From depth-charge concussion to ASW mortars

Did navies try to use shells to produce the same underwater concussion as depth charges?

Yes; that requirement helped produce anti-submarine mortars, while water impact and shell type complicated the use of ordinary fuzed rounds.

A question asks whether shells could exploit the same underwater concussion as depth charges. That requirement is identified as the basis for anti-submarine mortars. A later follow-up adds a practical obstacle to simply firing ordinary shells into the sea, since water impact can trigger an attached fuze. The result also depends on the shell type, so a purpose-built anti-submarine weapon should not be treated as an ordinary naval-gun round.