Australian submarine AE2

World War I was fought on land, in the air, on the sea and below it. What role did AE2, an Australian submarine, play in the campaign to take Turkey's Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915? In this vivid re-enactment you will journey into the hazards of the Dardanelles Strait with the crew of AE2 as it commences what many believed would be a suicide mission.


Transcript from the 1st clip
AE2 enters the Dardanelles, 1915

NARRATOR:
In the early hours of 25 April 1915 in the waters off north-western Turkey, a massive fleet of allied ships is gathering. On board, 50,000 troops are poised to attack half a dozen beaches along the Gallipoli peninsula. Ahead of the invasion, a lone Australian submarine creeps slowly into the mouth of the Dardanelles Strait on what many believe is a suicide mission. Irish-born Lieutenant Commander Henry Stoker and the crew of his Majesty's Australian submarine 'AE2' have been ordered to sail deep into enemy territory. Their mission is to attack Turkish shipping, disrupt enemy supply lines and generally run amok. Commander Stoker kept a record of his voyages.
HENRY STOKER:
The Dardanelle Strait is 35 miles long and half a mile wide at the narrows Canakkale. A continuous current runs through it into the Mediterranean. It was heavily mined and its banks were studded with forts.
NARRATOR:
Stoker is also aware that concealed batteries of German howitzers have been added to the Turkish shoreline. Two other allied submarines have attempted the passage, both missions ended tragically. 21 crewmen were killed, including both captains.
MAN:
(Speaks Turkish)
HENRY STOKER:
The men who are going to do the work had no false ideas on the subject. If it was possible to force the Dardanelles, they were now about to be forced. And the sooner the business was started the better. Diving stations, prepare to dive.
NARRATOR:
With her position exposed, 'AE2' diverts attention away from the massive invasion forces about to land on the peninsula. The strait is on high alert, all of its defences are focused on a single submarine.

Almost 100 years
"Lest We Forget"

Short clips from ABC Splash
1.
AE2 enters the Dardanelles, 1915
http://splash.abc.net.au/media?id=105024
2.
AE2: Life on board a submarine
http://splash.abc.net.au/media/-/m/1...rd-a-submarine
3.
Drama in the Dardanelles as the AE2 attacks
http://splash.abc.net.au/media/-/m/1...he-ae2-attacks
4.
AE2 and the price of success
http://splash.abc.net.au/media/-/m/1...ice-of-success
5.
Gallipoli: The capture of the AE2 submarine
http://splash.abc.net.au/media/-/m/1...-ae2-submarine


The Silent ANZAC - AE2, from ABCTVCatalyst
what scientists are doing to protect her from the ravages of time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dok88f8GOoU

Respectfully
KnightsVonCross