ORIGINAL: brian800000
Another kind of random question: ASW. I've read about date triggered ASW bonuses...does anyone know how they work? It seems the ASW of my ships increases during the war with upgrades and new ships coming on line also have better capabilities. But are there also date effects? Ie, a ship in 1941 will perform better in 1943 and better still in 1945 even if its ASW weaponry and crew experience are unchanged?
It depends on which side you're playing, and you seem to be the Allied side. I'm familiar with the Japanese side, not the Allied. IIRC those triggeer dates refer to Japan and are not 'bonuses', but less of a penalty. It is in the manual, and I did a cursory look with no luck. I'll try later if time, in the meanwhile you could take a look.
From memory (not good) I think the Allied side is just based on crew experience. You'll only usually get the results you want (ie hits) when their experience is ~70 or above. The vessels leadership skills will come into play in a different way. Maybe with the exception of naval skill they'll be mostly in the form of die rolls conducted under the hood.