SMS Emden (1906)
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{{otherships|SMS Emden}}
{|{{Infobox Ship Begin}}
{{Infobox Ship Image
|Ship image=[[Image:SMS Emden.jpg|300px]]
|Ship caption=SMS ''Emden''
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{{Infobox Ship Career
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|Ship country=[[German Empire]]
|Ship flag=[[Image:War Ensign of Germany 1903-1918.svg|KLM ensign|44px]]
|Ship name=''Emden''
|Ship namesake=[[Emden]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Kaiserliche Werft Danzig|Kaiserliche Werft]], [[Gdańsk|Danzig]]
|Ship laid down=[[6 April]] [[1906]]
|Ship launched=[[26 May]] [[1908]]
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=[[10 July]] [[1909]]
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=Destroyed at the [[Battle of Cocos]]<br>[[9 November]] [[1914]]
|Ship status=
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox Ship Characteristics
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|Ship class=
|Ship displacement=3,364 tons normal
|Ship length={{convert|118|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|13.4|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|5.3|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft=
|Ship propulsion=Twelve boilers, two 16,000 shaft horsepower (12 MW) 3-cylinder triple expansion reciprocating steam engines driving two propellers
|Ship speed={{convert|23|kn|km/h|1}}
|Ship range=3,700 miles (6,000 km)
|Ship complement=360
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=Ten {{convert|10.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} rapid fire guns (10 x 1), and two torpedo-tubes
|Ship armour=
|Ship armor=Deck {{convert|13|mm|in|abbr=on}}, Belt {{convert|51|mm|in|abbr=on}}, Conning tower {{convert|102|mm|in|abbr=on}}
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'''SMS ''Emden''''' was a [[light cruiser]] of the German navy. Her raiding cruise in the second half of 1914 was one of the most romanticised incidents of [[World War I]]. The ''Emden'' raided Allied shipping in the [[Indian Ocean]], sinking or capturing thirty [[Western Allies|Allied]] [[merchant vessel]]s and [[warship]]s before being run aground by her captain to prevent her from sinking, after engaging {{HMAS|Sydney|1912|6}} at the [[Battle of Cocos]].
==Early service==
The ''Emden'' was launched on [[26 May]] [[1908]] and commissioned into the [[Kaiserliche Marine]], Germany's Imperial Navy, on [[10 July]] [[1909]]. Armed with ten 4.1 inch (105 mm) guns, she was however the last German cruiser to use [[Steam_engine#Reciprocating_engines|reciprocating]] engines. ''Emden's'' sister ship [[SMS Dresden (1907)|''Dresden'']], and all following cruisers, were equipped with steam [[turbine]]s. Like most ships of the time, ''Emden's'' twelve [[boiler]]s were heated by burning [[coal]], which had to be constantly shoveled into the fireboxes manually by [[Stoker (occupation)|stokers]]. ''Emden'' was named after the German town of [[Emden]] on the [[Ems (river)|Ems]] River, which sponsored the ship.
On [[1 April]] [[1910]] the ''Emden'' officially entered the German fleet and was assigned to the German naval base and garrison at [[Qingdao|Tsingtao]], in Germany's Chinese Kiauchau colony, as part of the [[German East Asia Squadron]]. ''Emden'' never returned to Germany. Once in Tsingtao, she acquired the nickname "Swan of the East" because of her graceful lines.
The ''Emden'' saw her first action suppressing the [[Sokehs Rebellion]] on the island of [[Pohnpei|Ponape]] in the German Caroline Islands in January 1911. Together with the German cruiser [[SMS Nürnberg|''Nürnberg'']] she shelled a rebel fortification with her 4.1 inch (105 mm) guns and then sent an armed landing party of seamen ashore to capture the stronghold.
In May 1913, ''Emden'' received her last commanding officer, Korvettenkapitän (Lt. Commander) [[Karl von Müller]], who was born on [[16 June]] [[1873]]. The chivalry and honour of Captain von Müller during his command of ''Emden'' would earn him much respect even from his enemies. An enigmatic and quiet man, von Müller suffered from recurring attacks of malaria and would eventually die of it in 1923.
A few months after von Müller assumed command, ''Emden'' was sent to put down another revolt, this time of Chinese along the [[Yangtze River]]. In August 1913, she joined several [[United Kingdom|British]] and [[Japan]]ese warships on the Yangtze River and shelled a rebel fort into submission on [[13 August]].
==Outbreak of WWI==
Captain Karl von Müller was a profound student of [[naval history]], and he was only too aware of how the Japanese fleet trapped and destroyed the [[Russia]]n fleet in [[Lushun|Port Arthur]] in the [[Russo-Japanese War]]. Thus, when news came from Europe that war was imminent, Captain von Müller was determined not to let history repeat itself. On [[31 July]] [[1914]], ''Emden'' left Tsingtao and was at sea when news of the outbreak of [[World War I]] was received on [[2 August]]. On [[4 August]] ''Emden'' captured her first war prize, the Russian steamer ''Rjasan'' (Ryazan), which was boarded by German sailors and taken back to Tsingtao. Later, ''Rjasan'' was turned into an [[auxiliary cruiser]] with eight 4.1 inch guns taken from the gunboat ''Cormoran'' but had no success and eventually surrendered.
At the time, the German [[colony]] at Tsingtao was surrounded by enemies; the Russians, Japanese, British and [[France|French]] all had bases and warships near Tsingtao, and the deep-water port with its advanced [[shipyard]] facilities was coveted by the Allies. Captain von Müller knew that Tsingtao could not possibly hold out for very long against so many foes, so ''Emden'' left Tsingtao for the last time to join the German Asiatic Squadron, commanded by Admiral [[Maximilian von Spee]].
On [[8 August]] [[1914]] ''Emden'' rendezvoused with von Spee's squadron at the island of Pagan, in the Caroline Islands, a German colony. Admiral von Spee wanted the squadron to stay united, but agreed to von Müller's suggestion to detach a single light cruiser to the [[Indian Ocean]] to raid British merchant shipping. Taking along a [[Collier (ship type)|collier]] for fuel, ''Emden'' departed German territory for the last time on [[14 August]].
[[Image:HMS Yarmouth (1911).jpg|thumb|right|HMS ''Yarmouth'']]
First steering for the Palau Islands, von Müller had the ship coaled off [[Timor]], in the [[Dutch East Indies]]. By putting a dummy fourth smokestack on the ship, von Müller made the ''Emden'' closely resemble the popular British cruiser {{HMS|Yarmouth|1911|6}}. On [[28 August]] the ''Emden'' slipped between [[Bali]] and [[Lombok]] and into the Indian Ocean,<ref name="Bennet"> ''Naval Battles of the First World War'', Capt. Geoffrey Bennet, Penguin Books, reprint 2001 </ref> fooling the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] [[cruiser]] ''Tromp'' which intercepted ''Emden'' and demanded that the German ship leave [[neutral country|neutral]] Dutch waters immediately. Once in the Indian Ocean ''Emden'' began to prey upon the hundreds of unescorted British and Allied merchant ships and later in 1914, and even shelled the [[British Raj|British Indian]] city of [[Madras]]. In 1914, the Indian Ocean was sometimes referred to as a "British lake" because of the high traffic of British merchant vessels.
==Independent Raider in the Indian Ocean==
On [[September 10]], the ''Emden'' began to prowl the Indian Ocean. In September 1914, the ''Emden'' captured seventeen ships, all British except for two, which were neutral [[Italy|Italian]] and [[Norway|Norwegian]] ships, and duly released. Most of the captured British ships were sunk quickly either by gunfire from ''Emden''s 105 mm guns or by placing [[explosive]] charges deep in the ships' hulls. Captain von Müller was always gentlemanly to the captains of the ships he captured, and he made certain that every captured British sailor was treated well and kept safe.
The British Admiralty did not learn of the ''Emden'''s presence until [[14 September]], at which time they stopped all British shipping on the Colombo-Singapore route. This caused great panic among the British and Allied shipping offices in the Indian Ocean. [[Insurance]] prices for merchant ships skyrocketed and no captains could afford to leave harbour. It was a source of much embarrassment to the British and the Allies that a single German cruiser could effectively shut down the entire Indian Ocean.
Several warships from the British Australian and Far East squadrons, as well as a few French, Japanese and Russian cruisers, were dispatched to hunt down the ''Emden'', but von Müller eluded them all. Some captains of British merchant ships, seeing the ''Emden'' approach, would salute her, mistaking her for the ''Yarmouth''. Instead, the ''Emden'' would fire a shot over the bow, hoist the German naval ensign, and signal "Stop at Once".{{Fact|date=December 2007}}
==Madras to Penang==
[[Image:Emden.jpg|thumb|right|SMS Emden'']]
Late on the night of [[22 September]] [[1914]] ''Emden'' quietly approached the city of [[Chennai|Madras]] on the southeastern coast of the Indian [[peninsula]]. At 2130 hrs, ''Emden'' opened fire at 3000 yards on the many large [[fuel oil]] tanks of the [[Burmah Oil Company]], within the harbour. These were set on fire within the first 30 rounds fired. The greatest casualties were experienced by a merchant ship anchored in Madras harbour, 26 of whose crew were injured. The action lasted half an hour, until 2200 hrs, by which time the shore batteries had begun to reply. However, ''Emden'' slipped away unscathed. In all, 125 shells were fired by ''Emden''. Although the raid did little damage, it was a severe blow to British [[morale]] and thousands of people fled Madras.<ref name="Bennet" />
''Emden'' then sailed southwards down the east coast of [[Ceylon]] ([[Sri Lanka]]). ''Emden'' closed in upon Colombo, but refrained from making an attack on account of the searchlights constantly sweeping the harbour. Nevertheless, she caused panic among the British. H.H. Engelbrecht, a [[Boer]] wildlife officer of German descent was falsely accused of supplying meat to the cruiser and jailed. Sri Lankan mothers frightened their children with the ''Emden'' [[bogeyman]], and to this day a particularly obnoxious person is referred to as an ''Emden'', in Tamil. The word 'emden', meaning 'streetsmart', entered the [[Tamil language]] following her successful attack on Madras Port.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2007082259150200.htm&date=2007/08/22/&prd=th& |publisher=''[[The Hindu]]'' newspaper |title= Emden and its impact on Chennai discussed |date=[[August 22]] [[2007]]}}</ref>
Captain von Müller then steered towards Minicoy in the [[Laccadive]] Islands, where between [[25 September]] and [[29 September]] [[1914]] he sunk a further six Allied ships. In the meantime, {{HMS|Hampshire|1903|6}} and {{warship|Japanese cruiser|Chikuma|1911|2}}, of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] were given the task of searching for ''Emden'' in the [[Laccadive Sea]].<ref name="Bennet"/> They were, however, unsuccessful, as their elusive prey had, by the time they arrived, slipped away to the [[Maldives]].
Misled by an old chart, Captain von Müller decided to target the [[Chagos Archipelago]] next, expecting rich dividends. However, when he anchored at [[Diego Garcia]] on [[5 October]], far from a single smoking funnel, he found that the inhabitants had still not heard of the declaration of war. He repaired their motor-boat and spent the next ten days having the ship's keel cleaned and having her machinery overhauled.<ref name="Bennet"/>
Von Müller learned, from intercepted radio signals, that shipping had returned to its usual levels east of Ceylon and that the two Allied cruisers hunting for him, had been reinforced only by the armoured merchant-cruiser ''[[RMS Empress of Asia (1912)|SS ''Empress of Asia'']]''. He again raided the Laccadive Sea area around Minicoy, bagging ten Allied ships. Although the search for him was intensified, with shipping again suspended, he eluded the ''Hampshire'' and the ''Empress of Asia'' in rain squalls in the Maldives on the morning of [[21 October]] and set course for the [[Nicobar Islands]], where he coaled before his last great exploit at [[Penang]].
The Allies had by this time, decided to institute serious measures to rein in and sink ''Emden''. {{HMS|Yarmouth|1911|6}} and the Russian cruiser [[Russian cruiser Askold (1900)|''Askold'']] were transferred from convoy duty to the hunt for the ''Emden''. The Imperial Japanese Navy sent the cruisers {{warship|Japanese cruiser|Tokiwa||2}} and {{warship|Japanese cruiser|Yakumo||2}} to the eastern coast of the [[Bay of Bengal]] to reinforce the ''Chikuma'' and the Russian cruiser {{warship|Russian cruiser|Zhemchug||2}} already patrolling there.<ref name="Bennet"/>
From the Nicobars, working his way south-east, Captain von Müller set his sights upon the British port of [[Penang]] in [[British Malaya]]. On the morning of [[28 October]] ''Emden'' entered the harbour at top speed, still disguised as a British cruiser with the fake fourth smokestack. During what became known as the [[Battle of Penang]], she raised the German flag once inside the harbour and fired a torpedo at the Russian cruiser ''Zhemchug'', a veteran of the [[Battle of Tsushima]], followed up with a salvo of shells which riddled the Russian ship. A second torpedo, fired as the ''Emden'' turned to leave penetrated the forward magazine, causing an explosion that sank the ship.<ref name="Bennet"/>
As quickly as ''Emden'' had arrived, she turned around and made good her escape. The French destroyer ''Mousquet'' followed ''Emden'', unwisely, and was quickly sunk by ''Emden'''s much heavier firepower. Her sister ships, ''Pistolet'' and ''Fronde'', also tried to shadow ''Emden'', but soon lost contact. Thirty-six French survivors from ''Mousquet'' were rescued by ''Emden'', and when three died of their injuries, they were buried at sea with full honours. Two days later, the remaining Frenchmen were transferred to a British steamer, ''Newburn'', which had been stopped by the German ship, but not attacked, so as to enable them to be transported to [[Sabang]], [[Sumatra]], in the neutral [[Dutch East Indies]].
In this period, ''Emden'' was arugably the most hunted ship in the world; and yet von Müller managed to elude the combined efforts of the Japanese ''[[Japanese cruiser Yahagi (1911)|Yahagi]]'' and ''Chikuma'', the Russian ''Askold'', and the British ''Hampshire'', Yarmouth, [[HMS Gloucester (1909)|HMS ''Gloucester'']], [[HMS Weymouth (1910)|HMS ''Weymouth'']], [[RMS Empress of Russia|SS ''Empress of Russia'']] and SS ''Empress of Australia''.<ref>Frame, Tom. (2004). [http://books.google.com/books?id=YY6CN8wAk4AC&pg=PA110&lpg=PA110&dq=emden+empress+of+australia&source=web&ots=ZGAwXWV7l6&sig=-2du9lQzLk2ADoSoKOKHkPmnNMY&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result ''No Pleasure Cruise: The Story of the Royal Australian Navy,'' p. 110.]</ref>
==The end of SMS ''Emden''==
{{main|Battle of Cocos}}
[[Image:SMS Emden wreck.jpg|right|thumb|Wreck of SMS Emden]]
Captain von Müller took the ship through the [[Sunda Strait]] towards the [[Cocos Islands]], where he planned to destroy the Eastern Telegraph Company wireless station at [[Direction Island]], thereby crippling Allied communication in the Indian Ocean. He aimed to make for [[Socotra]] afterwards and plague Allied merchant shipping on the Bombay-Aden line.<ref name="Bennet"/> However, this was not to be.
By now, no fewer than sixty Allied warships were combing the Indian Ocean in search of ''Emden''. ''Emden'' reached Direction Island on [[9 November]] [[1914]]. Captain von Müller decided to send a landing party ashore to destroy the station's radio tower and equipment under ''Emden'''s First Lieutenant Helmuth von Mücke.<ref name="Bennet"/> Fifty seamen with [[rifle]]s and [[machine gun]]s were sent ashore. The British civilians did not resist and ''Emden''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s landing party even agreed not to knock the radio tower down over the island's little tennis court.
Unfortunately for ''Emden'', Superintendant Darcy Farrant of the Eastern Telegraph Company had seen ''Emden'''s fourth funnel and had sent out a general call of a strange warship in the area. The [[Australia]]n [[light cruiser]] {{HMAS|Sydney|1912|6}}, armed with eight 6 inch guns, was dispatched at 0630 hrs from an Australian troop convoy en route to Colombo. Being a mere 55 miles (80 km) north of Direction Island, she arrived there in about three hours.<ref name="Bennet"/>
When lookouts on ''Emden'' spotted the ''Sydney'' approaching, Captain von Müller had no choice but to raise anchor, leave his landing party on Direction Island, and engage the Australian cruiser. ''Sydney'' was larger and faster than ''Emden'' and outranged her, but still the fight went on for nearly an hour and a half. Early on, ''Emden'' managed to knock out a gun on ''Sydney'' and destroy the Australian ship's rangefinder. However, ''Emden'' herself suffered massive damage, being struck over 100 times by shells from ''Sydney''. Her firing dwindled and Captain von Müller beached ''Emden'' on North Keeling Island at 1115 hrs to avoid sinking.
At this point, ''Sydney'' left the scene to pursue a collier that had been supporting ''Emden''. Returning at 1630 hrs to the beached cruiser, ''Sydney'''s commander, Captain [[John Glossop]], saw that ''Emden'' was still flying her battle flag, denoting her intention to continue resistance. A signal requesting surrender was sent, but was not answered. ''Sydney'' re-opened fire on ''Emden'', causing further casualties before ''Emden'' finally struck her colours. Glossop later said that he "felt like a murderer" for ordering the last salvos, but had no choice under the circumstances. German losses were 131 dead and 65 wounded. Captain von Müller and the rest of his crew were arrested as prisoners of war. The officers were, however, allowed to retain their swords as a mark of honour.<ref name="Bennet"/> ''Sydney'' then steamed to Direction Island to verify the state of the wireless station and the cable. However, since it was already too dark to make a landing by then, Captain Glossop had no choice but to lie off until the next morning.
In the meantime, Lieutenant von Mücke, leader of the German landing party had hoisted the Imperial German flag, declaring the island a German possession, putting all Englishmen under martial law and making arrangements for the defence of the beach, installing machine guns and having trenches dug. Having observed the battle between his ship and the ''Sydney'', he gave orders for an old sailing vessel, the 123 ton, three-masted schooner ''Ayesha'', to be made ready for sailing. Though she was old and rotten, von Mücke had her repaired so well that, before sunset, all of the German landing party and their weapons boarded her and set sail.<ref name="Bennet"/>
==Epilogue==
Captain von Müller had the [[Iron Cross]] First Class bestowed upon him by [[Kaiser]] [[William II, German Emperor|Wilhelm II]], although he and his men remained in captivity in [[Malta]],<ref name="Bennet"/> until the end of the war. As a signal mark of honour, the Imperial Government of Germany allowed all of the surviving officers and men to suffix the word 'Emden' to their names; the honour is remembered to this day in the form of the numerous '''X''-Emdens' amongst German citizens still extant. According to the ''[[Almanach de Gotha]]'', Volume I (2000), one of them was [[Frederick Augustus III of Saxony|Franz Joseph, Prince of Hohenzollern-Emden (1891-1964)]].
Lieutenant von Mücke and his landing party made for Padang on Sumatra, in the neutral Dutch East Indies, where they rendezvoused with a German merchant vessel on [[December 13]]. The party reached Hodeida, in Turkish-occupied [[Yemen]] and travelled overland to [[Constantinople]], arriving on [[May 5]], [[1915]].<ref name="Bennet"/> From there, they travelled overland to Germany.
The mascot of ''Emden'', a 12 cm bronze figure of a woman, was presented to Sir [[John Hope Simpson]], then acting commander of the [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]].
[[Image:Emden-gun-3.jpg|thumb|left|The 105mm gun taken from ''Emden'', in Hyde Park, Sydney.]]
In 1917, a 105 mm gun from ''Emden'' was installed as a monument in [[Sydney]]'s [[Hyde Park, Sydney|Hyde Park]]. Another is located on display in the [[Australian War Memorial]] in [[Canberra]], alongside a projected video map of the engagement. The wreck itself was largely salvaged for scrap metal by a Japanese company in 1950, but scattered parts of the wreck remain.
Since the destruction of the ''Emden'' in 1914, four other warships of the German navy have received the same name. The second [[SMS Emden (1915)|''Emden'']] was built in 1916. She was beached at [[Scapa Flow]] in 1919, when much of the [[High Seas Fleet]] was scuttled. She, however, did not sink and was given over to the [[French Navy]], which eventually scrapped her in 1926. As Kaiser Wilhelm II also awarded the Iron Cross to the ship itself (the only other instance being [[Unterseeboot 9|U-9]]), the four later ''Emdens'' have all carried large symbols of this medal on their bows or forecastles.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
* Frame, Tom. (2004). [http://books.google.com/books?id=YY6CN8wAk4AC&dq=emden+empress+of+australia&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 ''No Pleasure Cruise: The Story of the Royal Australian Navy.''] Sydney: [[Allen & Unwin]] 10-ISBN 1-741-14233-4; 13-ISBN 978-1-741-14233-4 (paper)
*Hoehling, A.A.'' LONELY COMMAND A DOCUMENTARY'' Thomas Yoseloff, Inc., 1957.
*Hoyt, Edwin P. ''The Last Cruise of the Emden: The Amazing True World War I Story of a German-Light Cruiser and Her Courageous Crew'' The Lyons Press, 2001, ISBN 1585743828.
*Hohenzollern, Franz Joseph, Prince of ''EMDEN:MY EXPERIENCES IN S.M.S. EMDEN'' G. Howard Watt NY, 1928.
*Lochner, R. K. ''Last Gentleman-Of-War: Raider Exploits of the Cruiser Emden'' Naval Inst Pr, 1988, ISBN 0870210157.
*McClement, Fred ''Guns in paradise'' Paper Jacks, 1979, ISBN 077010116X.
*Mucke, Hellmuth Von ''The Emden-Ayesha Adventure: German Raiders in the South Seas and Beyond, 1914'' Naval Institute Press, 2000, ISBN 1557508739.
*Schmalenbach, Paul ''German raiders: A history of auxiliary cruisers of the German Navy, 1895-1945'' Naval Institute Press, 1979, ISBN 0870218247.
*Vat, Dan Van Der ''Gentlemen of War: The Amazing Story of Commander Karl Von Muller and the S M S Emden'' William Morrow & Company, 1984, ISBN 0688031153.
*Walter, John ''The Kaiser's Pirates: German Surface Raiders in World War One'' Naval Inst Pr, 1994, ISBN 1557504563.
==External links==
{{Commons|SMS Emden}}
*[http://www.argo.net.au/andre/emdenforwebENFIN.htm "ZHEMCHUG", "EMDEN" AND "SYDNEY"]
*[http://www.fregatte-emden.de/ Cruisers EMDEN, Frigates EMDEN - 5 warships named EMDEN until today] {{de icon}}
*[http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/emden.html World War I Naval Combat]
*[http://www.historynet.com/magazines/mhq/7557922.html Karl Friedrich Max von Müller: Captain of the ''Emden'' During World War I]
*[http://www.steelnavy.com/emden100.htm Excellent Gunter Huff Model in 1/100 scale]
{{Dresden class light cruiser}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emden, SMS}}
[[Category:Dresden class cruisers]]
[[Category:Cruisers of Germany]]
[[Category:Cruisers of the Kaiserliche Marine]]
[[Category:World War I cruisers of Germany]]
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[[ca:SMS Emden]]
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[[fr:Dresden (croiseurs)]]
[[ja:エムデン (軽巡洋艦・初代)]]
[[pl:Emden (krążownik 1909)]]
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