Not pointless at all.
It may have been Bucheim's first time on a submarine, but not his first time at see. From what I've read he served first in destroyers, and not as a correspondent, but an actual officer. His letters home so enthused the official censors that he was recommended for a writer's job, then transferred to a minesweeper and finally a u-boat.
In the book he portrays himself less the idealistic novice of the movie than as an experienced officer, standing watch for other crewmembers, and during his first depth charging comparing it to attacking a British submarine while on a destroyer. "Now I know what it feels like from their side".
Something I noticed in my latest watching of Das Boot: while we see him assisting the captain on the bridge, we never actually see the 1WO leading his watch. Going on watch, yes, but not actually on the bridge. Maybe 'Werner' only wanted to be up there when the 2WO was in charge. After all, in the book he says they had a saying: "Only when the second officer was on the bridge did the Old Man sleep easily".
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