Helmens missing?

johnlax · 09-12-11, 08:45 PM

Guys I play GWG and love it questions: Every so often I get a message saying "no Helmens' at station. What am I doing wrong? Also whay does the watch office disapear? How do I get them both back in Place?

Thanks

Sailor Steve · 09-12-11, 10:08 PM

What they call "Helmsman" is actually the Chief Engineer, the guy who stands at the front of the control room. He relays the orders for turning and diving, so you have to have someone in that position. In the Crew Management (F7) screen he is the officer on the left of the three. The middle one is the Navigator, and you need him to set a new course with the waypoints. The guy on the Right is the Weapons Officer and you need him to target ships.

It's a flaw in the game that the Watch officer never returns to the Bridge when you resurface after diving. You have to move him there yourself. H.sie's new mod fixes this, if you can use it.

Fish In The Water · 09-12-11, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnlax

Guys I play GWG and love it questions: Every so often I get a message saying "no Helmens' at station. What am I doing wrong? Also whay does the watch office disapear? How do I get them both back in Place?

Thanks

The Watch Officer 'disappears' every time you submerge. He's actually 'hiding' in crew quarters so you have to push F7, (to access the crew management screen), and manually drag him back to his station.

Same for 'no helms', it basically means you don't have an officer assigned to the station. To get one there, push F7, and drag an officer to the first (leftmost) of the three command room slots.

Edit: Didn't mean to post basically the same answer twice, it's just that Steve beat me by a hair...

Dogfish40 · 09-13-11, 09:27 AM

I'm going to butt in here for a sec as I have a question for some of you Kaleuns that have more U-Boat knowledge;
Where exactlyis the helm?? I mean the actual Wheel?! I know the Helmsman relays the steering orders but to whom and where!? IN the U.S boats (SH4) there are two stations available for steering, one, in the conning tower, is the main helm and the second in the control room is designated the emergency helm. I was roaming around the control room and the conning tower and have yet to find a Helm.
Thanks and Goot Hunting.
D40

postalbyke · 09-13-11, 09:52 AM

The control helm on a U-boat is right where the "chief" is standing. It should look like a box with two buttons on top, the box saying "BBC."
There should be another "BBC" box in the "bridge", right next to the Watch Officer.

edit: per dictionary.com:
helm:
noun
1. Nautical .
a. a wheel or tiller by which a ship is steered.
b. the entire steering apparatus of a ship.
c. the angle with the fore-and-aft line made by a rudder when turned: "15-degree helm".
2. the place or post of control: A stern taskmaster was at the helm of the company.

In short, it is both the "wheel" or apparatus, as well as the station that controls the heading of the ship. In the US Navy, "Helm, make your course three-five-zero." "Make my course three-five-zero, aye." (then the helm turns the rudder to accomplish the ordered course)

Dogfish40 · 09-13-11, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by postalbyke

The control helm on a U-boat is right where the "chief" is standing. It should look like a box with two buttons on top, the box saying "BBC."
There should be another "BBC" box in the "bridge", right next to the Watch Officer.

edit: per dictionary.com:
helm:
noun
1. Nautical .
a. a wheel or tiller by which a ship is steered.
b. the entire steering apparatus of a ship.
c. the angle with the fore-and-aft line made by a rudder when turned: "15-degree helm".
2. the place or post of control: A stern taskmaster was at the helm of the company.

In short, it is both the "wheel" or apparatus, as well as the station that controls the heading of the ship. In the US Navy, "Helm, make your course three-five-zero." "Make my course three-five-zero, aye." (then the helm turns the rudder to accomplish the ordered course)

Yes, thanks for the info. I didn't know that the boat had no wheelhouse type steering. I will have to study the workings of the U-Boats a bit more. Not that I thought that the box labeled "BBC" was British cable TV but I had no idea that it was the steering apparatus. Did this box merely communicate the steering orders like the Telegraph for the boats engine speed, or did it control the rudders directly? All in all, thanks for the reply, very enlightening.

I love when I learn something totally new (for me anyway) about the Boats.
D40

Sailor Steve · 09-13-11, 12:59 PM

The steering levers in the control room, conning tower and bridge positions are electrical connectors that directly control the steering motor, which is in the e-machine/aft torpedo room. There is also a hand wheel in that room which can be used in emergencies.
http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-570ONIReport.htm
B-VI, page 25.

09-13-11, 03:32 PM

There was a time when helm and rudder orders had opposite effects.

Just a piece of useless naval trivia but into the 1920's, in the Royal Navy a port (left) helm order resulted in the ship turning to starboard (right). The reason was in a sailing ship, the rudder is moved by the tiller (in larger ships attached by assorted tackles and pulleys to the wheel) and rotates around the rudder post. Therefore moving the tiller to the right causes the ship to steer to the left.

The RN lived with this anachronism well into the machine age and long after virtually all other navies adapted common sense "Starboard helm means Right Turn" orders.

Sailor Steve · 09-13-11, 07:41 PM

Very true. They actually got that right in Titanic. Shocked me because I didn't know it at the time and thought they had it backward. Silly me.

09-14-11, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Very true. They actually got that right in Titanic. Shocked me because I didn't know it at the time and thought they had it backward. Silly me.

I believe that the British merchant marine changed even before the RN.

Remember reading an article by the Technical Advisor for Titanic in the USNI Proceedings magazine some years ago. As I recall there was issues with the director about this very subject although eventually they chose to use the historically correct orders. The funniest thing was with the coal in the stoke holds. Originally they used black painted rocks but the Advisor prevailed upon them to get a quantity of real coal which was that much lighter and easier for the extras to shovel into the simulated furnaces. Apparently somebody thought that the real coal didn't look realistic enough so they went back to black-painted rocks for the final takes.

I sometime think about that story when reading about Hollywood "realism".

09-12-11, 08:45 PM	#1
johnlax Navy Dude Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 172 Downloads: 21 Uploads: 0	Helmens missing? Guys I play GWG and love it questions: Every so often I get a message saying "no Helmens' at station. What am I doing wrong? Also whay does the watch office disapear? How do I get them both back in Place? Thanks

09-12-11, 10:08 PM	#2
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	What they call "Helmsman" is actually the Chief Engineer, the guy who stands at the front of the control room. He relays the orders for turning and diving, so you have to have someone in that position. In the Crew Management (F7) screen he is the officer on the left of the three. The middle one is the Navigator, and you need him to set a new course with the waypoints. The guy on the Right is the Weapons Officer and you need him to target ships. It's a flaw in the game that the Watch officer never returns to the Bridge when you resurface after diving. You have to move him there yourself. H.sie's new mod fixes this, if you can use it. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

09-13-11, 09:27 AM	#4
Dogfish40 Ace of the Deep Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: LA Area, Central coast, California Posts: 1,023 Downloads: 827 Uploads: 0	I'm going to butt in here for a sec as I have a question for some of you Kaleuns that have more U-Boat knowledge; Where exactlyis the helm?? I mean the actual Wheel?! I know the Helmsman relays the steering orders but to whom and where!? IN the U.S boats (SH4) there are two stations available for steering, one, in the conning tower, is the main helm and the second in the control room is designated the emergency helm. I was roaming around the control room and the conning tower and have yet to find a Helm. Thanks and Goot Hunting. D40 __________________ *Dogfish40*

09-13-11, 09:52 AM	#5
postalbyke Chief Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: In the past... Posts: 321 Downloads: 89 Uploads: 1	The control helm on a U-boat is right where the "chief" is standing. It should look like a box with two buttons on top, the box saying "BBC." There should be another "BBC" box in the "bridge", right next to the Watch Officer. edit: per dictionary.com: helm: noun 1. Nautical . a. a wheel or tiller by which a ship is steered. b. the entire steering apparatus of a ship. c. the angle with the fore-and-aft line made by a rudder when turned: "15-degree helm". 2. the place or post of control: A stern taskmaster was at the helm of the company. In short, it is both the "wheel" or apparatus, as well as the station that controls the heading of the ship. In the US Navy, "Helm, make your course three-five-zero." "Make my course three-five-zero, aye." (then the helm turns the rudder to accomplish the ordered course) __________________ God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh. -Voltaire

09-13-11, 12:59 PM	#7
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	The steering levers in the control room, conning tower and bridge positions are electrical connectors that directly control the steering motor, which is in the e-machine/aft torpedo room. There is also a hand wheel in that room which can be used in emergencies. http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-570ONIReport.htm B-VI, page 25. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

09-13-11, 03:32 PM	#8
Randomizer Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	There was a time when helm and rudder orders had opposite effects. Just a piece of useless naval trivia but into the 1920's, in the Royal Navy a port (left) helm order resulted in the ship turning to starboard (right). The reason was in a sailing ship, the rudder is moved by the tiller (in larger ships attached by assorted tackles and pulleys to the wheel) and rotates around the rudder post. Therefore moving the tiller to the right causes the ship to steer to the left. The RN lived with this anachronism well into the machine age and long after virtually all other navies adapted common sense "Starboard helm means Right Turn" orders.

09-13-11, 07:41 PM	#9
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	Very true. They actually got that right in Titanic. Shocked me because I didn't know it at the time and thought they had it backward. Silly me. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo