Search for submarine AE1

[Ganmain Tony]

Just watching the ABC news.

The Governor General today unveiled a memorial to the crew of the first Australian Navy Submarine AE1.

It was patrolling the waters of German New Guinea during WW1 when it disappeared without a trace, tragically with all its crew.

Apparently there is a renewed effort taking place to find it or some trace of it. The centenary of its disappearance is in three years time.

The Federal government announced any donations contributing to a search for AE1 are tax deductable (I hope they do a bit more than just that)

[Little Jo]

Hi Tony

Please find below the story and finding of the AE1 and the dive on her.

Cheers

Tony


IN SEARCH OF AUSTRALIA’S FIRST SUBMARINE THE AE1
LOST NEAR RABAUL, NEW GUINEA DURING WW1.

This is a rare opportunity for a financier/adventurer to be involved in an exciting documentary project to solve one of the Australian Navies enduring mysteries, and that is the loss of the submarine, the AE1 near Rabaul in 1914.

Australia’s foremost authoriety on the AE1 and respected commercial dive supervisor Peter Richardson will be coordinating of the project in conjunction with the author.

At this stage it is envisaged that the project will use the forty eight foot motor vessel the “Tropic Seas” unless that is, investors for Tax or other reasons have a more modern or comfortable vessel. The Tropic Seas is not the most modern boat but she can easily accommodate 6 to 7 persons for an extended cruise.

Peter Richardson will provide:

mixed gas for any dives in excess of 250ft
Roves for unmanned searches
and possibly magnetometers
sonar, is todate out of our reach

Several locations will be investigated; firstly we plan to fully investigate the position disclosed to us by respected ex-Navy diver George Tyres who in 1972claimed to have not only found the AE1 in 340ft of water but actually touched her.

Another likley position was disclosed to the author by a Catholic father in 1968, a survivor of WW1 in Kokopo, who claimed the wreck was visible from the surface for many years but slipped into deeper water.

Then there are several other likely positions identified by Peter Richardson including the position reported by a seaman on the HMAS Parramatta who claimed that his ship rammed the AE1.


It must be said that in the past few years there have been several highly publicized attempts to locate the AE1. The survey ship HMAS Flinders conducted a search of this area using her side-scanning sonar in 1976 but without success.

In 2003 a well documented attempt by John Foster RAN (rtd) and the ABC in conjunction with Jeremy Green of the WA Maritime Museum conducted a search in the vicinity of Duke of York Islands again without success.

More recently in 2007 the Australian Navy again in conjunction with John Foster, found a suspect object in 240 foot of water but the findings were inconclusive. It would appear the Fosters biggest problem was the severe time limit imposed by the charter and Naval vessels.We will not have this problem.


After 60 years, the AE1 still remains an intriguing but largely-forgotten mystery. I might say that we have a better then good chance of solving this and rewriting the history books.



The AE1 story

The AE1, A - for Australia; E for 'E' Class submarine and the number 1, as in the first submarine for the Royal Australian Navy. The submarine was built by Vickers Son & Maxim at the Naval Construction Works, Barrow-in-Furness, County Lancashire, England.

At the outbreak of WW1, the AE1 commanded by Lieutenant Commander Thomas Besant, RN in company with AE2 joined the naval forces assigned to capture of the German colonies of New Guinea. The AE1 was on hand at the surrender of Rabaul on 13 September 1914.

At 0700hrs on 14 September 1914, the AE1 departed Rabaul with the HMAS Parramatta from Herbertshohe (now Kokopo) to patrol off Cape Gazelle. At 2:30 pm they were in communication and at 3:30 pm the submarine was seen by the Parramatta to the south west of Duke of York Island, apparently on her way back into harbour.

At 8:00 pm the submarine had not returned and HMAS Parramatta and Yarra, together with launches from Rabaul and Herbertshohe were sent to search for her. HMAS Encounter and Warrego also joined the searched but no trace of AE1 was ever found, not even the telltale shimmer of escaping oil on the water.

AE1 was the first unit of the Australian Fleet to be lost and the first allied submarine loss of the war, mysteriously disappearing without trace. The cause of her loss remains unknown and unsolved. Sadly the incident is almost forgotten today, at the time however it was a dreadful blow for the fledgling Australian Navy depriving it of 35 brave men and what amounted to half its submarine force.