Probable WWII submarine wreck found in PNG. Possibly AE1.

[Florence]

27 October 2011


Probable WWII submarine wreck found in PNG


The Royal Australian Navy is investigating an uncharted wreck, believed to be a submarine, which was found during the conduct of Operation RENDER SAFE 2011 off Rabaul in Papua New Guinea, on 26 October 2011.

The wreck was discovered in a joint activity by the New Zealand Navy survey ship HMNZS Resolution and the Australian Minehunter HMAS Gascoyne.

The wreck is located in Simpson Harbour, which was an area known for submarine operations during World War II.

As with any wreck discoveries, immediate identification is not possible and work will continue over the coming days to identify both the type and the nationality of the vessel.

Once further details are ascertained, the relevant country authorities will be advised.

Authorities from the USA, Japan, PNG and New Zealand have been informed of the discovery

Operation RENDER SAFE is the Australian Defence Force (ADF) contribution to enduring explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) support to the nations of the south-west Pacific, being conducted over the period 18 October to 4 November.

Link to media release Defence News and Media » Probable WWII submarine wreck found in PNG


Images from All Images - FotoWeb 7.0

From Wikipedia - "HMAS AE1 (originally known as just AE1) was an E-class submarine of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). She was the first submarine to serve in the RAN, and was lost at sea with all hands near East New Britain, Papua New Guinea, on 14 September 1914, after less than seven months in service. The wreck of the submarine has never been found."

AE1 underway.

Newspaper Article PNG find may be long missing submarine AE1 | thetelegraph.com.au

So either a WW2 sub or the long lost wreck of Australias' first submarine.
Interesting stuff.

David.

 

[N4521U]

I don't have the book any more but was this the same class Stoker too thru the straights of Turkey??? Or such?

 

[vikingBerserker]

That is so cool!

 

[Florence]

was this the same class Stoker took thru the straights of Turkey?

That was her sister ship AE2. Her wreck was discovered in 1998, located where she was sunk off the coast of Turkey. 'AE2 was the only RAN vessel to be lost as a result of enemy action during World War I, and the two E-class submarines were the total of the RAN's operational losses in the war.' Wikipedia link- HMAS AE2 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Brave lads to sail those early subs. Still takes a brave lad to sail in todays subs.
Will be interesting to see what they find.

David.

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

Very interesting Florence, thank you for posting. I will keep an eye on this, I'm curious as the sub's ID.

 

[Gnomey]

Interesting find! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Florence]

28 October 2011

Wreck in PNG likely to be a Japanese submarine


The uncharted wreck found yesterday, off Rabaul in Papua New Guinea, is likely to be a World War II Japanese submarine.

Underwater vision taken by the Australian Minehunter, HMAS Gascoyne shows the wreck of a submarine, 55 meters below the surface inSimpsonHarbour. The wreck is partially buried in the harbour floor but remains upright.

There had been initial media speculation that this may have been the wreck of HMAS AE 1 -Australia's first submarine, lost in waters east of Rabaul during World War I in September 1914.

The imagery obtained by HMAS Gascoyne was examined by RAN historical staff, who concluded that the wreck is not AE 1 but a Japanese submarine.

The Royal Australian Navy will now work with Japanese authorities to assist in determining the wreck's identity.

HMAS Gascoyne was taking part in Operation RENDER SAFE – the Australian Defence Force (ADF) contribution to explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) in the Pacific. This year, RENDER SAFE is being conducted in Rabaul over the period 18 October to 4 November.

from Defence News and Media » Wreck in PNG likely to be a Japanese submarine.


Looks like it is not going to be AE1. No doubt the experts will continue to examine whatever they can and hopefully her true identity will be revealed.
Will be watching.

David.

 

[A4K]

Great stuff - thanks for posting!

 

[Florence]

Seems as though it might be a Japanese midget submarine. Anyhows here is a link to the 60 Minutes story titled 'Bombs Away' that covered the EOD divers of the RAN helping cleanup PNG -http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/videoindex.aspx.What a job! Nice footage of the wreck. Worth a look.

David.