Why anti-submarine warfare needs ships, aircraft, and helicopters

Have surface escorts or maritime patrol aircraft been more important in sinking submarines?

The categories overlap because aircraft and escorts cue one another; effective ASW combines wide-area patrol aircraft, persistent ship sensors, and helicopters for prosecution.

A simple count of submarine kills can conceal cooperation between aircraft and surface escorts. An escort may damage a submarine and call aircraft to finish the engagement as it escapes; aircraft may instead bring ships to a contact for a longer pursuit. Towed sonar provides a persistent listening capability, while patrol aircraft search widely and lay sonobuoys. Aircraft can also attack when an opportunity appears. Helicopters move to localize and prosecute a contact, performing a role compared here with the close pursuit once assigned to Flower-class corvettes.