Real Submarine Technology & History Q&A

[DaveyJ576]

Originally Posted by LukeFF

Is the watch system simulated in SH4 (4 hours on, 8 hours off), similar to what was practiced during WWII, and if not, how was it different?

Luke,

You are correct. All hands (except the captain) were divided into three watch sections and this continuously rotated 4 on, 8 off the whole time you were at sea. Unfortunately, you rarely got a whole 8 hours in the rack. You were lucky to get 2 or 3 uninterupted hours of sleep at a time.

Post-war the Submarine Service changed things up a bit and the watch rotation changed to 6 on and 12 off. Even still, sleep was at a premium and you got it in when you could.