XBradTC

(URR here.) Very interesting explanation of the tactics and weapons involve in ASW.  Cool footage of the S-2F and the P-2V Neptune, to boot.   Gotta dig the midnight-blue paint schemes, too.  

The Soviets in the late 1940s, with the German Type XXI technology at their disposal, began producing Whiskey-class diesel boats in huge numbers.  This caused something akin to near-panic for the West, as loss of the sea lanes would spell disaster should the Cold War turn hot.  US Navy counter to these boats (and the Romeos and Zulus, all capable of roughly double the submerged speed of the German Type VII and IX series boats of the recent war) included modification of a great many Sumner and Gearing-class DDs into sub hunters (DDH) and sub killers (DDK), fitted with ahead-throwing weapon systems (Hedgehog) and significant sonar upgrades.  In the air, the development of the rockets, depth bombs, and homing torpedoes discussed in the video gave great advantage to aircraft, as did airborne radar and MAD (magnetic anomaly detection) gear.   True aerial ASW had only been in existence for about 12 years, and until these systems matured, was largely limited to attacks on surfaced boats, or depth charge attacks in suspected locations.   Eighteen minutes, and change.  Worth the watch.