INTRODUCTION
The story of AE2 was and remains one of the proudest tales of Australian naval heroism. But 99 years after it’s sinking the story of AE2 and the daring men behind it, is largely forgotten. The AE2 was built to break records. AE2 was one of the first Australian submarines (along with AE1) and it was the first ship to breach the Turkish defenses of the Dardanelles during the First World War. At the time it made the longest unbroken submarine transit in history of 24,000 kilometres. It was both the first and last operational loss of the Royal Australian Navy by enemy action.
BACKGROUND OF THE SUBMARINE
In 1907, the Prime Minister of Australia, Alfred Deakin, and his director of the Commonwealth Naval Forces sought the British government’s …show more content…
Of the mixed Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy crew 14 were Australians. The crew were led by Lietenant Commander Henry ‘Dacre’ Stoker, an Irish Royal Navy officer who volunteered for AE2 because he wanted to play polo in Australia (as affirmed by many accounts from his crew). Stoker was popular among his men and would later go on to write the story of AE2 in his book Straws in the Wind. Stoker was with AE2 its entire maritime life from 1913-1915. Few Australians could boast this as most Royal Australian Navy submariners crewed AE2 only after its arrival in Australia.
One Australian who served aboard AE2 from its beginnings to its final moments was Leading Signalman Albert Charles ‘Bunts’ Thomson. Thomson was born to Scottish parents in Albury, New South Wales on the 24th of May 1888. His mother died giving birth to him. In the mid 1890s Thomson returned with his father to Scotland. Thomson became a painter’s assistant in Scotland before joining the Royal Navy at age 17. He was signed a 2nd class boy seaman to a number of training ship before qualifying as a signalman. Thomson took the nickname ‘Bunts’ as he was a bunting tosser, an informal term for sailors who hoisted signal flags. Thomson was a skilled signalman and quickly rose to the rank of leading signaler making him the senior rating among junior signalers. In 1913 Thomson volunteered for service on the HMAS AE2. He was officially lent to the Royal Australian Navy …show more content…
He was instrumental in communicating with Allied ships during Australia’s first action in German New Guinea. When AE2 travelled to the Dardanelles strait Thomson was involved in signaling Allied ships before the attempt was made for the AE2 to infiltrate the Dardanelles. When the Turkish torpedo boat Sultanhisar attacked AE2, Thomson was involved in the submarines’ evacuation and scuttling. The Sultanhisar took Thomson and his comrades to Istanbul where many where sent to prison camps. In punishment for fighting and rebellious behaviour in other camps, Thomson was sent to a remote railway camp. Conditions at this camp were appaling and Thomson made 2 failed escape