The wreck of Australia's oldest submarine found after 103 years

Australian submarine found after 103 years © Fugro Survey

The wreck of Australia's first submarine has been discovered off the coast of Papua New Guinea after disappearing without a trace 103 years ago.

"Australia's oldest naval mystery has been solved," said Australia's Minister for Defense Marise Payne. The Royal Australian Navy submarine HMAS AE1, which was carrying 35 crew-members from Australia, Britain and New Zealand, sank near Rabaul on the island of New Britain on September 14, 1914. World War I had begun just a few weeks earlier and the disappearance marked the country's first loss in the conflict.

"This is a great day for Australian maritime history," said Brendan Nelson, director of the Australian War Memorial, in a statement. "When the AE1 went missing in 1914 it had a profound impact on our young nation," he said. "Now we can properly mourn the deaths of those men who served in AE1, and commemorate their sacrifice in a meaningful and fitting way."

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