Refits
 

Whats the benifit of refueling/refiting when you can just dock while your there ?

Refit = Diesel fuel and torpedo load without ending patrol without having any time pass.

Cons: Does not reset loading times (grows by about 5 minutes per month of patrol). Does not recalculate shipping layers (a 999 day patrol would get very boring as all the ships spawned at the patrol start would end there runs and the seas would be empty). Does not repair hull or other parts of the ship. Upgrades, promotions, and promotions not available.

Pros: Mission objectives remain, allowing you to go back and complete the same on the same patrol. Tonnage number for that patrol is not reset, allowing large single-patrol tonnages. Allows patrols up to realistic lengths of time (~60 days).

Refit and End Patrol are very different options and there is a good time to use either, even at the same port. I contest the idea strongly that "Bah, you have A, why would you need B?"

ahhh ok makes since, I've been doing alot of refiting/refueling and have noticed less targets...I will dock more often now, thnx

If you just keep the patrols to about 60 days length you'll be both historical and functional in terms of how the game works. That usually means 1 Refit for a normal patrol, 2 Refits for a target-rich patrol next to a tender, and 0 Refits for a 101% realism game where you just bob like a duck for a 1/6th of a year.

lol i only use one refit on a patrol.

The 60 day patrols were normal assuming the boat didn't run out of fish. In that case they simply went home the majority of the time. I doubt ANY boats did double barreled patrols by rearming at Midway, for example.

How often did subs rearm at Midway anyway, wasn't it mostly just a refuel point on the route between Pearl and Imperial waters?

Rearm? Meaning put in, get gas and fish and head right back out? I'm guessing never.

I think they'd top off (and get parts for any failures that cropped up after a real refit at PH), then head out on patrol, and they'd stop at Midway if they needed on RTB. Some boats were based out of Midway for some patrols, though. Meaning they'd put in at Midway, stay there for a few weeks, then leave again on a NEW patrol.

The double barreled patrols I've read about were all later in the war with advance bases MUCH closer to the front than Midway.

Very true. I would only do this if one was paranoid about the early retirement thing, which I've come to see as a non threat (never imposed and it's just an excuse to make a new game at near the same time period in a shiny new boat and a fresh crew).

Double barreling for me is always (99%) done at a tender.

If I understood RadiationBob's question, are you asking why just "refit" when you click the anchor icon rather than pulling in and docking at the refit point?

If you are just gassing up and want to continue the patrol without all the hassle of pulling into the docks, then it's like the port sent a tender out to you permitting you to keep on going while several miles out saving time and effort. I frequently bypass docking on my Midway refits, but will pull in when I want to experience more drama in my gaming.
-Pv-

thats how i do it every now and then.