Yes, there are still a lot of fans who play Silent Hunter III.
I just set up the game once again on my PC.
(Total loss of a raid volume, but thats an other story)
I
strongly recommend to get one of the popular mod packs for the game.
My personal favorite mod is "Living Silent Hunter III" (Right now with version 5.1). Oh, and it is also available in english.
You can find more information about here:
LinkIf you want to "upgrade" the game in a massive way, there will be no way around.
Of course there are still a lot more of big mod packs for the game. Just search at subsim.com
LinkHere you will also find a lot of hints for the gameplay.