Commissioning axe for HMAS AE1 and HMAS AE2

Images(7)

Commissioning axe for HMAS AE1 and HMAS AE2

Date18 June 1913

Object number00055185

NameAxe

MediumWood, iron/steel, paint

DimensionsOverall: 60 × 520 × 290 mm

ClassificationsCeremonial artefact

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Tony Todd

Terms

DescriptionCommissioning Axe used to launch the Australian submarines AE1 and AE2. Object is a wooden-handled hatchet, the iron/steel head of which has been engraved with the following notation: 'WITH THIS AXE Mr H. Warton Successfully Launched Submarines AE1 & AE2 from the Works of Vickers Ltd, Barrow 22/5 & 18/6 1913'.HistoryIn addition to their distinction as Australia's first naval submarines, AE1 and AE2 served the Royal Australian Navy during the First World War, and were the nation’s first naval vessels to be lost during wartime. AE2 served during the Gallipoli Campaign and after harassing Ottoman naval vessels and troop transports in the Dardanelles and Sea of Marmara, was fatally damaged by the Ottoman torpedo boat SULTANHISAR on 30 April 1915. All of the submarine’s officers and ratings safely abandoned ship but scuttled the submarine to prevent its capture. AE2’s crew were subsequently incarcerated in Turkish prisoner-of-war camps, and four died in captivity. In the case of AE1, the submarine disappeared without trace in the waters of Papua New Guinea on 14 September 1914 with its entire complement of 35 officers and crew. In December 2017, a new search for 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 commissioning axe is a truly one-of-a-kind item, as it was used to launch both AE1 and AE2—which were not only Australia’s first naval submarines, but the only two submarines of their class ever constructed (they were built solely for the Royal Australian Navy, and no replacements were manufactured following their loss).