Author(s): Brenchley Fred

Naval History | First World War

On April 25 1915, the day the Anzacs landed at Gallipoli, Lt Commander Henry Gordon Stoker set out as captain of the Australian submarine AE2 on a mission to navigate the Dardanelles Strait. That Stoker managed to find a way through the narrow Dardanelles against unknown current, mines and withering enemy fire has been described as the finest feat in submarine history. Stoker's achievment meant much in military terms, but even more emotionally in boosting the morale of the embattled Allied troops. This text tells the story of a remarkable naval hero.