A.E. 1 is lost
Australia's first naval casualty
On the 14th September 1914 Australia’s first submarine, A.E. 1 went on her last mission departing Rabaul to patrol Cape Gazelle in concert with the destroyer Parramatta. By 8 p.m. that evening she had not returned and had not been sighted, she was over due but what happened to her?
The A.E. 1 was Australia’s first submarine and was one of two E Class submarines purchased from Vickers with both submarines being commissioned in February 1914 and sailed out to Sydney arriving on the 24th May 1914. Although part of the Royal Australian Navy the officers were Royal Navy as were some of the enlisted men with the rest made up of Australians and her first commander was Lieutenant Commander Thomas Besant RN.
Australia’s first serious military operation was the capture of German Neu-Guinea and Admiral George Patey commanded the surface fleet in operations to support the landing of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force landings and to keep the German Ostasiengeschwader away and amongst this force was the AE. 1 with A.E. 2 and they were both off Rabaul when the town was surrendered on 13 September.
On the next day, 14 September, at 7:00 a.m. the A.E. 1 moved to patrol Cape Gazelle with the destroyer Parramatta and that was the last she was seen. By 8:00 p.m. she was declared as overdue.
This was recorded in Lieutenant Commander Cyril Hill’s diary, he was a serving officer on the Parramatta.
Parramatta and submarine AEI patrolling St George’s Channel. Submarine seen at 2.30 just off Duke of York Island. Parramatta then stood due east across channel and returned on same course. Submarine not in sight. Thought she had returned to harbour. Parramatta anchored off Herbetshohe 11 pm. Signal from Flag telling us to go search for submarine. Destroyers weighed and commenced search.
He went on to describe the search;
(15th September) Destroyers still searching for submarine. No sign of her. Very much afraid she has been sunk. Enemy supposed to have light guns hidden on small islands. Yarra touched uncharted reef while searching for submarine and damaged propeller. Flagship, Melbourne and Sydney left for Sydney…
(16th September) Parramatta and Submarine AEII anchored off Herbertshohe. All peaceful here. No sign of enemy troops. Also no sign of the AEI very much afraid she is a “gonner”. Must have either been sunk by enemy or struck an uncharted reef. Yarra not damaged seriously. Report can first get up to do 20 knots. Thank goodness.
A few days later the destroyers and elderly cruiser Encounter were searching for the Governor’s launch, Komet, which was allegedly acting as a support ship for German auxiliaries in the region - which she was as unknown to the authorities the Cormoran was in these waters trying to gather supplies.
(18th September) 5.0 pm Encounter, Warrego and Parramatta proceeded to search west coast of New Britain. Governor’s gun boat Comet (sic) supposed to be around somewhere. Arrived at Powel harbour. Destroyers searched harbour only finding large alligator which we fired at and missed. Coloured native who said he knew where Comet was and offered to pilot us there. Just then wireless message came through telling us to return full speed to Simpson Hafen as enormous cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were somewhere close and Australia and Sydney were returning full speed. Obliged to leave n——r and Comet for another day. Much sooner tackle Comet than big cruisers. On way to harbour noticed small steamer stuck on reef and evidently burnt. Warrego sent boat to investigate and found her still burning and having a one pounder gun mounting in the bows and some empty cartridge cases. Must have been her who sank the submarine AEI and in her hurry to get away ran on reef and enemy unable to get her off set her on fire and dismantled the gun.
There was a Post War claim as to who sank the A.E. 1 from one of the sailors of the German survey ship SMS Planet. Though the ship did have weapons aboard and was in the theatre she was actually stationed at Yap many, many miles away!
Could the Captain have been overly enthusiastic and made a mistake?
Besant had served in the Royal Navy since 1898 (aged 15) and had served during the Boxer Rebellion a few years later but he was not a surface fleet officer who was promoted sideways to submarines but someone who was very competent and capable in that role. He once wrote that:
It’s not all beer and skittles and perhaps it is a harder life than in other branches of the service but it’s the life I’ve chosen. Oh, yes, it’s dangerous if you want to look at it like that but it’s got to be done - and every man in the Navy, no matter in what branch he is in, has to be prepared to meet danger when it comes.
He is also considered to be a capable and cautious Commander despite his relatively young age so it would be a fair assessment that he was not the sort of man to endanger his crew by being slap dash or on a whim. A reporter from the Sydney Morning Herald described him thusly;
…only a naval officer who has made a submarine his home and loves every bit of her, would contend that she’s a lady, like “the liner”. There are such men. You have only to talk to Lieutenant-Commander Besant, who has charge of AE1, for a few moments, and you discover it. It is nine years since he joined the submarine service, and he has lived a fair proportion of that time under water.
The crewmen aboard were also experienced submariners who had practice and worked well together.
There is another possibility though, the boat may have had some severe faults.
During her journey from Portsmouth to Sydney both A.E. 1 and A.E. 2 had suffered mechanical issues including propellers dropping blades and A.E. 1 had to come under tow due malfunctions of the exhaust and intake valve springs, the clutches, toggle bolts and the motor shaft overheating. The temperature in the Mediterranean grew so hot that the crew had to paint their submarine white to try and reduce the temperature inside the hull but to little avail with one of her crew, Engine Room Artificer John Marsland writing;
The heat in the submarine is now almost unbearable.
There had been many searches for the wreck of the A.E.1 over the years, thirteen between 1914 and 2017, when she was finally found in December of 2017 at a depth of 980 feet in one piece although it looks like it hit the sea bed with some force.
Surveys of the wreck have shown that the submarine’s ventilation shaft is open by 60%. Having the vent open on the surface made a lot of sense due to the “unbearable” heat within the small interiors in the tropical heat, coupled with the mechanical failures she had been suffering from might have contributed to the vent not closing properly. With it open the engine room would have flooded in moments and the submarine would have plummeted uncontrollably to the sea bed dooming all thirty five aboard.
The Australian government has not listed the location of the wreck as she is a War grave and they don’t want any illegal salvage to take place.
The casualties were:
Baker, Cyril - Telegraphist (RAN)
Barton, Sidney - Leading Stoker (RAN)
Besant, Thomas - Lieutenant Commander (RN)
Blake, Ernest - Stoker (RAN)
Bray, John - Stoker (RAN)
Corbould, Godon - Leading Seaman (RAN)
Dance, George - Signalman (RAN)
Dennis, Frederick - Able Seaman (RAN/RN)
Fettes, James - Engine Room Artificer third class (RAN)
Fisher, Arthur - Able Seaman (RAN)
Gough, Henry - Stoker (RAN/RN)
Guilbert, Thomas - Petty Officer (RAN/RN)
Guild, James - Stoker (RAN/RN)
Guy, William - Leading Stoker (RAN/RN)
Hodge, Henry - Petty Officer (RAN/RN)
Hodgkin, George - Able Seaman (RAN/RN)
Holt, Richard - Stoker (RAN)
Jarman, Jack - Abe Seaman (RAN)
Lowe, Thomas - Act/Chief Engine room artificer first class (RAN/RN)
Marsland, John - Chief Engine Room artificer second class (RAN/RN)
Meek, John - Engine Room artificer third class (RAN/RN)
Messenger, John - Engine room artificer third class (RAN)
Moloney, John - Stoker Petty Officer (RAN)
Moore, Charles - Lieutenant
Reardon, John - Able Seaman (RAN)
Scarlett, Hon Leopold F. - Lieutenant (RN)
Small, Robert - Petty Officer (RAN)
Stretch, Harry - Chief Stoker (RAN/RN)
Thomas, James, - Able Seaman (RAN)
Tribe, William - Petty Officer (RN)
Waddilove, William - Stoker Petty Officer (RAN)
Wilson, Joseph - Chief Engine Room Artificer second class (RAN/RN)
Wilson, Persy - Leading Stoker first class (RAN)
Woodland, Frederick - Able Seaman (RFR/RAN)
Wright, Charles - Stoker Petty Officer (RAN)