[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Rangoon

Does this mean to Launch SH3, award medals, back out to main menu, quit, then go to SH3 Commander again, then award in Crew Manager and launch SH3 again?

No. Ignore the game, and do everything through Commander, just before you start your next patrol.

So if I award the 2nd and 3rd qualifications to a CWO in SH3 it will have an impact but not if I award through Crew Manager in SH3 Commander? Or will 2nd and 3rd qualifications be inert regardless of where they are awarded?

I'm not sure, but I think it's the second one; i.e. there is no effect no matter how it's awarded. When you start a new career there is a PO with the Watch qual, and one with Helmsman and Watch. That second guy seems to have very little effect when he's on the bridge, so I don't think the second qual does anything even in the stock game.

I understand that I can't effectively award a qualification to a seaman, but can promote him. If I promote a seaman to a petty officer in Crew Manager, then award a qualification to that newly promoted petty officer (who moments ago was a seaman), will his qualification be reflected in SH3?

That one I'm not sure about at all. JScones will have to answer that.

And if so (if the above works), do I need to promote, then load SH3, then exit and go back to SH3 Commander, then award the qulification so that SH3 first recognized the new rank? Or can I do both in one SH3 Commander Crew Management session?

Again, once you're using SH3 Commander you can ignore the stock game. Don't do any crew management from in-game - Commander will do it all for you.

Further, I think in stock SH3 (and GWX), I can award one qualification per patrol, make promotions and give medals per the grace of the game itself. So is it best to do this in the game (as I described earlier) and then back out to SH3 Commander in order to do any other Crew Management I deem appropriate?

Same thing. Once you're using Commander the in-game function becomes redundant.