When do Captains sleep

[Achtung Englander]

Having read Das Boot and seen the TV show I really should know this but a simple question - at what time did a captain of a U Boat actually sleep

As a virtual captain you are up and fresh whenever you are needed - so in theory you are never asleep in the game but in reality what shift would a captain downtime ?

I presume he would sleep during the day and be more active at night because the bulk of sinking / hunting was done at night - the U Boats advantage.

[Dowly]

I´d say the kaleun slept when the time was right for it. When submerged for example, hydrophone would pick up any closing threats.

[Safe-Keeper]

You sleep during time compression.

Hey, you're better off than the people in TV series, who never get to go to the bathroom;).

[Dantenoc]

You sleep during time compression.

That's essentialy correct, the boat is pretty much run by the crew so the captain is needed only when interesting stuff is happening that require command decisions... It's pretty much like: "Navigation officer: make a course for our target area, and please wake me up only if something interesting comes up". Of course, to avoid boredom and to also set a good example for the crew, the captain will alternate shifts with his second in command. Something like that, perhaps a real naval officer or enlisted man can shed more light on the subject

In civilian scientific cruises I know that the researchers work in four hour shifts, with the 12:00 AM to 4:00 AM being the most dreaded one.

[Jimbuna]

I reckon Dowlys right...but I also reckon the kaleun would have to choose the time carefully to coencide when Bernhard was sleeping :lol:

[HunterICX]

:-? That if TC is my sleeping time...than Holy Sh!t I sleep too much then :rotfl:

[Finnbat]

Actually they never sleep.
Or when they sleep they do it the other eye open.

[Hartmann]

The captain in sh3 is a phantom, never sleep, and is floating arround the boat

he never appears in the crew status screen or in the bridge, he is invisible, but all can listen and receive orders :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[joea]

I actually wish we could have standing orders. If the kaleun was asleep or in the toilet, and a plane appeared, the crew would not wait to crash dive til he ordered it. Also they would know in shallow water to crash dive then order regular depth as deep as safely possible so as to not smack the seafloor. Hope this will be in SHIV.

[EAF274 Johan]

But when did the hydrophone/radio operator sleep? A more pertinent question to me it seems :cool: When submerged he has to listen to the hydrophones all the time, when surfaced he has to listen to the radio. In Das Boot at least it's always this same guy who has to do it.

[SteamWake]

But when did the hydrophone/radio operator sleep? A more pertinent question to me it seems :cool: When submerged he has to listen to the hydrophones all the time, when surfaced he has to listen to the radio. In Das Boot at least it's always this same guy who has to do it.

If you watch carefully in the film the poor guy is looking pretty ragged by the end of the tour. Pretty well done by the producer btw.

[HunterICX]

right imagine an Kaleun sleeping

Kaleun: ZzZzZZZzzzz
Bernard: Capitzein! We Have DDze incomming! What are you orders?
Kaleun: Mmmpprrff...well...you to shut the (bleep) up, and leave me 10 minuts:stare:
Bernard: Aye Aye kapitan

Bernard to crew:
Bernard: The Capitzein has zaid! that we have to shut the (bleep) up and leave him zleeping for 10 minutes.

[The Noob]

But when did the hydrophone/radio operator sleep? A more pertinent question to me it seems :cool: When submerged he has to listen to the hydrophones all the time, when surfaced he has to listen to the radio. In Das Boot at least it's always this same guy who has to do it.

In the Das Boot book they say they had 2 men to solve this issue. :know:

[SteamWake]

In the Das Boot book they say they had 2 men to solve this issue. :know:

Yes they even refer to hot bunking, however I think the director wanted to portray the soundmans dedication and survival insincts. Therefore he (soundman) stayed at his station for days and it showed.

[macstu23]

I'm all for full reality immersion in this instance. I'll switch camera view to the captains quarters then I'll go to my bed and leave the PC running in real-time... If I'm surfaced I have my boat set to go to periscope depth immediately should my watch crew spot anything.

It wouldn't be the first time I've been awoken by the watch officer calling 'ship spotted' and sat down to my PC still half asleep trying to focus one eye in periscope view on the destroyer that's bearing down on us.

Try it, it's fun, if maybe a little unhealthy. ;)

[GraylingSTS(SS)]

I'm not sure how they did it on the U-boats.

I was a sonar tech on a fast attack 637 class sub in the US Navy. Underway, the entire crew, officers and enlisted, were on a 18 hr watch rotation...6 hours on watch, 6 on call for maintenance or damage control, 6 hours to "rest", then repeat.

The captain was the only exception to this rule. He, for the most part, stayed on a 24 hour rotation. He was up and about during the "daylight" hours, and in his quarters in the evening. He never got to sleep longer than 4 hours straight though, because the "officer of the deck" (watch officer) was required to report to him every 4 hours (more frequently in certain scenarios).

The worst watch to have was the mid-watch, midnight to 6. You would get off at 6, run casualty drills all day (because the Captain was up and fresh!), and then come back on watch at 1800 with no sleep. :doh:

[John Pancoast]

But when did the hydrophone/radio operator sleep? A more pertinent question to me it seems :cool: When submerged he has to listen to the hydrophones all the time, when surfaced he has to listen to the radio. In Das Boot at least it's always this same guy who has to do it.

Not the best to base how anything is/was done in real life, from any movie :)

Haven't watched DB in a long time, but more likely, there wasn't any particular reason why the same actor was always in this post, other than he was the only actor hired for that character :)