With Anzac Day fast approaching, it is timely to acknowledge one of Australia’s first submarines, the AE2. Dubbed the ‘Silent Anzac’, a miniature replica of AE2 sits in Ruth Whitfield Park at Kallangur. On April 25, 110 years ago, AE2 became the first submarine to breach the heavily defended Dardanelles Straits in Turkey, a feat considered impossible at the time.
Built in England in 1913 for the newly-formed Australian Navy, AE2 was a modified E-class submarine equipped with four torpedo tubes and a crew of 32 men. Soon after arriving in Australia in May 1914, after a record-breaking 83-day maiden voyage from Britain, World War I was declared. Under the command of Lieutenant Commander Henry Stoker, AE2 had orders to disrupt maritime supply lines reinforcing enemy troops on the Gallipoli peninsula.
All previous attempts by Allied vessels to penetrate the Dardanelles Straits had failed due to the presence of sea mines, patrolling enemy warships, gun batteries, and natural navigational hazards.
On April 25 1915, AE2 breached the narrow 35-mile-long Strait. News of the submarine’s successful passage boosted morale for the Allies, who, at that time, were contemplating a general evacuation. Many believe it was AE2’s success that influenced the decision to retain Allied forces on the Gallipoli peninsula.
When addressing the War Council, Commodore Roger Keyes is reported to have said, “An Australian submarine has done the finest feat in submarine history and is going to torpedo all the ships bringing reinforcements, supplies and ammunition into Gallipoli.”
AE2’s Fate and Legacy
AE2 harassed enemy shipping in the Dardanelles for another five days – sustaining damage to ballast tanks, radio transmitters, diving controls and receiving instruments. It was grounded twice. On April 30, AE2 was shelled by a Turkish gunboat. Suffering irreparable damage, the sub was sunk off the coast of Karabiga and the crew were captured. Four sailors died in captivity. The remaining crew were released in 1918.
The Silent Anzac’s final resting place remained unknown for 83 years. In 1998, a Turkish diving team discovered the submarine lying at a depth of 72 metres in the Sea of Marmara. Negotiations regarding its future continue.
Visitors to Ruth Whitfield Park can view the relief artwork created by sculptor Ross J Bastiaan in 2014. It depicts the AE2 scraping mooring wires off a sea mine beneath the Ottoman mine layer, The Nusret, a warcraft that had wreaked havoc on the Allied fleet.
Lest We Forget
…the finest feat in submarine history.
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