Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:06:10-1:06:51

Could trawler nets still trouble a nuclear submarine?

Net-based anti-submarine tactics could no longer haul a nuclear submarine to the surface, although a heavy net could still foul or impede the boat.

Anti-Submarine WarfareNuclear SubmarinesSubmarine WarfareTrawlers
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Question

When did trawler nets stop being a viable anti-submarine weapon?

Short answer

Nuclear submarines are powerful enough to pull a trawler under rather than be hauled up, but a large net can still foul or impede them.

Notes

Early submarines could be caught and physically constrained by nets towed from trawlers. Nuclear submarines probably mark the point where propulsion power could pull the trawler under rather than allow the boat to be hauled up. That power does not make nets harmless, because a properly handled heavy net can still foul or impede a submarine. The tactic therefore changes from a plausible capture method into a dangerous obstruction rather than vanishing completely.