So if tile de-bonding makes the timeline of introduction irrelevant/void and maturity is measured by tiles that stick, how does that square with the fact that the Virginia class, produced for the US Navy from the early 2000s, are still losing their anechoic tiles? as referenced here
and with pictures here
Note: Contemporary articles from multiple sources including on the record statements from the US Navy, not a 13 year old book or Wikipedia
Pretty sure you can't have it both ways! Maybe you could, because hey it's just words they don't have to make sense
As for your statement "not in wide use till the 1980s" I suppose it depends on your definition of "wide use"
I would contend 40 commissioned Soviet subs to be wide use (Given the Royal Navy hasn't produced 40 nuclear subs in 50 years!).
Number of subs referenced from Anthony Tucker-Jones in his book Soviet Cold War Weaponry: Aircraft, Warships and Missiles (ISBN: 9781783032969)
The Soviets used clusterguard on all their fleet submarines after the November class and on all the SSGNs from the Charlie class. So prior to the 80s that would mean all the Victor I and IIs (23 subs) plus a Victor III and all 11 Charlie 1s and 5 of the 6 Charlie IIs so that's over 40 subs in total not counting any of the diesel electrics. Note: A reference with numbers not a sweeping generalisation or a vague assertion to be walked backwards and forwards as circumstance dictates.
Obviously, your definition of wide use can be what ever you choose it to be.