Are you loading the Single Missions, or playing in Career mode?
If you are in a single mission, the only thing you do is complete the assignment (or not) and then return to base. You haven't created a particular commander "profile" whose career you can play out over a series of patrols in order to get awards and stuff.
In Career mode, you start a career in one of the available flotillas, are given a particular boat and crew, and depart from the flotilla's base with orders to patrol a particular area of the map. When you hit Esc during a career patrol you are given the option to Continue or Dock. Choosing the latter should dock you back in base and end the patrol, after which you will be able to review your patrol logs and manage your crew and see what awards you received if any.
When you play a single mission you are not running a career that will extend over several patrols and get you renown and awards. When you "return to base" from a single mission, it just tells the game you're done playing that mission for now. It's not the same as ending a career patrol, at which time you'd receive whatever renown or awards you had coming and then be set up to start your next patrol.
|