Quote:
Originally Posted by Sailor Steve
...<snip>... What constitutes "inadequately crewed"? Is it lack of qualification in petty officers, or lack of the POs themselves?
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Both (and not just among the PO's), but my point is that it more about the
quality of training they have had, their seagoing and combat experience and familiarity with their vessel and shipmates. I think we have a different interpretation of how qualifications are modelled and interpreted in the game - as opposed to RL. To emphasise my point, I describe my 'unqualified' and 'qualified' PO's and Officers as 'basic' or 'badged'.
The quality of training varies from one service to another according to the stresses placed on the system. Wartime training would, at first, be less complete than peacetime as large numbers of men had to be rushed through to fill the new boats and ships that were being built. Later on, that same training would be more comprehensive as it included new methods in the light of wartime experience. A pre-war long service PO in SH3 is exactly the same as a newly minted one given his badge after one trip to the 'end of the pier and back.'
Suddenly he's the finished article? I'm not criticising that approach, each to their own, but I think badges are too powerful to be handed out like candy.
That is why the British interrogators in the U-131 report placed such emphasis on the
lack of experience of the captured U-Boat men. This also inferred the
quality of training (by RN standards) was sub-standard (excuse pun). One has to read between the lines to get all the nuances as the British are fond of under-statement. The comment on the captured wireless operator being given charge of the radio on another boat on return - after just one patrol - illustrates this. I can visualise the officer writing that report shaking his head in disbelief as he does so.
SH3 (bless it) over-emphasises the effect of qualifications, awards and promotions to create some sort of uber-crew who never need to go to the bathroom or eat or sleep. I minimise this by promoting and qualifying my chaps gradually (and running the GWX fatigue model). My guys don't do 24/7 on duty, the engine room crew don't serve anywhere else and the smutje never stands watch. I also submerge at regular intervals so everyone can get some peace and quiet and something to eat (including me) before rejoining the war. I use SH Commander sparingly to fill the occasional gap and badges are not routinely awarded until the recipient has enough sea-time under his belt.
In my view, the basic PO's in the game
are qualified but haven't achieved perfection in their specific area yet. Training takes time and the trainee must demonstrate some sort of aptitude and ability for it to be worthwhile to continue. SH3 Commander gets around this by allowing 'instant qualified PO - just add badge!' Not for me. My crew have to earn their stripes. I consider them (and the officers) as partially trained 'specialists-in-waiting' with an aptitude for some technical area that hasn't been defined yet.
I also find the basic PO's to be very useful as they can crew any station at moderate efficiency while the badged PO's tend to be less than useful outside their speciality. Put the radioman on the bridge or a torpedoman in the control room and see how compartment efficiency drops. It would be better if the qualifications in the game were less decisive in their effect and there were more of them: torpedoman class 3, 2, and 1 for example, with each step leading to an incremental increase in efficiency. It's a bit odd that a Staboberbootsmann could be less qualified than a plain old Bootsmann. The oldest, and arguably the most important 'qualification' of all - discipline - isn't even modelled in the game! If it was the badge symbol could be a 'Cat o' nine tails'...
There is a profound difference between peacetime training of volunteer service personnel and wartime training of hastily inducted civilians. The U-Boat arm personnel had little significant experience prior to 1939 of course (except the handful of Spanish Civil War vets) and the massive expansion of the fleet from 1941-42 onwards created another strain which was exacerbated by rising casualties amongst the experienced crews needed to train the next generation. Training quality was reduced to maximise output which then led to higher casualties. It was a vicious circle.
Just to give a brief, personal, example, my father enlisted in the RN in April 1940. His skills were in mechanics and endurance swimming - so they made him an Ordinary Seaman, torpedo (3rd class in US Navy). He was told he was PO material but was too young and had to 'serve his time'. He had very little training in that speciality as the invasion scare blew up and he re-trained as a marksman (sniper) with the Chatham Naval Battalion to oppose Sea Lion. When he was posted to HMS Patia he didn't have any opportunity to familiarise himself with the torpedoes before she was sunk and later joined the Fleet Air Arm. He remembered the Patia's crew as being a collection of sweepings from Chatham barracks thrown together at the last minute with very few experienced or proficient seaman, PO's or officers amongst them. Their captain was a relic from the Great War. Apart from my father, there was one other rating with torpedo training aboard but no Petty Officer of that branch to oversee them. The ship was on its way to the Forth to complete manning and equipping but was not adequately crewed on leaving South Shields and was sunk accordingly.
And yes, we were talking at cross-purposes but never mind. Sorted now.
Thanks for the info on adjusting experience, I'll look into that as I prefer that indicator over the others.
KH