Battle of Cocos
Part of World War I
Emden after the battle.
Date: November 9, 1914 Location: Cocos Islands, north east Indian Ocean Result: Australian victory
Combatants
Australia	Germany
Commanders
John Glossop	Karl von Müller
Strength
light cruiser HMAS Sydney	light cruiser SMS Emden
Casualties
3 men killed 8 wounded	131 men killed 65 wounded Emden scuttled

The naval Battle of Cocos took place on November 9, 1914 during World War I off the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, in the north east Indian Ocean. Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead: 5 million Civilian dead: 3 million Total dead: 8 million Military dead: 4 million Civilian dead: 3 million Total dead: 7 million The First World War, also known as... Download high resolution version (831x441, 38 KB)SMS Emden after its destruction This image was scanned from a public domain text by the Great War Primary Documents Archive and is made available by them for any purpose provided that they are credited and a link is given to the Photos... November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Karl von Müller Karl Friedrich Max von Müller (1873–1923) was Captain of the famous German commerce raider, the light cruiser SMS Emden during World War I. // Early life and career The son of a Prussian Army Colonel, he was born in Hanover on June 16, 1873. ... A light cruiser is a warship that is not so large and powerful as a regular (or heavy) cruiser, but still larger than ships like destroyers. ... The first HMAS Sydney was a Chatham class light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy. ... The cruise of the German light cruiser SMS Emden was among the most romanticised and notable incidents of World War I. In the latter half of 1914 Emden raided Allied shipping in the Indian Ocean, sinking or capturing thirty Allied merchant vessels and warships before being run aground by its... November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead: 5 million Civilian dead: 3 million Total dead: 8 million Military dead: 4 million Civilian dead: 3 million Total dead: 7 million The First World War, also known as...

The German light cruiser SMS Emden attacked the British telegraph relay station on Direction Island and was engaged several hours later by HMAS Sydney, an Australian light cruiser. The battle was the first ship-against-ship engagement for the Royal Australian Navy. A light cruiser is a warship that is not so large and powerful as a regular (or heavy) cruiser, but still larger than ships like destroyers. ... The cruise of the German light cruiser SMS Emden was among the most romanticised and notable incidents of World War I. In the latter half of 1914 Emden raided Allied shipping in the Indian Ocean, sinking or capturing thirty Allied merchant vessels and warships before being run aground by its... Telegraphy (from the Greek words tele = far away and grapho = write) is the long distance transmission of written messages without physical transport of letters, originally over wire. ... Direction Island is the name of several places: Direction Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands is an island of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Direction Island, Antarctica is another name of Bearing Island in Antarctica This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... The first HMAS Sydney was a Chatham class light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy. ... The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. ...

Background

HMAS Sydney

Emden was launched in 1908, and became the Kaiserliche Marine's representative at the German colony of Tsingtao, in China, and was part of the German East Asia Squadron. After war broke out on August 4, 1914, the squadron was ordered to avoid the superior Allied naval forces in the Pacific, and it headed for Germany, by way of Cape Horn. The sole exception was the Emden, under Korvettenkapitän (Lt Commander) Karl von Müller, which headed towards the Indian Ocean, with the objective of raiding Allied shipping. Müller frequently made use of a fake fourth smokestack, which — when the ship flew the Royal Navy ensign — made it resemble the British cruiser HMS Yarmouth and similar vessels. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Battle of Penang occured in 1914, during World War I. It was a naval action. ... German squadron leaving Valparaiso 3 Nov. ... SMS Königsberg was a Kaiserliche Marine light cruiser, which was in German East Africa at the start of World War I. She operated in her design role as a raider of merchant shipping. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Kaiserliche Marine or Imperial Navy was the German Navy created by the formation of the German Empire and existed between 1871 and 1919; it grew out of the Prussian Navy and the Norddeutsche Bundesmarine. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Colonialism. ... (Simplified Chinese: 青岛; Traditional Chinese: 青島; Pinyin: QÄ«ngdÇŽo; Wade-Giles: Ching-tao), well-known to the West by its Postal System Pinyin transliteration Tsingtao, is a sub-provincial city in eastern Shandong province, Peoples Republic of China. ... The German East Asia squadron was a German Kaiserliche Marine (naval) cruiser squadron which operated mainly in the Pacific Ocean between the 1870s and 1914. ... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... Cape Horn from the South. ... Karl von Müller Karl Friedrich Max von Müller (1873–1923) was Captain of the famous German commerce raider, the light cruiser SMS Emden during World War I. // Early life and career The son of a Prussian Army Colonel, he was born in Hanover on June 16, 1873. ... In general, allies are people or groups that have joined an alliance and are working together to achieve some common purpose. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... It has been suggested that naval ensign be merged into this article or section. ...

Within three months, Emden had sunk 30 Allied merchant vessels and warships. It had also shelled and damaged British oil tanks at Madras, in India. A collier named Buresk, was captured with its cargo intact, and was re-crewed with German seamen to accompany the Emden as a supply vessel. Other victims of the Emden included an obsolescent Russian cruiser and a French destroyer off Malaya, at the Battle of Penang, on October 28. By the end of October, no less than 60 Allied warships were looking for the Emden. Madras refers to: the Indian city of Chennai, formerly known as Madras, the former Indian state, now known as Tamil Nadu (Plural of Madra): Ancient people of Iranian affinites, who lived in northwest Panjab in the Uttarapatha division of ancient India. ... Collier may refer to: a bulk cargo ship that carried coal. ... USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer (French: contre-torpilleur, German: Zerstörer, Spanish: destructor, Italian: cacciatorpediniere) is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers... The Federation of Malaya, or in Malay Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, was formed in 1948 from the British settlements of Penang and Malacca and the nine Malay states and replaced the Malayan Union. ... The Battle of Penang occured in 1914, during World War I. It was a naval action. ... 1628 - The Siege of La Rochelle, which had been ongoing for 14 months, ends with Huguenot surrender 1664 - The Duke of York and Albanys Maritime Regiment of Foot later to be known as the Royal Marines is established. ...

Coincidentally, on November 1, a convoy carrying the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) to Egypt, left Albany, Western Australia. The escort was comprised of four cruisers: the Australian Sydney and HMAS Melbourne, the British HMS Minotaur and the Imperial Japanese Navy's Ibuki. November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... An ANZAC soldier gives water to a wounded Turk The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (popularly abbreviated as ANZAC) was originally an army corps of Australian and New Zealand troops who fought in World War I at Gallipoli, in the Middle East and on the Western Front. ... Location of Albany, Western Australia Albany, (, ), is a city of approximately 30,000 people on the south coast of Western Australia, 408 kilometres southeast of Perth. ... HMAS Melbourne was a Town-class light cruiser laid down by Cammell Laird at Birkenhead in England on 4 April 1911, launched on 30 May 1912 by Mrs. ... Ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ...

The action

SMS Emden

The radio and telegraph station at Direction Island was a critical component of Allied communication in and across the Indian Ocean. Müller decided to destroy the station's radio tower and equipment. Image File history File linksMetadata SMS_Emden. ... Image File history File linksMetadata SMS_Emden. ... Direction Island is the name of several places: Direction Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands is an island of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Direction Island, Antarctica is another name of Bearing Island in Antarctica This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ...

When Emden reached the island at 6am on November 9, the Eastern Telegraph Company staff quickly realised they were under attack and sent a message saying "Strange ship in entrance" and "SOS, Emden here". A German shore party of 50 seamen with small arms, under Kapitänleutnant Hellmuth von Mücke was quickly landed. The civilian staff on the island offered no resistance, and Mücke even agreed to take care that the 54 metre (176 ft) tall radio tower did not fall into the island's tennis court, when its base was blown up. Emden signalled the Buresk to join it. Cable and Wireless is a British telecommunications company. ...

The ANZAC convoy happened to be only 50 miles (80 km) away and it was decided to detach a vessel in response to the SOS signals. Despite intense lobbying from the commander of the Ibuki, the state-of-art Sydney — under Captain John Glossop was despatched at 7am.

When lookouts on Emden spotted Sydney approaching, Müller had no choice but to raise anchor and engage the Australian cruiser, leaving Mücke and his landing party on Direction Island. Direction Island is the name of several places: Direction Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands is an island of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Direction Island, Antarctica is another name of Bearing Island in Antarctica This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ...

A map of the Cocos (Keeling Islands.

Sydney was larger, faster and better armed — 6 inch (152mm) guns — than Emden, which had 104mm (4.1 inch) guns. However the German gunners fired first at 9.40am, from 10km away and scored hits soon afterwards, knocking out Sydney's rangefinder and one gun. After that point Glossop used his speed and the superior range of his guns to avoid damage and casualties, while his gunners individually gradually found their marks, inflicting sustained and accurate fire on Emden. Source: http://www. ... Source: http://www. ...

By 10.20am the Germans had lost their steering, electrics and radio. Nevertheless the battle went on for almost another hour. After taking extremely heavy damage from almost 100 hits, and suffering dozens of casualties, Müller decided to beach Emden on North Keeling Island to avoid sinking, at 11.15am. Sydney then pursued Buresk, which was scuttled to avoid re-capture. Müller had neglected to strike his colours after beaching and when Sydney returned, Glossop signalled Emden to surrender. As no reply was received, he ordered his gunners to resume shooting, after which a white flag was run up.

The survivors from Emden were then captured and Emden was destroyed. Emden's crew suffered 131 killed and 65 wounded, from a total complement of 360. Sydney had three killed and eight wounded. Glossop later said that he "felt like a murderer" for ordering the last salvoes, but had no choice under the circumstances.

In the meantime, Mücke and his men had seized the 123-ton three-masted schooner Ayesha and some supplies and made for Padang on Sumatra, in the neutral territory of the Dutch East Indies, where they rendezvoused with a German merchant vessel on December 13. Mücke's party made their way to Turkey by way of the Red Sea, arriving on May 5, 1915. From there they travelled overland to Germany. Two-masted fishing schooner A schooner (IPA: ) is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts. ... Padang is the capital and largest city of West Sumatra, Indonesia. ... Sumatra (also spelled Sumatara and Sumatera) is the sixth largest island of the world (approximately 470,000 km²) and is the third largest island of Indonesia after Borneo (of which Kalimantan belongs to Indonesia) and New Guinea. ... The Dutch East Indies, or Netherlands East Indies, (Dutch: Nederlands-Indië) was the name of the colonies set up by the Dutch East India Company, which came under administration of the Netherlands during the 19th century (see Indonesia). ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Location of the Red Sea Image:Red Seaimage. ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Link

"The Ayesha: Adventures of the Landing Squad of the Emden" (Book by kapitänleutnant Hellmuth von Mücke).