welcome. the learning curve can be daunting.
you could use the autocrew for now yes, but eventually youre going to want to do at least some of it yourself, because its so much more satisfying that way when you are sucessful, IMO.
run quick missions. its a good way to get a feel for the sonar because you arent overwhelmed by contacts. usually a few neutrals and one hostile. watch the tutorial vids (over and over) and always have the user manual ready incase you need to look something up.
from what i gather, the seawolf is the best sub to use for beginners. it can reman quiet at relatively high speeds, and the sonar is much more reliable at those speeds compared to the russian or chinese equivalent.
another good thing about QMs is you can adjust the difficulty according to your skill level, and therefore practice using all the different stations/platforms w/o having to worry too much about getting blown out of the water, on easy and medium anyway.
be sure to use the USNI reference book in the esc menu for info on platforms, sensors, and weapons.
keep practicing. dont be afraid to make mistakes because it is just a game, and thats the primary way to learn. heres some more wisdoms that you may also benefit from...
http://www.commanders-academy.com/fo...rs-efficiently
and
http://www.commanders-academy.com/fo...-Now-Available
^ this is real good because it will guide you from a beginner's perspective, while at the same time instructing you on the whys and how comes of ASW, all in a step by step process when combined w/ the attached readme file.
p.s. all downloaded/extracted missions go in the "scenario" folder in your D.W. directory. its that easy.
good luck!