About

The Australian National Submarine Museum has been established by the Submarine Institute of Australia inc.

Australia is very fortunate to have several excellent submarine exhibits and memorials:

• Submarine Ovens in Fremantle
• Submarine Onslow in Sydney
• The Holbrook Submarine Museum in southern NSW, and
• Memorials and displays in Brisbane, Albany, Carlingford, and Exmouth

The Australian National Submarine Museum connects these sites, curates our submarine history, and engages Australians in the story of submarines past, present, and future.

The Australian National Submarine Museum will tell the story of submarines in our past, present, and future through four key elements:

1. Creating a network of the physical exhibits
2. An online national collection of submarine artefacts
3. A Research Group that also has an association with Deakin University
4. A virtual museum that links and enhances the four elements.

Submarines have shaped Australia’s defence story since Federation:

• Australia was an early adopter
• The crew of AE1 were our first wartime casualties
• AE2 was the first submarine to penetrate the Dardanelles and that led to one of the first submarine campaigns in history
• In WWII Fremantle became the World’s second-largest submarine base
• The Oberons matured our capability, strengthened our strategic presence in our region and our alliance with the UK and the US
• The Collins-class gave us regional superiority and strategic resilience
• And since 1998, we’ve proudly welcomed female submariners into our ranks
• Now, with the decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, we enter a new chapter, one that will shape our diplomacy, industry, and defence for generations.

We hope that visitors to this museum will gain an understanding of why Australia has submarines, how they work, why they have been important in the past, their activity in the present and to imagine their roles in the future.