I can see "disguised" armed merchantmen being used to sink or capture legit merchantment. It doesn't seem like it would take too much effort to fit a SSMs and/or ASTs and their requisite guidance systems to a merchant vessel. A smallish large-calibre naval gun like a 40mm twin Bofors or OTO-Melara 76mm gun wouldn't be too hard to install and conceal either, not to mention small autocannons and hand-held SAMs for self defense.
Using such vessels for ASW wouldn't work so well. Subs don't have to surface to attack like they used to. That was pretty much the only time they were vulnerable to armed merchants.
Small fishing trawlers could be fitted with towed sonar arrays, though, to assist dedicated (naval) ASW vessels. A large merchantman could carry a couple of ASW choppers too.
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