Event Details
- Date:
- Sunday 15 September 2024 11:30 am to 12:00 pm
- Location:
- Sanctuary, Shrine of Remembrance, Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne, VIC 3001
- Details:
- Admission is free.
- This venue is wheelchair accessible.
This service commemorates the service and loss of HMA Submarines AE1 and AE2 during the First World War.
AE1 deployed to occupy German possessions in the South-West Pacific, and to counter the threat of German ships in the region. On 14 September 1914, the submarine and her 35 crew members vanished without a trace. It wasn't until 2017 that she was located on the seabed off the Duke of York Islands, Papua New Guinea.
AE2 began operations in the Dardanelles campaign in February 1915. In April, her orders were to force a passage through the Dardanelles Strait as part of the Gallipoli campaign.
She battled past shore batteries, enemy ships, minefields and natural obstacles until she made it to the Sea of Marmora. There, she began engaging with enemy ships. This news boosted morale at Gallipoli and has been credited with influencing the decision to remain on the peninsula.
AE2's luck ran out on 30 April 1915 when an enemy torpedo struck the engine room. The crew scuttled the submarine with no loss of life and became prisoners for the rest of the war. The wreck was discovered in 1998.
Shrine Representatives:
- Shrine Governor: Commander Terry Makings AM
- Shrine Governor: Lieutenant Commander Jan Gallagher
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