This thread about stuck dials reminds me about a really old SH3 bug, related to the presence of improperly cloned AI subs on the map. In brief, savging the game and reloading in the proximity of such an AI sub results in dials stuck at 12 o'clock. Details here:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...ht=stuck+dials
I don't know if this is the cause now, but maybe it's something similar.