landing exercises. The skipper was referred to privately as Skipper or the Old Man but was always spoken to as Capt'n by everyone. The XO was always Commander, or Sir or Mister Smith (If a Lt. Commander only). Lieutenants and Ensigns were called Mister or Sir, as in Mister Roberts. The Chief of the Boat was "Chief of the Boat."

Of course, as the landing party, we were just passengers and treated as such--idiot children.

[sunvalleyslim]

Frogman,
Had a few Seals and Marines on board for different exercises. Never thought of you guys as idiot children. But we certainly had fun putting you into the forward escape trunk, flooding it, and letting you go. But we always wanted to do the "Let's put them in the Torpedo Tube and shoot them out." Of course that was never an option. But my hat is off to you. Went to scuba dive school in 68' in San Diego next to SEALs, but our two week school was nothing to yours.......:up:

[hyperion2206]

LOL, this thread has been highjacked:rotfl:, so I've got to get back to my question:

Does anybody know which will be our starting rank? Neal, you should know that (I hope ;))

[WilhelmSchulz.]

Yeah, I knew a Midshipman was an Oberfähnrich (or just Fähnrich), but doesn't the US have two Lieutennant ranks as well? 2nd and 1st or something.

Engsin is close to Oberfahnrich.
And the 2 Lieutantants are
Lt. Jg.(Junior Grade) or just Jay-Gee
and full Lt.

[Sailor Steve]

http://navysite.de/navy/enlisted-rates.htm
http://navysite.de/navy/officer-ranks.htm

[Sailor Steve]

LOL, this thread has been highjacked:rotfl:, so I've got to get back to my question:

Does anybody know which will be our starting rank? Neal, you should know that (I hope ;))
Sorry about that. Neal will probably be the first to know; I sure don't. It will certainly be either Lieutenant or Lt. Commander. I'm betting it's Lt. Commander.

[Threadfin]

I'm betting it's Lt. Commander.

Seconded. I don't recall anyone with a lower rank being given command of a US fleet boat in the Pacific during WW2.

[ugl]

I don't care about the rank actually...

I care that the game are good...

[Elder-Pirate]

LOL, this thread has been highjacked:rotfl:, so I've got to get back to my question:

Does anybody know which will be our starting rank? Neal, you should know that (I hope ;))
Sorry about that. Neal will probably be the first to know; I sure don't. It will certainly be either Lieutenant or Lt. Commander. I'm betting it's Lt. Commander.



NAW, I'll bet it will be a "90 Day Wonder" :arrgh!: :rotfl: :gulp:

[hyperion2206]

I'm betting it's Lt. Commander.
Seconded. I don't recall anyone with a lower rank being given command of a US fleet boat in the Pacific during WW2.

I've read the German translation of Leonce Peillard's book "Histoire Generale de la Guerre Sousmarine 1939-1945" and there he states that the old S-class subs were commanded Kapitänleutnants which would mean by Lieutenants. LTCDR. were given command of bigger boats like the Gato class. Is he right?

[Zero Niner]

Here's what I got from Wiki:
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparative_military_ranks_of_World_War_II

2nd Lt (Army) is the same as:
Ensign (USN), Sub-Lt (RN), Leutnant z.s.

Lt: Sub-Lt (RN), Lt jg (USN), Oberleutnant z.s.

Capt: Lt (RN & USN), Kapitänleutnant

Maj: Lt-Cmdr (USN, RN), Korvettenkapitän

Lt-Col: Cmdr (USN, RN), Fregattenkapitän

Col: Capt (USN, RN), Kapitän zur See

:)