After a dozen previous attempts, Australia has finally solved its most vexing deep sea mystery, locating the wreck of its first submarine off Papua New Guinea — where it sank in 1914 with 35 crew members aboard.
“This is one of the most significant discoveries in Australia’s naval maritime history,” Defense Minister Marise Payne said about the HMAS AE-1, according to the BBC.
“It was the first loss for the Royal Australian Navy and the first Allied submarine loss in World War I — a significant tragedy felt by our nation and our allies.”
The 800-ton sub vanished without a distress call on Sept. 14, 1914, along with its Australian and British crew just seven months into its service while en route to capture what was then German New Guinea.
Naval historians said ships could find no trace of AE-1 after it sank a day after Germany surrendered the colony — not even “the tell-tale shimmer of escaping oil on the water,” according to the Guardian of the UK.
“We were a young navy at the time,” navy chief Vice Adm. Tim Barrett said.