Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

HMAS AE2

The AE1 and AE2 were ordered from the Vickers Armstrong yards at Barrow in Furness, Cumbria on Englands NW )Irish Sea) coast in 1910.  Their designation 'AE' implied they were 'Australian' = 'A', and 'E Class' submarines, 'E', number 1 and 2 in the Class.  At a cost of over £105,000 each, the AE1 along with the AE2 were commissioned into the RAN in February 1914. (1)

Both were to be lost in the course of their WW1 service in the RAN, an experience perhaps in part explaining the fact that the RAN was devoid of a submarine capability until the advent of the ‘O’ (Oberon Class) boats 50 years later.  Their crews comprised both Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) personnel.

Launched in 1913 and commissioned in February 1914 they set new records for submarine endurance when they transitted to Australia in March April of 1914, but not without incident (1). 

AE1 leaving the docks in Barrow, UK. Photo courtesy HMAS Stirling / Australian Naval Institute

Their journey to Australia set records as the longest tranist by submarines at that time. The two vessels sailed from England for Australia on 2 March 1914. The voyage was undertaken in three phases. The first phase took place under the escort of the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Eclipse which remained with the submarines until they reached Colombo.

The crew of HMAS AE2

En route, Eclipse alternately took the submarines in tow to reduce wear on their engines.  In spite of this precaution, AE2 suffered a serious defect while under her own power when she lost a propeller blade, necessitating repairs in Gibraltar between 6-9 March.

With repairs complete, the small convoy continued its passage via Malta, and Port Said before AE2 threw a second propeller blade 20 miles outside of Aden. On this occasion repairs were carried out at sea with the assistance of Eclipse. The submarine was trimmed down by the bows and two anchors and cable from Eclipse were lowered over the front of AE2 to bring the stern of the boat out of the water. With the assistance of divers a replacement propeller was then fitted, the entire evolution taking two days. The three vessels then continued on to Colombo where they arrived on 9 April 1914.

Five days were spent in Colombo allowing the crews of the submarines to get some respite from the cramped and hot conditions in their respective boats. The passage through the Red Sea had been particularly demanding due to intense heat. Often the temperature inside the boats rose above 100 degrees F and in an attempt to cool AE2, Stoker ordered her casing to be painted white in an attempt to reflect the intense sunlight. (2)   

AE2 in tranist through the Red Sea, painted white to try to manage the temperature inside the hull (ANMM)

When war broke out in July 1914, the Navy was the only service with the means and capacity to mount offshore operations at short notice and a Marine Expeditionary Force was quickly assembled to neutralise German interests to Australia’s immediate north.  The Australian Naval and Military Expedition Force (ANMEF) was tasked with the capture of German New Guinea at the outbreak of the war. The AE1 and AE2 were among the RAN units that made up the Expeditionary Force. 

The AE1’s role was as a patrol and reconnaissance craft.  On routine reconnaissance with the destroyer HMAS Parramatta on 14 September 1914,  AE1 vanished without trace (see story HERE) (/explore/units/468) in what is presumed to have been a diving mishap.  

The AE2, commanded by Lieutenant Commander H. S. Stoker, achieved fame for its operations in the Dardanelles the following year. 

The AE2 had to undertake another epic journey to join Allied forces concentrating in the Mediterranean for The Gallipoli expedition.

The AE2 leaving Malta en route for the Dardanelles in April 1915 after effecting repairs to her hull

The AE2 was ordered to sail through the Dardanelles and disrupt Turkish shipping in the Sea of Marmora.  No other Allied warships had been able to breach the Turkish defences but, in the early hours of 25 April 1915, as the ANZACs were about to land further up on the seaward side of the Peninsula, the AE2 eased past minefields and land-based guns.

Having proceeded from the anchorage off Tenedos, I lay at the entrance off the Dardanelles until moonset and at about 2:30am on 25th April entered the straits at 8 knots. Weather calm and clear. As the order to run amok in the Narrows precluded all possibility of passing through unseen, I decided to travel on the surface as far as possible. LCMDR Stoker ship's captain

After torpedoing a Turkish warship the AE2 continued to the Sea of Marmora, in what can only be described as testing circumstances.

At a range of 300-400 yards I fired the bow torpedo, at the same moment ordering 70 feet in order to avoid a TBD [torpedo boat destroyer] which was attempting to ram on the port side. As the vessel descended the TBD passed overhead close, and the torpedo was heard to hit. As the cruiser, dead ahead, might be expected to sink almost immediately, I altered course a point to starboard to avoid becoming entangled with her. At the time I believed the vessel to be in the centre of the strait. About 4 minutes later I altered back to the original course, and ordered 20 feet. As the vessel was rising she hit bottom and slid up on the bank to a depth of 10 feet, at which depth a considerable portion of the conning tower was above water. Through the periscope I saw that the position was immediately under Fort Anatoli Medjidieh. LCMDR Stoker

The AE2 remained at large for five more days before sustaining irreparable damage while under heavy fire.  News of AE2's initial success is credited with having allayed a decision to evacuate the landing sites in the first few days.   Stoker was forced to scuttle the submarine and surrender. He and his crew spent the rest of the war in Turkish captivity. Stoker was awarded the Distinguished Service Order after the war.

Lieutenant Commander Haggard, AE2's Executive Officer with Lieutenant Commander Stoker, AE2's captain, following their release from Turkish captivity. (ANMM)

The wreck of the AE2 was located in June 1998, in the Sea of Marmora.

The AE1 was found off the Duke of York island group in December 2017 solving the 103 year old mystery.

Steve Larkins Dec 2017

(1)   Royal Australian Navy, “HMAS AE1,” accessed 21/12/17 http://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-ae1 (www.navy.gov.au)

(2)   Royal Australian Navy, “HMAS AE2,” accessed 21/12/17 http://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-ae2 (www.navy.gov.au)