Submarines AE1 and AE2
Submarines AE1 and AE2
Australian ‘E’ Class Submarine Foundation Ltd
Australian ‘E’ Class Submarine Foundation Ltd
Objective
The objective of the Australian 'E' Class Submarine Foundation is stewardship of the history of the submarines HMAS AE2 (located in Turkish waters in the Sea of Marmara, contributing to an informed debate on the wreck’s future, ensuring that AE2’s contribution to the Gallipoli campaign is duly recognised and developing an education project on AE2) and HMAS AE1 (located in PNG waters to the south of Mioko Island in the New Britain, Duke of York Group of islands) to recognise the historical significance of their operations in WW1and tell the story of their brave crews.
HMAS AE1 was lost when on patrol off Mioko Island on 14th September 1914; the wreck was found on 20 December 2017 after sigmificant research and, ultimately, the use of a highly sophisticated underwater search capability. HMAS AE2 was the first Allied submarine to penetrate the Dardanelles in 1915 as part of the Gallipoli Campaign, on the very morning the ANZAC soldiers landed at Anzac Cove. After five hectic days "running amok", she finally fell to Turkish gunfire and was scuttled. Her crew was captured and spent the rest of the war as Turkish POWs. AE2 lay, unseen, until in 1998 she was discovered, intact, in 73m of water in the Sea of Marmara. The SIA aims to ensure the protection, preservation and promotion of AE2, to contribute to an informed debate on her future and ensure that AE2’s contribution to the Gallipoli campaign is duly recognised by telling the story of her brave crew.
Image Information
The image at the top of this page is from a painting by Phil Belbin of 'AE2 running amok in the Narrows'. It is displayed by courtesy of the Belbin family and the RAN.
Contact with AESM Ltd
There is a wealth of information available on the web about HMAS AE1 and HMAS AE2. The major site is the AESM website here.
Useful Anzac Day Presentation
A presentation summarising AE2s contribution to the Anzac Campaign can be downloaded here. (PDF 588 KB)