ISSUE 152 JUNE 2014 Australian Submarines from 1914 Africa’s Indian Ocean Navies: Naval evolution in a complex and volatile region The Aussie military history your kids aren’t learning Cooperation or Trust: What comes first in the South China Sea? Israel Navy Dolphin-II class submarine Netherlands-Belgian Naval Squadron World Naval Developments The War of 1812: What it Means to the United States Flying the ASEAN Flag Centenary of ANZAC (Navy) The Far Flank of the Indo-Pacific: India and China in the South-West Pacific Confrontation at Sea: The Midshipman Who Almost Shot ‘The General’ JOURNAL OF THE Sponsorship_Ad_Outlines.indd 1 30/11/2013 10:43:20 PM Issue 152 3 Letter to the Editor Contents Dear Readers, As before, we require you to Australian Submarines from 1914 4 Headmark is going through conform to the Style Notes and other some changes. It will henceforth be guidelines printed at the back of the published constantly online, and paper edition, and also to be found on Africa’s Indian Ocean Navies: Naval in print twice a year, for June and the website. evolution in a complex and volatile December. The changes will bring more region 11 Publishing online will mean a steady immediacy, and less costs to the stream of articles reaching the website, ANI. Publishing world-wide is going The Aussie military history your kids which you can access at: through changes, and we are also aren’t learning 17 www.navalinstitute.com.au altering ourselves to best fit the new ANI members will have access to world. Be assured we are still after your everything on the site. Members of the opinions, information, complaints and Cooperation or Trust: What comes first public will have less access or delayed suggestions for the maritime and naval in the South China Sea? 19 access to parts of the site. ANI members world ahead. will have to login and generate a new Israel Navy Dolphin-II class password to the new site. Regards, submarine 20 Articles for consideration in both formats of the Journal should still be Dr Tom Lewis OAM sent to me as Editor at: Editor Netherlands-Belgian Naval [email protected] Squadron 21 World Naval Developments 23 The War of 1812: What it Means to the United States 25 Front page : A Flying the ASEAN Flag 30 crowded Sydney skyline, featuring Centenary of ANZAC (Navy) 36 Daring-class destroyer HMAS Vampire and Oberon- The Far Flank of the Indo-Pacific: India class submarine and China in the South-West Pacific 40 HMAS Onslow, both now features of the Australian Maritime Confrontation at Sea: The Midshipman Who Almost Shot ‘The General’ 45 Museum (Tony Woodland) Book Reviews 50 Issue Number 152 Visions from the Vault 67 Printed in Queensland Australia SPONSORS: Style Notes for Headmark 69 ISSN 1833-6531 DMS MARITIME – LOCKHEED MARTIN – AUSTAL – SAAB SYSTEMS Design & DTP by QINETIQ – AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE CREDIT UNION – RAYTHEON AUSTRALIA ANI Membership Application Form 70 Diane Bricknell THYSSENKRUPP MARINE SYSTEMS AUSTRALIA – THALES NAVAL GROUP [email protected] Journal of the Australian Naval Institute 4 Australian Submarines from 1914 BY PETER SMITH When the Royal Australian Navy was formed in 1911 RN, were it was envisaged that the rushed through Navy would have at least their refitting three sea-going submarines. and joined the An order was placed with second convoy Vickers Limited at Barrow-in- to leave Sydney Furness, England for two of consisting the new improved “E” class, of the light a development of the “D” cruiser HMAS class submarine. They were Protector larger, better armed and had a and the greater radius of action. requisitioned The keel of HMAS AE1 was steamer HMAS AE2 as built by laid down on 3 November 1911 Upola which acted as tenders to the ANZAC convoy and was towed by Cutting Edge Models and HMAS AE2 on 10 February submarines. The convoy left Sydney the requisitioned armed merchant 1912. The submarines were on 2 September, to join the Australian cruiser HMAS Berrima. The convoy commissioned into the RAN Fleet in New Guinea waters in left Albany, Western Australia on at Portsmouth on 28 February operations against the German Pacific 31 December and arrived in the 1914 and arrived in Sydney on Colonies. Mediterranean early February 1915. May 24 of the same year. AE2 joined the Royal Navy’s submarine Operations in New Guinea flotilla and shared in the duties of the waters and loss of AE1 Dardanelles Patrol, of keeping the AE1 and AE2 At 1530 hours on September 14, AE1 Turkish warships bottled in the Straits Both boats had a displacement of 725 was seen patrolling to the south west of and Sea of Marmora. tons surfaced and 810 submerged. the Duke of York Island by the officers Statistically they were 181 feet overall and crew of the destroyer HMAS ANZAC Day 1915 and AE2’s in length and carried 1,600 hp diesels Parramatta and it was assumed the glorious action for surface cruising and 840 hp electric submarine was returning to harbour at At 0300 hours on Sunday, 25 April, AE2 motors when submerged. They had an Kokopo on the island of New Britain entered the Dardanelles Strait, dived average speed of 15 knots surfaced and for the evening. At 2000 hours AE1 had off the mouth of the Suandere River 10 submerged with a range of 3,000 not returned. and continued up the Strait, passing miles at 10 knots on the surface. The During the night and all next day under five lines of mines. Having E-class carried four torpedo tubes, searches were made along the coasts passed the town of Chanak, Lieutenant one in the bow, one in the stern and of New Ireland, and New Britain and Commander Stoker ran into difficulties two in the beam with a total of eight neighbouring waters. No trace of when AE2 grounded twice in the torpedoes carried. the submarine was found, not even Narrows and was almost rammed by escaping oil. The fate of AE1, the first Turkish warships. Moving out of the Outbreak of World War I Allied submarine to be lost in World Narrows, Stoker spotted a gunboat, After the arrival of the Navy’s two new War I, with its 3 officers and 32 men is a target too good to miss! With care boats, both were docked at Cockatoo still unknown. Stoker lined his boat up for a torpedo Island Dockyard, Sydney, to make good shot. Within minutes Stoker brought the defects which became evident Deployment of AE2 to Europe the Australian participation in the on their delivery voyage. With the In December 1914, the Australian war to the other side of the Gallipoli outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, AE1 Government offered the Royal Navy Peninsula, when the torpedo hit and under the command of Lieutenant the service of AE2 in European again made the Turks aware that their Commander TF Besant RN and AE2 waters. The offer was accepted and rear was still vulnerable. under the Command of HHGD Stoker the submarine joined the second In the early hours of Monday Journal of the Australian Naval Institute Issue 152 5 morning AE2 entered the Sea of Marmora. With the forcing of the Dardanelles, Stoker sent a signal detailing his success to Rear Admiral C. Thursby RN aboard the dreadnought HMS Queen Elizabeth. Being the only submarine in the Sea, Stoker decided to harry the Turkish shipping by re-entering the Dardanelles submerged and coming to the surface to give the impression that more than one submarine was in the area. He had sunk. He had led the way into the Sydney on Tuesday morning 15 July Collins-class and Seahawk - traditional continued the harassment of shipping Marmora and started the paralysis 1919, accompanied by the submarine enemies (RAN photo) until a second submarine HMS E14 which was soon to sweep over the tender HMAS Platypus under the under the command of Lieutenant Turkish communications and his command of Captain EC Boyle VC Commander EC Boyle RN arrived. exploit must rank high in the annals of RN (the commanding officer of the Boyle being the senior officer suggested naval achievement.” submarine flotilla). The submarines that they meet the following day, April went into immediate refit at Cockatoo 30, in the same area. Unfortunately Post World War I and the Island before being based in Geelong, for Stoker and the crew of AE2, they J-boats Victoria. During the refit a decision were surprised on the surface at the On 25 March 1919, six “J” class was made to remove the beam torpedo rendezvous point by the torpedo boat submarines were transferred to the tubes from all six boats. Sultan Hissar which proceeded to RAN from the Royal Navy. Built at The submarines saw limited service attack. Stoker dived the boat but had HM Dockyard in Portsmouth and other than a trip to Hobart for the difficulties with the trim. The boat completed mid-1916, the submarines Regatta and some exercises. By June began going down fast by the bow saw limited wartime action based 1922 all six were laid up. J1, J2, J4 and past the safety limit. With the motors with the Eleventh Flotilla at Blyth. J5 were sold in February 1924 and were running full speed astern AE2’s stern The “J” class had a displacement of eventually scuttled in Bass Straight off broke the surface, shells fired from 1,210 tons surfaced and 1,820 tons Barwon Point, Victoria. J3 was sold the destroyer began to pierce the submerged, except J7 which had a in 1926 and J7, after spending her submarine and land in the engine submerged tonnage of 1,760.