New objectives?
 

I'm only just in about a few months in my pacific campaign, yet I've got a mission to recon Hiroshima harbor, which I consider suicide. I went on a huge spree sinking merchant ships, (and using my 20mm on some sampans but don't tell command), and ended the patrol. I hoped that I would get a new objective, but I was wrong. Is there any way to get a new objective?

My experience after declining the Hiroshima suicide photo mission is that I just don't get the reknown for completing it (worth the points "sacrificed" if my boat isn't lying on the bottom of Hiroshima Bay :shifty: )... Subsequent mission assignment has not been affected (stock V1.5 CD version)

BUT... IIRC, the declined photo missions came up during the mission and were not the first assignment out of the box.
Perhaps the experten on the forum can shed more light on the issue.

Some supermods might change this, but the stock game campaign gives all the awards based on "renown". Completing a mission usually gives 300 renown points. Sinking a single ship gives 250 to 1000 renown points, so I generally ignore mission objectives and just sink enemy ships - which is what the submarine was actually designed for in the first place. Realistically COMSUBPAC couldn't object to failing to complete the assigned mission if the results contributed substantually to winning the war. The game reflects that since there's no penalty for ignoring the objectives for every patrol - high tonnage with mission incomplete gets the points, completing the mission with low tonnage will get you canned.

That said, when I go back to base and end patrol, the new patrol starts with a new objective, haven't seen any yet where they give you the same objective for the next patrol.

Are you using version 1.3 from Steam by any chance? What you've described happens there all too often.

welcome aboard!
 

For what it's worth, I've found that sneaking into an enemy harbor to be the best of the available missions in terms of offering a respite from the doldrums of wandering around looking for something to sink. It provides a chance to get some tense excitement out of the game. At first I was intimidated by the very thought of such a mission, but now look forward to them.
First, make sure your sub is equipped with radar. Get as close as you can to the harbor entrance without being detected and save the game, preferably when it's dark enough to erase all evidence of daylight. Then start heading into the harbor; your radar will let you know who's where in order for you to avoid detection.
When surfaced, your lookouts will inform you of any detected shore bunkers. (I believe they're also detected at periscope depth with the periscope). The consensus on the forums places their range at about 6 nautical miles, so keep out of their range, unless your at periscope depth.
I know it looks like you can't go to periscope depth in such shallow water, but in fact you almost certainly can without scrapping bottom.
You may have a long way to go if you need to be submerged, so keep it at ahead one-third to insure you've got enough juice to get you to the objective & out of there without your batteries going dead. Don't worry, I know it's slow-going, but you've got all night.
If you'd like to continue using diesel & have access to your radar, go for decks awash instead of periscope depth, which are:
Gato: 28', Balao: 28', Gar: 32', Porpoise: 28', Salmon: 31', Narwhal: 30', Tambor: 32', Sargo: 30', S-42: 26', S-18: 26'.
If periscope depth is the only way to go, don't forget to rig for silent running before getting within detection range of any warship.
People here may have other insights or suggestions.
What the hell, give it a try; you've always got that save you made earlier...

To add to that, automate as much as you can. I like to go to radar depth (12m in the Balao) beyond likely detection range, mark the locations of the targets I wish to harvest, open the tubes, set my torpedo depths, choose 1 or 2 firing positions that maximize the number of targets I can hit in a single salvo, then plot my attack and escape courses. Before entering those courses, though, be absolutely certain to already be at your chosen speed; otherwise, some joyriding ensign will order all ahead standard and awaken any listening hostiles.

Thanks! The op turned out pretty well, I wasn't detected, that is until I unknowingly attacked a Task force because I wasn't paying attention to received messages, and had to run like hell because a Kongo, 2 Takao classes, and some escorts fired on me. Didn't get hit though, pure luck. I got hounded by planes, but they seem to be almost useless, its easy to shoot them down. Is this usually the case?

Gave this tactic a try on the Manila carrier photo mission... By judicious use of radar and periscope depths and working around the detection circles of the four DDs in the harbor and escaping past them on exit it worked a treat...

:Kaleun_Salute:

I'm still trying to find my old link, with no success so far.

The bottom line is that there were only fourteen photo recon missions in the entire war, and every single one was against Pacific islands scouting enemy ship numbers prior to invasions. Not one U.S. sub was ever assigned to photograph a Japanese harbor, let alone a major naval base.

Sailor Steve is correct. I also cannot find my link from where I found the list - hard drive crash took me out. But this is one thing that we've been researching for FotRSU, and one boat took pictures of Wake Island just after it fell. However, the camera was not "authorized" to be on the submarine, and was not part of the mission. The "techniques" were copied for later use though. Of the thirteen other missions, they were all panoramic type sets of beaches and defenses of same, for the potential landings areas. Each of those missions would have "sets" of islands to do, and would generally take a submarine a week to 10 days to complete. One of those (USS Burrfish) involved an actual landing of a recon party on a couple of beaches, of which 3 of 5 men were lost and captured by the Japanese, and the island consequently was not invaded. No other recon landings were done. One mission was not completed, due to the boat being lost to unknown causes (Sargo Class, SS-193 USS Swordfish at Okinawa). The planners would take the aerial fotos and the sub photos of an island, and be able to get reasonably accurate contours models of the intended landing areas, sometimes with the gun emplacements. The only time pictures were taken of ships was if they were in the process of sinking - in the open ocean - for "proof of deed"... Generally speaking, if they saw a ship, the main idea was to sink it, or at least try to... As a little side-note, some of the photo recons involved use of a moving picture camera. No mention that I've found of what size was used. Watch the FotRSU thread. When RR goes to do the full release, we plan on having a write-up of that research we found... :salute: