[Sailor Steve]

You want a more realistic patrol? Do what I do: Go to your assigned grid and stay there, no matter what. Okay, if you get a report of a convoy in an adjacent grid, go for it. There are a lot of little tricks you can play, like not using the periscope at speeds higher than three knots. Also, don't reload torpedoes while you're under attack, since the boat tilting up and down can cause serious problems for the men dealing with more than a ton of torpedo. Those are just a couple of things that will guarantee fewer contacts and more realistic battles. I've had more than one totally dry patrol that way.