One of Australia’s oldest naval mysteries has been solved after the country discovered the wreck of the first submarine sunk in World War I.
According to Phys, the ship AE1 went missing on New Guinean Island in New Britain on September 14, 1914 with a fleet of 35 people from Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand. Over the decades, more than a dozen hunts for this ship have been carried out to no avail. It was only last week that AE1 was discovered 300 meters below the surface of the sea during a search using a Dutch survey vessel.
The wreck of the Australian submarine HMAS AE1 that sank off the coast of Papua New Guinea, New Britain. (Photo: AP).
“It was the first loss of the Royal Australian Navy and the first loss of an allied submarine in World War I – a great tragedy for our country and its allies,” the defense minister said. Australia Marise Payne said on Thursday (December 21).
The Australian government is trying to contact the descendants of those who died on board. The exact reason why the submarine sank is still unknown.
Also according to Minister Payne, a memorial service was held to remember those who died after the ship was found. Australia is also in discussions with the Papua New Guinean government about building a permanent memorial and ways to preserve the site.
In 1914, the submarine AE1 was sent from Sydney to capture German troops in New Guinea but operated for only 7 months and disappeared a day after Germany surrendered to the colony.
The exact reason why the submarine sank is still unknown. (Photo: AAP).
The last time the AE1 made contact with an Australian ship was at 2:30 p.m. the day it went missing (September 14, 1914). At that time, the people of the neighboring island talked about seeing a “demon fish” or a “monster” appearing and then quickly disappearing into the sea.
It was always assumed that AE1 was not a victim of retaliation because at the time the only German vessel nearby was a small survey vessel.
The outside of the submarine AE1 has just been found. (Photo: AAP).
Since no debris, oil or bodies have been found, it is also believed that AE1 sank intact, most likely after a collision in the sails that punctured a hole in the pressure. Hull. Whether this assumption is correct or not has yet to be publicly confirmed.