The AE2, one of Australia's first two British-built submarines, was commissioned by the Royal Australian Navy in 1914.

It played a pivotal role in the 1915 Gallipoli campaign as the first Allied vessel to penetrate Turkish defences along the Dardanelles Strait just before dawn on April 25.

Parramatta-based maritime archaeologist Tim Smith, who works in the Department of Planning's heritage branch, was part of the team which found the wreck of the AE2 in 1998.

The vessel lies in 73metres of murky water at the bottom of the Sea of Marmara, an inland body of water which connects to the Aegean Sea through the Dardanelles at its western end and to the Black Sea to the east through the Bosporus Strait.

Mr Smith is one of those who was interviewed for the documentary Gallipoli Submarine, which will be screened on ABC 1 at 8.30pm on Thursday, April 24.

He is returning to the site this week and will conduct a workshop with Turkish museum representatives at Gallipoli following the dawn service.

``It's a technical workshop on what to do to conserve the AE2,'' Mr Smith said.

He said visiting the site where the relic now lies was ``an emotional experience''.

``It's an amazing site with a history tied to it that nobody really knows about,'' he said.

``It was intricately linked to the Anzac campaign and tradition and saved the lives of many people on the beaches at Gallipoli.''

The AE2's mission was to create a diversion to the Gallipoli landings by ``running amok'' and then enter the Sea of Marmara to cut the supply lines of the Ottoman army.

It caused great disruption for five days before being fatally damaged by a Turkish torpedo boat and being scuttled by her crew of 32, who were taken prisoner for the duration of the war.

``Being on top of that site you are snapped back to a moment in history,'' Mr Smith said. ``You can imagine the crew running through the vessel, and it slowly sinking to the bottom. It's an evocative place to be.''