It started in the Australian winter of July 2016 as an innocent coffee conversation with my Australian client. He was seeking to raise $1.5million.
Then he gave me the project description…
And the full details emerged with a quick call with Rear Admiral Peter Briggs, Chairman of “Project Finding AE1”.
This project was to help continue the search for a submarine that went missing in World War I.
The adrenaline started rising given the enormity of the project, its massive historical significance and most importantly, the opportunity to serve and give closure to the families of those 35 sailors who went down with AE1 during WW1 on that fatal afternoon in 1914 ….
I’m proud to have played a part in connecting the key stakeholders. Within 48 hours, once Paul Allen had locked in his foundation’s commitment to send the MV Octopus, RV Petrel, and now, with others’ support, it was only a matter of time.
They missed the favourable currents in November 2016, but during a second attempt in 2017, the oceans blessed them with fair winds and calm seas to help find the first Australian submarine AE1 at approximately 300 metres depth in the waters outside Rabaul port in Papua New Guinea.
We never know where some business conversations lead us on our journey.
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