[Kip Chiakopf]

I thought that sailor couldn't get ratings.

Originally Posted by Leoz

This is kind of like managing your own doll house.

With SH3 Commander, on the VII boats....this is what I like...

Officers.

1st Watch Officer - Helm and Watchman skills.
2nd Watch Officer- same.
L.I. - Repair, Mech, Helm --usually get this guy to the most senior rank in the times I like to play (39-42) to represent this guy is probably pre-war career navy and was even there when this boat was launched.
Nav (should be an enlisted guy).... Helm and Watchman

Enlisted:

--stabsoberbootsman - Repair. This is the top enlisted guy on my boat which also handles all the enlisted matters the game doesn't take into account. So I think of him like the Chief Bosun or "Number 1". Probably old Navy and is in more of a bureaucrat billet to make sure the other bootsman and sailors do what they are told. Generously give him a Repair skill. Somtimes Gunnery skill to represent he knows his way around a ships/subs deck and not just gunnery.

--stabsoberbootsman - Watchman- Unfortunately the game doesn't take into account the Navigator is a top enlisted guy. SH3 commander gives this person two qualifications but I take the helm one away. All my bootsman in SH3 commander only get one skill.

---stabsoberbootsman - Mech - Top diesel guy that reports to the L.I.
---stabsoberbootsman - Mech - Runs the other shift for the diesels.

--stabbootsman -- Mech The game doesn't work like real life but I think of this guy like the E-machine boss, Even though for game purposes he does diesel too
--bootsman - Mech ,

So for the motors, usually 2 bootsman and 3 sailors with mech ratings while the same number is at rest.

--Torpedo room-- stabbootsman and one bootsman; 5 torpedo sailors... The torpedo sailors are the ones that do a lot of the grunt work of upkeep of the torpedoes that they are able to do under supervision from the torpedo bootsmen.

--Helm ( 2x bootsman) No control room assistants in the game. 1 guy sleeps while the other guy is standing to the right of the planesmen seats. Note also, No bench in this game for the telegraph for the engine room and course change....Game doesn't address that whomever is up on watch when surfaced sits down as a planesman when the order is given to submerge.
--Funk shop: 2 bootsman, 1 with the Radio rating, 1 with Med ( 1 think of this as one radio and one sound, the radio bootsman has a Med rating ) one sailor with this rating like an assistant. Much of the time when running on the surface, I have only the radio room occupied.

---1 bootsman with no skill. He probably has one, but everyone thinks he is useless because he does just enough to get by and stay out of trouble, but really doesn't to much. I kind of like to think of this guy as the assistant to the chief bosun. Probably make a great "Number 1" in late war boats that really is a pain in the neck. Sometimes give him a gunnery skill or flak skill. Since I NEVER engage aircraft with flak, this points out what I think of this guy's usefulness if I give him a rating.

Sailors, I keep a few unrated just to represent that they may have been rated in something but just aren't stellar.

Other sailors are usually with a helm or watchman rating because that is basic school stuff anyway.

Like the unrated sailors they also help heft torpedoes when the torpedo room bootsman needs them.

Finally on sailors, I have some that are really outstanding 3-stripe types to represent those that really know what they are doing and will become a bootsman someday....