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Submarine AE1 (now sunk)
Submarine AE1 (now sunk)

Submarine AE1 (now sunk)

Date1914-1925
Object number00055179
NamePostcard
MediumPhotographic print on paper
DimensionsOverall: 91 × 151 × 1 mm
ClassificationsPosters and postcards
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionOne photographic postcard belonging to AE1 crewman Able Seaman James Thomas that depicts the submarine underway.HistoryIn December 2017, a search for Australia’s first submarine, HMAS AE1, was undertaken by a collaborative team comprising researchers and specialists from the Silentworld Foundation, ANMM, Find AE1 Ltd., the Royal Australian Navy and Fugro, N.V. The search was successful and identified AE1’s final resting place off the Duke of York Islands in Papua New Guinea. In April 2018, further research was carried out at the site by the ANMM, Find AE1 Ltd. and Curtin University’s HIVE (Hub for Immersive Visualisation and eResearch) aboard R/V Petrel, a vessel owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen and operated by Vulcan, Inc. Also on board was a Remotely-Operated Vehicle (ROV) and images relayed back to researchers aboard Petrel revealed vital clues to a sequence of events that led to AE1’s loss. For example, the submarine’s bow and stern torpedo tube caps were found to be either partially or fully open, and that this appears to have been an intentional act carried out on the surface. Why the caps were open, and whether they contributed in some manner to the loss will likely never be known. Similarly, the reason that a ventilation valve was partially open will probably never be known, but it is fair to say that it was one of the root causes of the submarine’s demise once it began to submerge on what would be its last dive. Despite efforts by the crew to recover—as evidenced by the positions of the submarine’s hydroplanes—AE1 was overwhelmed by the inflow of water through the ventilation valve and began to sink by the stern. At an unknown depth, the forward pressure hull partially imploded, killing the crew instantly. The submarine continued its fatal dive until it struck the seabed stern first at a shallow angle, breaking off the skeg and rudder. The hull then pitched forward, breaking AE1’s back and possibly snapping off all four hydroplane guards. This violent movement also affected the fin, which—likely already weakened structurally during the implosion—began to topple forward into the remnants of the control room. Going forward, the imagery and 3D model generated as a result of the 2018 investigations will prove critical in AE1’s ongoing interpretation, exhibition and management. SignificanceThe photo postcard of AE1 is associated with Able Seaman James Thomas, who served aboard the Australian submarine when it disappeared in September 1914. AE1 was one of two submarines that served the Royal Australian Navy during the First World War, and has the dual distinction of being the first submarine commissioned for Australian military service, as well as the first Royal Australian Navy vessel lost in combat. Able Seaman Thomas' medals and ephemera are significant in that they provide a tangible link to AE1 and its loss.