Even in the 21st century the submarine remains one of the stealthiest weapons of war. Advances in sonar technology and magnetic anomaly detectors have done much to improve the chances of detecting submarines but the advantage is still very much on the side of the submariner even when he is facing another submarine. Submarines are in a much better position to detect other submarines than surface vessels as their hydrophone detectors can take advantage of underwater currents carrying the sound or sonar ping from a nearby submarine. Nevertheless, one of the most difficult missions in warfare remains sub-versus-sub combat whilst both are submerged. In the history of submarine warfare there has so far only been one occasion where a submarine successfully carried out an attack on another while both were underwater.
While the story of anti-submarine warfare is remembered as akin to a game of chess between surface ships and their elusive elusive quarry, submarines have actually fought one another ever since the type went to war in 1914. British submarines were heavily involved in providing a defensive screen against German submarines that tried to attack the troop ships crossing the English Channel at the outbreak of war. The Germans spotted the British submarine screen and the two sides tried to lure one another in to combat but all in vain. Nevertheless, the British submarines still achieved their mission by keeping the Germans away from the vital troop ships carrying the British Army to France.
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