Image: Courtesy Paul Allen, Find AE1, ANMM and Curtin University.
A joint expedition to survey Australia’s first sunken submarine, HMAS AE1, involving the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), has produced detailed images of the 103-year-old shipwreck, lying on the sea floor off the Duke of York Islands in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
The AE1 was lost at sea with all hands on 14 September 1914, and its fate had remained a mystery until its discovery in December 2017.
Director of the ANMM, Kevin Sumption said it was the first loss for the Navy and the first Allied submarine loss in World War I.
Mr Sumption said the survey was undertaken recently by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s research vessel, Petrel and coordinated by Find AE1 Ltd. in partnership with the ANMM, RAN, Curtin University, the WA Museum and the Submarine Institute of Australia.
“The ship’s remotely operated vehicle [ROV], fitted with high-definition video and stills cameras, undertook a comprehensive, non-invasive inspection of the submarine, revealing fascinating new information,” Mr Sumption said.
He said the data collected during this first ROV examination of AE1 will be used by the ANMM to develop a shipwreck management plan in cooperation with the PNG Government and the PNG National Museum and Art Gallery.
Mr Allen said the AE1 had a special place in Australian maritime history and he was proud of the partnership with the ANMM and the others that brought an end to the mystery of its final resting place.
