How do submarines use concealment and surprise to attack enemy ships?

Submarines rely on concealment and surprise to function as effective "guerrilla" platforms at sea, prioritizing stealth over the concentration of force used by surface fleets. Their ability to attack enemy ships depends on these core tactical principles:1

Achieving Concealment

• Silencing: To avoid detection by passive sonar, modern submarines are designed with sound-absorbing mounts for machinery and sound-absorbing hull coatings.23
• Acoustic Management: Submarines minimize noise by redesigning coolant pumps and, in the case of diesel-electric vessels, operating on quiet electric motors or shutting them off entirely to lie in wait for targets.24
• Depth and Environment: Submarines use the ocean's physical layers and depth to evade detection, often operating in areas where temperature differences or sea-bottom reflections complicate an enemy's ability to track them.5

Executing Surprise

• Stalking Tactics: Submarines act as solo performers, stalking prey while the target attempts to identify their presence.1
• Strategic Positioning: By striking where the enemy is weak or unprepared, submarines erode morale and dilute resources.1
• Advanced Weaponry: Once a submarine closes in, it utilizes torpedoes that can home in acoustically or be guided via wire, as well as antiship missiles, to deliver a strike before the target can effectively respond.4