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DaveyJ576 · 01-31-09, 10:29 AM

Silent Hunter IV is pretty accurate historically. For a game developed in Europe, I have been impressed with all the things they got right, especially in some of the minor details. But one thing they really goofed on is Midway Island.

Every time I have run a SHIV patrol out of Midway or stopped off for fuel, there have been dozens of warships present, including carriers and battleships. Sometimes the number of ships present exceeds that of Pearl Harbor! NEVER, at any time during the war, was Midway a major fleet anchorage or base. It is only 2.4 square miles in size and has no source of fresh water. None of the three islands of the atoll are large enough to support a major fuel facility or repair yard. Only a major construction project enabled the basing of submarines there, and even then the repair "facilities" only consisted of submarine tenders, floating drydocks, and a few tugs. Having 3 or 4 subs in port for refit along with the tender crews almost overwhelmed the atoll's meager facilities.

Despite these limitations, Midway proved to be a valuable advance base for our submarines. It was 1,300 miles closer to the patrol areas off Japan and thus saved our boats valuable transit time and fuel, allowing longer patrols in Empire areas.

01-31-09, 10:29 AM	#17
DaveyJ576 Officer Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Norfolk, VA Posts: 241 Downloads: 20 Uploads: 0	Midway Silent Hunter IV is pretty accurate historically. For a game developed in Europe, I have been impressed with all the things they got right, especially in some of the minor details. But one thing they really goofed on is Midway Island. Every time I have run a SHIV patrol out of Midway or stopped off for fuel, there have been dozens of warships present, including carriers and battleships. Sometimes the number of ships present exceeds that of Pearl Harbor! NEVER, at any time during the war, was Midway a major fleet anchorage or base. It is only 2.4 square miles in size and has no source of fresh water. None of the three islands of the atoll are large enough to support a major fuel facility or repair yard. Only a major construction project enabled the basing of submarines there, and even then the repair "facilities" only consisted of submarine tenders, floating drydocks, and a few tugs. Having 3 or 4 subs in port for refit along with the tender crews almost overwhelmed the atoll's meager facilities. Despite these limitations, Midway proved to be a valuable advance base for our submarines. It was 1,300 miles closer to the patrol areas off Japan and thus saved our boats valuable transit time and fuel, allowing longer patrols in Empire areas.