Yes, AOD escorts are very competent, generally the closest escort will search and not dropping charges, he guides the second one which stays a bit furhter away and ready to follow the signals of the first. He will then come-in at 30+ knots to get you...Very realistic
Also, a destroyer may just cut-off its engine and wait for you on the surface...
But they have their flaws too: Sometimes, with a larger convoy, if 4 destroyers are around it to protect, if the one ahead spots you, not all destroyers together will come to chase you, only the one who spots you, that's a flaw because there is the rule: if 1 spots you, then all can spot you (because of radio messages). So, if I'm willing to sink that 1 destroyer, I have a easy time to infiltrate the convoy and do serious havock, the other destroyers being too far away. However: not sure that this was on the most difficult realism level.
Currently, I'm still trying to eliminate sound problems in CAOD, so I play with 1% realism to see everything
However, I still believe that SH1 has the best AI ever done in a sub game, with a lot of tricks in the book to fool you, but unfortunately the game has some nasty bugs, like the sub's deck gun which is too much powered, and destroyers beyond 2500 yards not shooting at you when they see you escaping on the surface.