They had brave crews, because by 1944 their fuel tanks were badly corroded, and their engines were prone to catch fire. Not to mention they were very cramped and extremely hot on the inside. Essentially, they were a stop-gap measure (like the German Type IIs) until sufficient fleet boats could be put into service. Certainly the real-world crews of the S-boats didn't have the romantic opinion of them that some players have of them.
