| P&O honours Australia submarine wreck

DURING her New Guinea Island Encounter cruise, Pacific Aria sailed near the submerged wreckage of AE1 — the Royal Australian Navy’s first submarine – which was recently discovered near Rabaul, ending a 103-year-old mystery.

Becoming the first P&O cruise ship to do so, Pacific Aria sailed within seven nautical miles of AE1’s last known position when it disappeared with its crew of 35 Australian, British and New Zealand sailors on Sep 1914, during World War I.

During the sail by, Aria’s captain gave a special address and asked passengers to take the time reflect on the bravery of the young men and the relief of their descendants more than a century on.