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On the NAUTILUS men's hearts never fail them.
No defects to be afraid of, for the double shell is as firm as iron,
no rigging to attend to, no sails for the wind to carry away;
no boilers to burst, no fire to fear, for the vessel is made of iron, not of wood;
no cove to run short, for electricity is the only power;
no collision to fear, for it alone swims in deep water;
no tempest to brave, for when it dives below the water, it reaches absolute tranquility.
That is the perfection of vessels.
JULES VERNE
TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, 1869

Introduction

Welcome to the Silent Hunter Submarine School for the Pacific Thunder Campaign. My name is Roy Cleghorn. I am the Commander of the Submarine School (ComSubSchool). I will be your primary instructor. The First Executive Officer of the Submarine School is Matt Kelley.

Your stay at the Submarine School will be brief. Following your graduation, you will be assigned to command a submarine as part of a combat squadron. The Submarine School has three main objectives:

1. To ensure adherence to the Rules of Engagement and Standard Operating Procedures.

2. To evaluate combat tactics employed by the skipper for historical accuracy.

3. To provide guidance on campaign wide communications and patrol reporting.

Submarine Base at New London Connecticut
Submarine Base at New London, Connecticut.

Please review this Web site and the information it contains carefully. It is our Headquarters Web site. The navigation bar is located on the top of this page. It is a good idea to bookmark this site because you will be returning to it often. Many of the questions that people have asked in the past about the Pacific Thunder Campaign are answered in the PTC FAQ and Enlistment Form. In addition, you can read this document for background information on the Pacific Thunder Campaign and the history of U.S. submarine operations in the Pacific during World War 2.

Please read our Rules of Engagement and Standard Operating Procedures carefully. Part of the Submarine School's mission is to help you understand the ROE and to answer any questions you may have about them.

Classroom at the Submarine Base at New London Connecticut
Classroom at the Submarine Base
at New London, Connecticut.

During your attendance at our Submarine School, we will communicate by email. I will provide you with my email address in a separate communication. Other Pacific Thunder Campaign communications channels exist and are used for other purposes. For example, the SubRon 14 Yahoo Group is the official communications network for the Silent Hunter Pacific Thunder Campaign. You are encouraged to join this group now, however please remember that until you graduate from the Submarine School, all communications should be directed to me.

All Submarine School students are required to complete all of the training missions contained in the stock version of Silent Hunter Wolves of the Pacific and report their results as indicated below. After you have successfully completed and reported these missions, you will graduate from the Submarine School and be transferred to the Commander, Submarines Pacific Fleet (ComSubPac), for assignment to a Submarine Squadron (SubRon). I will review your patrol reports to ensure you have complied with the ROE. You can review patrol reports submitted by campaign participants and the patrol report template to get an idea of the format and detail generally expected. To download the template, right-click on the preceding link and select "Save Target As...". You should use the patrol report template to compose your reports.

Upon completion each training patrol, you are required to prepare a written patrol report and send it to me by email. Please use the patrol report form on the fleet Web site for your reports. As stated above, I will review your patrol report to ensure you have complied with the ROE, and I will provide you with feedback on it.

Rules of Engagement

Escape tank at the Submarine Base at New London Connecticut
Escape tank at the Submarine Base
at New London Connecticut.

The ROE is a list of guidelines that have been developed in an effort to ensure that the Pacific Thunder Campaign is conducted in a fair and historically accurate manner. It is critical that all participants abide by the ROE. Occasionally, situations may arise that might result in the addition of an amendment to the ROE. Generally, such amendments will not be added without prior open discussion within the fleet. All opinions are considered during these discussions, and your input as a participating member is always welcome. The majority of the guidelines are self-explanatory, however it is extremely important that you have a solid understanding of them. If you have a question regarding any part of the ROE, please address it to me. My job is to assist you in interpreting the ROE and to provide you with the understanding of them that is required in order to participate in the campaign.

Torpedo Problems

The history surrounding defective torpedoes is required knowledge for all Pacific Thunder Campaign skippers. For the first twenty-one months of World War 2, American submariners went on the offensive against the enemy with weapons that did not work. In the Pacific Thunder Campaign, you will relive this fact because despite the knowledge we have today about these torpedo deficiencies, we play the game as if we were the WW II sub commanders who had no knowledge of them. Therefore you will experience numerous "dud torpedoes" and "premature explosions." It is important for you to understand the reasons why the torpedoes malfunctioned and the solutions that were developed to overcome this problem. The best source of information on the World War 2 torpedo problems is the following two articles by Frederick J. Milford. I encourage you to read them.

U.S. Navy Torpedoes, Part One: Torpedoes through the thirties

U.S. Navy Torpedoes, Part Two: The great torpedo scandal, 1941-43

Former Submarine School Staff

Jerry Calenberg

Jerry Calenberg
Former Submarine School Commander

Jerry Calenberg is a true-to-life ex-diesel boat submariner. He has served a total of 13 years aboard U.S. submarines, including the diesel boats USS Cobia and USS Cubera, and the fast attack nuclear subs USS Skipjack and USS Gato. During his career, he received the following awards:

Jerry received an Honorable Discharge Certificate in December 1972. Today Jerry is a volunteer at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where he helps to restore and preserve the USS Cobia. He was the inspiration in getting the main engine on the Cobia running after over 47 years of deactivation. He has also provided technical information for the museum tour guide manual, and is the author of a book about the USS Cobia, which he wrote for the benefit of history and the museum, with the blessing of the few surviving wartime Cobia crew members.

Greg Turner
Former Submarine School Executive Officer

Greg Turner is a veteran of over 45 Pacific Thunder Campaign war combat patrol missions on diesel electric submarines. He has been a Squadron Commander for 9 years. He has commanded numerous diesel submarines, including USS Gato and USS Tirante. During his Pacific Thunder Campaign career, he has received the following medals:

On May 2, 2004, Greg lost his battle with cancer. We all miss him. We are grateful for the time we enjoyed together. He is now on Eternal Patrol. Sailor, rest your oar. Rest in peace friend...