User Guide

The Historical Mission menu automatically defaults to the top mission on
the menu, so go ahead and make any realism changes prior to selecting the
mission to be played.
Convoy Encounter
During WWII U.S. submarines sank nearly 5,000,000 tons of Japanese mer-
chant shipping, accounting for over 1100 confirmed sinkings. This was the
most likely type of encounter during the war.
Warship Encounter
This mission consists of intercepting and attacking an Imperial Japanese
Navy task force. Aircraft carriers were the highest priority target for the
submarine force, followed by battleships and escort carriers.
Patrol Encounter
Encounter a Japanese anti-submarine (ASW) patrol searching for U.S. sub-
marines.
Lifeguard Duty
Over 500 aviators owe their lives to the men of the Silent Service. Submarines
were frequently positioned to recover downed pilots at the scene of surface
engagements, such as Midway, or during large air strikes. A downed aviator
can only survive a limited time in the water, and the submarine’s task is to
effect a rescue before the sea claims him or the enemy captures him.
Mission Customization
After a mission type has been selected, several mission variables may be
chosen. Each type of mission has some of the following options available.
Date
The date affects the location of the encounter, the number and type of ships
encountered, and the equipment available to both sides. For more informa-
tion regarding the types of equipment available for any given month of the
war, see the “S ILENT H UNTER Weapons Data” table on page 50.
Crew Quality
Crew quality affects the ability of the crew to operate the submarine. Reload
time, dive time, lookout sighting distances, and other factors are all deter-
mined by the crew quality setting. The crew can range from green to elite.
SILENT
HUNTER
4 STARTING THE GAME: Single Mission
Single Missions
Choosing Single Mission presents an option to perform one of five different
kinds of authentic missions that U.S. submarines undertook during WWII.
In addition to seeking out and destroying enemy warships and cargo ships,
U.S. submarines performed other valuable services such as rescuing
downed pilots. All of the types of missions except for the Historic Mission
selection are generated randomly, and can be customized prior to play.
These missions will begin with some form of contact notification regarding
the enemy, either a radar contact, a hydrophone bearing, or a lookout
report. The mission ends when the submarine is out of contact with all
enemy ships. This might be because the submarine has sunk all the enemy
ships, has disengaged or been outrun by the enemy, or has been destroyed.
At this point a scoring screen appears which correlates the level of realism
and the number of enemy vessels damaged or sunk and presents the score.
Left-clicking on the Exit button returns you to the Single Mission menu.
Historic Mission
This option presents the opportunity to test your skills against those of his-
toric submariners in encounters that defined what it meant to be a member
of the Silent Service. The available missions are listed in the menu, with
the appropriate briefing listed below the mission menu.
SILENT
HUNTER
3 STARTING THE GAME: Single Mission