HMAS AE2
HER ROLE AT GALLIPOLI.
HMAS AE2 was commissioned at Portsmouth, England, in February 1914, under the command of LCDR Stoker RN. She
had a crew of 35 officers & sailors from both the RN & RAN.
She returned to Australia in company of sister submarine AE1 on 24th May 1914 and arrived in Sydney after 60 days at
sea, the longest voyage ever for a submarine at that time.
Both AE1 & AE2 were quickly involved in WW1 with operations in New Guinea Territories. Unfortunately during one of
the patrols to seek out any approaching enemy ships HMAS AE1 disappeared & has never been found.
After this action AE2 returned to Sydney for a maintenance period and was then despatched to Suez via Albany in
company with a convoy of 17 transports, arriving in January 1915.
AE2 was attached to the British Squadron engaged in the Dardanelles Campaign with minimal action until ordered to
make passage through the Dardanelles Straits just prior to 25th April 1915. This was a difficult task of transiting 35 miles
underwater against an extremely strong current, with limited endurance whilst submerged; it was only made possible
when LCDR Stoker discovered that there was a counter flow current at a deeper depth that aided his passage. She
commenced her passage at 0230 on the surface and dived at 0430 when shore batteries opened fire on her. She
managed to navigate through minefields and surfaced at 0600 to make periscope observations and was immediately
opened fire on. Stoker had observed several warships and decided to attack a small cruiser. His report read:
At a range of 300 yards I fired the bow tube at her. One of the destroyers was now very close, attempting to ram us
on the port side, so at the moment of firing I ordered 70 feet. A last glance, as the periscope dipped, showed the
destroyer apparently right on top of us and then, amidst the noise of her propeller whizzing overhead, was heard the
big explosion as the torpedo struck.
When LCDR Stoker decided to risk a look around he ran aground with a considerable amount of the conning tower
showing and was under fire from a nearby fort but was able to refloat and make deeper water. As she proceeded
through the Straits, AE2 was surrounded by pursuit craft and each time she showed a periscope attempts were made to
ram her.
All day 25th April AE2 lay on the bottom in 80 feet water, hearing many vessels passing overhead – at 2100 she surfaced
to find no sign of any shipping, so charged her batteries. At 1600 on 26 th April she proceeded on the surface up the
Straits and after a night transit with some observation of enemy ships was into the Gallipoli anchorage where she
observed no ship worthy of attack and proceeded to the Sea of Mamora.
Several attempts were made to attack troop ships over the next couple of days but failed either due to shots missing or
torpedoes misfiring. On the night of 29/30th AE2 lay on the bottom North of Mamora Island. Arriving at a scheduled
rendezvous with British Submarine HMS E14 at 1000 she sighted a torpedo boat approaching at high speed – LCDR
Stocker commented on events:
Dived to avoid torpedo boat; whilst diving sighted smoke in Artaki Bay, so steered South to investigate. About 1030
the boat’s nose suddenly rose and she broke surface about a mile from the torpedo boat. Blew water forward but
boat would not dive. Torpedo boat firing very close and ship from Artaki Bay, a gunboat was also firing; flooded a
forward tank and boat suddenly assumed big inclination down by the bows and dived rapidly. AE2 was only fitted
with a 100 foot depth gauge. This depth was quickly reached and passed. After a considerable descent the boat rose
rapidly, passed the 100 foot mark and in spite of efforts to check her broke surface stern first. Within seconds the
engine room was hit and holed in three places. Owing to the inclination down by the bow, it was impossible to see
torpedo boat through the periscope and I considered any attempt to ram would be useless. I therefore blew main
ballast and ordered all hands on deck. Assisted by LEUT Haggard, I then opened all tanks to flood the sub and went
on deck. The boat sank in a few minutes in about 55 fathoms, in approximate position 4 degrees North of Kara Burnu
Point at 1045. All hands picked up by torpedo boat and no lives lost.
Thus AE2 came to an end and her contribution to WW1 was over. She did, however, force the Turkish bombardment
ships to retire making Gallipoli a much safer place for the allied troops than it would otherwise have been. HMAS AE2
can thus be seen as the most significant Australian Naval contribution to the Gallipoli action.
The wreck was found in 1998 and later declared a War Memorial and left in place.