The Australian Submarine AE2

Commissioned in 1914, the E-class submarine HMAS AE2 carved out an extraordinary legacy in the early days of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Alongside her sister ship, AE1, she completed the longest submarine voyage recorded at the time just to reach Australian waters—a major milestone for the young navy.

When World War I broke out, AE2 initially deployed to German New Guinea with the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force before patrolling the waters around Fiji. Her true claim to fame, however, arrived after her transfer to the Mediterranean. There, she made history during the Dardanelles Campaign as the first submarine to successfully breach the treacherous straits and enter the Sea of Marmara. Though mechanical failures ultimately forced her crew to scuttle the vessel—leading to their capture—AE2 stands as a powerful testament to early naval courage, and holds the solemn distinction of being the only RAN vessel that enemy action claimed during the war.

After the ship spent decades on the ocean floor, the Rahmi M. Koç Museum discovered her wreck in 1998. Today, a joint conservation effort by the Australian and Turkish governments ensures that this historic vessel rests securely in its final burial site.