A travelling exhibition that looks at the role of the Royal Australian Navy in WWI has arrived in Williamstown.
The exhibition by the Australian National Maritime Museum, War at Sea – the Navy in WWI, features 10 panels about the personal experiences of Australian sailors drawn from diaries, ship logs and letters home.
It tells the story of the country’s first submarine, AE1, which disappeared without a trace of either the vessel or its 35 hands.
Visitors can also learn about Australia’s second submarine, AE2, which was the first Allied vessel to breach the Dardanelles in Turkey in April, 1915.
Local maritime historian Geoff Dougall said Seaworks had built its own display around the exhibition to highlight Williamstown’s naval history.
“What we’re trying to get across is that Williamstown was the birthplace of the Royal Australian Navy,” he said.
“People still think that it was Sydney, but it wasn’t.
“The Victorian Colonial Navy had more ships than any other colonial state put together.
“That story’s important to Williamstown … the Williamstown brigade and the Port Melbourne brigade were the run-ups to get prepared for WWI.
“Without that, we wouldn’t have had any sailors that were accustomed to warfare.”
War at Sea – the Navy in WWI will run at Seaworks Maritime Discovery Centre, 82 Nelson Place, Williamstown, until Wednesday, May 31.
