Waiting for orders.

[Telemon]

I've started a new career and was posted to Pearl.

My first patrol assignment was to patrol to the West of the Marshall Islands. I set off, early Dec, and started to patrol. Nothing was sighted and when eventually my fuel got critical I sent a status report and sailed for to Wake to replenish. That was at the end of Jan '42. I returned again to my patrol area West of the Marshalls but have yet to sight a single ship, I ventured as far as Truk. its now early March and my fuel is low again. I've sent off another status report.

I would have expected to have received new orders about whether I should return to Wake or to Pearl.

Can I expect to receive new orders or is the game just going to leave me in Limbo?

[breadcatcher101]

I hope you mean Midway instead of Wake. I think you have to remain in your partol area, about a 50 mile radius for 48 hours. The icon should then turn grey then you can go anywhere you want if in contacting base they don't give you new orders. If you stray out of the 100 mile circle during the 48 hour period the clock will reset and you have to start your time over. I use my compass and create a circle around the icon so I don't stray too far.

[AVGWarhawk]

Playing stock game?

[Orion2012]

I've started a new career and was posted to Pearl.

My first patrol assignment was to patrol to the West of the Marshall Islands. I set off, early Dec, and started to patrol. Nothing was sighted and when eventually my fuel got critical I sent a status report and sailed for to Wake to replenish. That was at the end of Jan '42. I returned again to my patrol area West of the Marshalls but have yet to sight a single ship, I ventured as far as Truk. its now early March and my fuel is low again. I've sent off another status report.

I would have expected to have received new orders about whether I should return to Wake or to Pearl.

Can I expect to receive new orders or is the game just going to leave me in Limbo?

Once you complete a patrol area you should send a patrol report for a new assignment. If the icon is a flag and not binoculars you may have to sink a certain tonnage before being assigned a new patrol.

Traffic isn't rampant around the marshalls. If you simply want to return to port and start a new patrol you would not be the first to return empty handed, in game or IRL.

[Hoss1193]

As the others have said...for a Patrol, you've got to stay within a certain distance of the icon for 48 hours. If you go outside that distance, will restart the clock.

I've read here that the distance is 100nm radius. But that hasn't worked for me, I think it's actually 100km.

I draw a 50nm radius circle around the icon and don't leave; has worked every time since I started doing that. And obtw, you don't have to cruise around inside the circle burning up gas. Just sit still - will make your Chief Engineer and Oil King very happy regarding fuel consumption.

And if you're sitting near the circle, you've still got a nice chunk of that circle covered by SS radar, so you're not giving up that much in surveillance coverage by not moving.

Final note...you'll get a pop-up icon in the upper right of your screen stating that you've completed the objective; that's when you'll know to radio in for new mission.

[SteamWake]

How to complete a mission.. by Beery. Worth a read by any 'new' skipper.

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=111509

By the way sounds like your burning a lot of fuel, keep the speed down to 9 knots or so for best 'milage'.

[Telemon]

Thanks for all the replies. The advice has been taken on board.