Silent Shark First Patrol Walkthrough

Watch the official Campaign Tutorial by John Goering embedded mid-article for the career-facing version of this loop. Pair it with Angle on Bow and Diving Cycles before your first long career sortie.\n\nThis First Patrol Walkthrough strings every core Silent Shark skill into one sortie you can repeat in the demo scenario generator or standalone encounters. It prepares you for the Pacific campaign arriving August 12, 2026 without pretending the full career systems are playable yet. Think of it as a rehearsal patrol: same instruments, same escorts, same TDC — shorter logistics.

Silent Shark is single-player. No teammate will plot bearings for you. This walkthrough assumes you completed Getting Started and skimmed Four Bearings plus How to Use the TDC.

Sortie setup (scenario generator)

Open the demo scenario generator and configure:

• Time of day: Daylight first — reduce variables.
• Weather: Clear — save rain for later attempts.
• Target: Single merchant or small convoy with one escort.
• Start range: Medium — enough sea room for four bearings, not so far you compress time into mistakes.

Note starting position, ordered depth, and fuel if displayed. Full campaign will add patrol zones and radio orders — see Patrol Radio — but demo spawns are enough for procedure practice.

Silent Shark: Campaign Tutorial — John Goering

Phase A — Transit and search (minutes 0–15 sim time)

1. Set economical speed on the telegraph unless the scenario demands hurry.
2. Run hydrophone watch continuously; log first contact bearing on the chart with timestamp.
3. Begin four bearings sequence — see dedicated guide — while maintaining a steady own-ship leg.
4. When target track stabilizes, use Map Tools to draw an intercept course that delivers favorable AoB (beam preferred for first patrol success).

Do not descend to periscope depth until intercept math says you are within commit range — premature depth wastes battery attention and risks escort sighting in convoy setups.

Phase B — Approach (minutes 15–25)

1. Slow as you enter listen range of escorts if present.
2. Check bathythermograph for a layer to hide near during approach — Thermal Diving.
3. At commit range, order periscope depth smoothly.
4. Identify target class; take stadimeter range per Stadimeter Guide.
5. Enter speed, bearing, range, and AoB into TDC; enable Position Keeper.

Use Attack Checklist if any step feels rushed.

Phase C — Attack (minute ~25)

1. Confirm solution drift is acceptable.
2. Flood tube when committed — not before.
3. Set gyro; choose modest spread for first patrol (forgiving).
4. Fire at TDC ready; lower scope immediately.
5. Turn off convoy track and go deep per pre-planned egress leg.

If the torpedo misses, still execute egress — escorts do not care about your feelings.

Phase D — Evasion (minutes 25–40)

Follow Evading Destroyers:

• Silent speed below layer if possible.
• Listen for escort sprint and drop phases.
• Do not surface until hydrophone quiet exceeds your comfort threshold — then some.

Surviving evasion completes the patrol learning objective even on a miss.

Phase E — Debrief

Ask:

• Were four bearings consistent before commit?
• Was stadimeter range refreshed after last closure?
• Did flooding happen early enough to warn escorts?
• Was egress planned on the chart beforehand?

Repeat the same scenario seed if available; compare solution quality run to run.

Transition to full campaign

When 1.0 launches, this patrol template gains:

• Patrol box orders and radio intel altering routing — Pacific Overview.
• Torpedo inventory limits — Resources.
• Boat-specific tube counts — Submarine Classes.

Mechanics you trained here remain identical; consequences get heavier.

Related hubs

• Guides Hub — individual skill pages.
• Campaign Hub — what changes at launch.
• Controls Hub — station order during phases.
• Tools Hub — feature expectations.

Run this walkthrough three times with increasing weather difficulty. That repetition is the shortest path from tutorial graduate to ready-for-launch skipper.