They used sonobuoys in World War 2. In addition, the Japanese and Americans had Magnetic Anomaly Detectors on their aircraft. The Allies actually put a significant priority on equipping aircraft with antisubmarine equipment, as they wanted to detect a submarine (even if submerged) long before a potential target was in danger.(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-submarine_warfare#World_War_II ) Aircraft carriers such as the Bogue and the Ark Royal gained quite a bit of reputation from submarine hunting task groups.
So, yes, there is in fact a historical background to this to justify any potential implementation of such a system.

Now as to the practical application in NavyField.... As stated above, the implementation of this will not go very well. Some how, some way, the $DE devs never quite put in what they need to the right way. The last thing we need now is another screwup.

And finally. A battleship with half a brain can figure out where a submerged submarine is. Oh, I wonder where those random torps coming towards me came from... It certainly can't be from a submerged submarine! I shouldn't waste my precious PHH on it now, should I? My point being, for what cause would it serve? As when you are being engaged by a submarine you can usually tell where he is.