Fugro is set to join a campaign to find the lost WWI HMAS AE1 Australian submarine.
Fugro’s survey vessel, the Fugro Equator, will be used along with the multibeam echosounder to conduct a bathymetric survey and an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) will be used for close examination of the search area.
The expedition will be led by the not-for-profit-company Find AE1 Limited and supported by Fugro, the Australian National Maritime Museum and the Submarine Institute of Australia.
The Silentworld Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation, and the Royal Australian Navy are the main sponsors funding the search that aims to locate this significant part of Australia’s history, the company noted.
The Australian Government informed earlier that it would match private investment to fund the expedition to search for HMAS AE1.
The submarine was lost without a trace on September 14, 1914 while patrolling waters off then German New Guinea. The fate of the vessel and the men on board, comprising Australian, New Zealand and British subjects, is still unknown.