SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post

TarJak · 09-13-14, 09:02 PM

14 September 1914

HMA Submarine AE1, (LCDR T. F. Besant, RN), was lost with 2 officers and 32 ratings, while patrolling off the Duke of York Island. The cause of the submarine's loss was never established.

The last known image of HMAS AE1

His Majesty’s Australian Submarine AE1 was launched in the yard of Vickers Ltd at Barrow-in-Furness England on 22 May 1913. She commissioned at Portsmouth on 28 February 1914 under the command of Lieutenant Commander T F Besant, RN. She was the first of two E Class submarines built for the fledgling Royal Australian Navy.

Accompanied by her sister AE2, under the command of Lieutenant Commander H G Stoker, RN, AE1 reached Sydney from England on 24 May 1914, manned by Royal Navy officers and with a mixed crew of sailors drawn from the Royal Navy and RAN.

At the outbreak of World War I, AE1 joined the naval forces assigned to the capture of the German Pacific colonies. With AE2, she took part in the operations leading to the occupation of German New Guinea, including the surrender of Rabaul on 13 September 1914.

The following day, at 7.00 am the destroyer HMAS Parramatta (I) left her night patrol ground off Raluana Point and proceeded at slow speed in the direction of Cape Gazelle to rendezvous with AE1 and conduct a patrol in St George’s Channel to the south and east of the Duke of York Islands. The two vessels met off Herbertshohe at 8.00 am and exchanged signals before proceeding to Cape Gazelle where they arrived at approximately 9.00 am. A further exchange of signals followed during which Parramatta advised AE1 that her ‘orders were to search to the south’ard with submarine and anchor off Herbertshohe at 5.30pm’.

Parramatta then proceeded independently in a southerly direction while AE1 advanced in a north-easterly direction. The weather was hazy and visibility was observed to be between 9 and 10 nautical miles, at times decreasing to 5 miles. Parramatta reported that AE1 was obscured by the haze for some time, as was the nearest land. Given these conditions, Parramatta’s Captain, Lieutenant W H F. Warren, RAN, considered it advisable not to lose sight of the submarine for too long.
At 12.30 Parramatta turned to the north-west and by 2.30 she was close to AE1 when the submarine asked by signal: ‘What is the distance of visibility?’ Parramatta responded: ‘About 5 miles’. At 3.20 the submarine was lost sight of and Parramatta altered course and steamed in the direction she was last seen. No sign of AE1 was found and it was considered that she must have steamed back into harbour without informing Parramatta. Consequently Parramatta proceeded to the north-west and rounded Duke of York Island before heading to Credner Island, later anchoring off Herbershohe at 7.00 pm.

By 8.00 pm the submarine had not returned and Parramatta and HMAS Yarra (I) were ordered to search for her. HMAS Sydney (I), on her way to the west coast also received instructions to keep a lookout and later HMA Ships Encounter (I) and Warrego (I) also joined the search together with launches from Rabaul and Herbertshohe. No trace of AE1 was ever found, not even the tell-tale shimmer of escaping oil on the water.

The loss of AE1 with her entire complement of 3 officers and 32 sailors was the RAN’s first major tragedy and it marred an otherwise successful operation to seize the German possession in New Guinea and the South Pacific. It is not known what caused AE1 to disappear without trace and since her loss in 1914 several searches have been conducted to establish her whereabouts. Regrettably none of these have been successful. The search continues to this day. http://news.navy.gov.au/en/Sep2014/F...m#.VBT3LqN-9_8

Nice video explaining the significance of the AE1 in our military history: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-1...64?section=ww1

09-13-14, 09:02 PM	#241
TarJak Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 17,052 Downloads: 150 Uploads: 8	14 September 1914 HMA Submarine AE1, (LCDR T. F. Besant, RN), was lost with 2 officers and 32 ratings, while patrolling off the Duke of York Island. The cause of the submarine's loss was never established. The last known image of HMAS AE1 His Majesty’s Australian Submarine AE1 was launched in the yard of Vickers Ltd at Barrow-in-Furness England on 22 May 1913. She commissioned at Portsmouth on 28 February 1914 under the command of Lieutenant Commander T F Besant, RN. She was the first of two E Class submarines built for the fledgling Royal Australian Navy. Accompanied by her sister AE2, under the command of Lieutenant Commander H G Stoker, RN, AE1 reached Sydney from England on 24 May 1914, manned by Royal Navy officers and with a mixed crew of sailors drawn from the Royal Navy and RAN. At the outbreak of World War I, AE1 joined the naval forces assigned to the capture of the German Pacific colonies. With AE2, she took part in the operations leading to the occupation of German New Guinea, including the surrender of Rabaul on 13 September 1914. The following day, at 7.00 am the destroyer HMAS Parramatta (I) left her night patrol ground off Raluana Point and proceeded at slow speed in the direction of Cape Gazelle to rendezvous with AE1 and conduct a patrol in St George’s Channel to the south and east of the Duke of York Islands. The two vessels met off Herbertshohe at 8.00 am and exchanged signals before proceeding to Cape Gazelle where they arrived at approximately 9.00 am. A further exchange of signals followed during which Parramatta advised AE1 that her ‘orders were to search to the south’ard with submarine and anchor off Herbertshohe at 5.30pm’. Parramatta then proceeded independently in a southerly direction while AE1 advanced in a north-easterly direction. The weather was hazy and visibility was observed to be between 9 and 10 nautical miles, at times decreasing to 5 miles. Parramatta reported that AE1 was obscured by the haze for some time, as was the nearest land. Given these conditions, Parramatta’s Captain, Lieutenant W H F. Warren, RAN, considered it advisable not to lose sight of the submarine for too long. At 12.30 Parramatta turned to the north-west and by 2.30 she was close to AE1 when the submarine asked by signal: ‘What is the distance of visibility?’ Parramatta responded: ‘About 5 miles’. At 3.20 the submarine was lost sight of and Parramatta altered course and steamed in the direction she was last seen. No sign of AE1 was found and it was considered that she must have steamed back into harbour without informing Parramatta. Consequently Parramatta proceeded to the north-west and rounded Duke of York Island before heading to Credner Island, later anchoring off Herbershohe at 7.00 pm. By 8.00 pm the submarine had not returned and Parramatta and HMAS Yarra (I) were ordered to search for her. HMAS Sydney (I), on her way to the west coast also received instructions to keep a lookout and later HMA Ships Encounter (I) and Warrego (I) also joined the search together with launches from Rabaul and Herbertshohe. No trace of AE1 was ever found, not even the tell-tale shimmer of escaping oil on the water. The loss of AE1 with her entire complement of 3 officers and 32 sailors was the RAN’s first major tragedy and it marred an otherwise successful operation to seize the German possession in New Guinea and the South Pacific. It is not known what caused AE1 to disappear without trace and since her loss in 1914 several searches have been conducted to establish her whereabouts. Regrettably none of these have been successful. The search continues to this day. http://news.navy.gov.au/en/Sep2014/F...m#.VBT3LqN-9_8 Nice video explaining the significance of the AE1 in our military history: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-1...64?section=ww1 Last edited by TarJak; 09-13-14 at 09:41 PM.