Officers -> Radioman

[K-61]

I don't bother having an officer with machinist skills, as I can fully operate the engines by having just one machinst PO and the rest seamen. Helmsman seems a completely useless qualification; who knows if it originally had a purpose but didn't make it into the final release version of the game? I also don't notice much difference from having the gunnery qualification, since I only use the gun to finish off cripples and even then I move in close enough that even a blind crewman could hit the target. The qualifications that I find useful are repair, torpedo and watch. I have two officers qualified with watch, as well as one PO for each watch; seamen fill the remaining slots. I also assign four PO's the radio qualification, simply because that has the most effect on the green bar above their compartment. I use "no fatigue" only on the first patrol, simply because I find that easiest for crew management. After the first patrol I use GWX 8 hour fatigue and assign all of my seamen qualifications for the compartments where I work them. I know seaman qualifications do not take in the game, but I use them as handy markers to make crew swapouts easy. I have two seamen for each vital slot: engines, watch and planesmen, the rest are assigned as torpedomen to help out the torpedo qualified PO's.

[Tessa]

Originally Posted by K-61

I don't bother having an officer with machinist skills, as I can fully operate the engines by having just one machinst PO and the rest seamen. Helmsman seems a completely useless qualification; who knows if it originally had a purpose but didn't make it into the final release version of the game? I also don't notice much difference from having the gunnery qualification, since I only use the gun to finish off cripples and even then I move in close enough that even a blind crewman could hit the target. The qualifications that I find useful are repair, torpedo and watch. I have two officers qualified with watch, as well as one PO for each watch; seamen fill the remaining slots. I also assign four PO's the radio qualification, simply because that has the most effect on the green bar above their compartment. I use "no fatigue" only on the first patrol, simply because I find that easiest for crew management. After the first patrol I use GWX 8 hour fatigue and assign all of my seamen qualifications for the compartments where I work them. I know seaman qualifications do not take in the game, but I use them as handy markers to make crew swapouts easy. I have two seamen for each vital slot: engines, watch and planesmen, the rest are assigned as torpedomen to help out the torpedo qualified PO's.

Early in the war I use the deckgun whenever possible. Rather expend shells than torpedos to sink the small fry (and sometimes even the medium sized ships). What the qualification does do is help with the reload times. If the officer has the qualification or a PO manning the deck gun it will increase the efficiency bar, eventually when it maxes out the reload times can become very fast.

Originally Posted by Tessa

Early in the war I use the deckgun whenever possible. Rather expend shells than torpedos to sink the small fry (and sometimes even the medium sized ships). What the qualification does do is help with the reload times. If the officer has the qualification or a PO manning the deck gun it will increase the efficiency bar, eventually when it maxes out the reload times can become very fast.

Agreed. The deckgun is excellent for small-medium targets until they're defended with guns. Heck, even then all you have to do is calculate the range, and fire from 3-4k out until you take out their deck gun. (Assuming just one on the back.) The faster reload time is worth it, as it only takes one petty officer to improve it greatly, and he can do labour the rest of the time.

[K-61]

I should clarify my post. I actually do use the deck gun on small fry, but try to play more historically by using it on bigger targets after I have hit them with at least one torpedo. However, I did encounter two unescorted merchantmen during my trip back to Willy after having expended all of my torpedoes. I still had about 65 deck gun rounds [88 mm] and proceeded to fire at the water line of the smaller target first, then the larger target, my rationale being that if I attacked the big target first, I may run out of ammo and both would get away. In any event, both sank. It was too good an opportunity to pass by, even though I would have preferred to have made a torpedo attack first. You have to make the most of any opportunities you encounter.

On small stuff I go for the deck gun; sometimes I employ only the flak gun if the target is small enough. If the target is armed, I do not risk it. One lucky hit can leave me unable to dive and no target is valuable enough for me to risk that!

[K-61]

Originally Posted by Tessa

Early in the war I use the deckgun whenever possible. Rather expend shells than torpedos to sink the small fry (and sometimes even the medium sized ships). What the qualification does do is help with the reload times. If the officer has the qualification or a PO manning the deck gun it will increase the efficiency bar, eventually when it maxes out the reload times can become very fast.

I use SH3 Commander to set reload times for my 88 to 20 seconds and 30 seconds for my 105. I am aware that gunners could achieve higher rates of fire but I wish to model average sustained rates of fire. Once the small stock of shells near the gun were expended, the crew had to daisy chain shells from internal stores to the deck, thus lowering the average rate of fire over time.

By maxing out the green efficiency bar, will you be able to lower rates of fire below what is set by SH3 Cmdr?

[Tessa]

Originally Posted by K-61

I use SH3 Commander to set reload times for my 88 to 20 seconds and 30 seconds for my 105. I am aware that gunners could achieve higher rates of fire but I wish to model average sustained rates of fire. Once the small stock of shells near the gun were expended, the crew had to daisy chain shells from internal stores to the deck, thus lowering the average rate of fire over time.

By maxing out the green efficiency bar, will you be able to lower rates of fire below what is set by SH3 Cmdr?

SHC specifies the max reload time for a team that's fully experienced (i.e. their efficiency bar is maxed) by either a PO or an officer with the gunnery skill. Put 3 fresh red shirt draftees straight out of boot on the gun and it'll take a lot longer than 20 seconds to load. Conversely 3 PO's with gunnery (or an officer and a PO with it) won't be able to load it faster than 20 seconds (or whatever you specify, think 4 seconds is the default) no matter what skills/experience they have.

Due to the inherent hazards of using the deck gun in the first place those crewmen that manage to survive or even begin to excell in using it are generally the ones I promote the quickest. To get out on that deck completely vulnerable to any enemy fire (heck, even harsh language can probably cause enough damage for the medic to have to come save em) takes real guts, or the dedication to the fatherland to be the sacrificial lamb of distraction while you do enough repairs that you can safely dive. Sadly only the deck and flak gun are stations where you can really watch and measure a crewman's skill (since you can't go into the torpedo room and see which crewmen aren't holding their own and which are busting their ass to get the tubes reloaded asap) when it comes times to make evaluations for who actually deserves promotion over the random choice method.