The fifteenth shell hit the ammunition supply shaft, and the cordite caught fire, but, thanks to the presence of the spirit of one of the sailors, the burning cordite was isolated from the rest of the ammunition and extinguished. The last hit was on the leading edge of the mainmast.

Thus, in total, "Sydney" had 16 hits with 105-mm shells.

Of the personnel suffered: 4 people were killed and 17 wounded.

Results. 105-mm shells from the Emden destroyed the rangefinders on the Sydney, which made it difficult to zero in. 10 hits caused destruction on the upper deck, superstructures, caused damage to the guns, and also disabled part of the personnel.

3-105-mm projectile hit the side 76-mm armor, n she was not harmed. Of the 6 shells that hit the inside of the ship, two hit the ammunition and set off two fires. One case of damage to the steam line was recorded.

The struggle for survivability was carried out to extinguish the fire from the burning cordite. In one case, the timely destruction of the source of fire prevented the explosion of ammunition lying near the guns.

Losses in the personnel of "Sydney": 4 people were killed and 17 people were wounded, which was 5%.

Dear reader!

The books of the "Ships and battles" series* are intended to highlight the brightest pages of naval history, to reveal in them the role of each ship or formation of ships.

At present, the editors of the journal "Marine Historical Collection" are planning to publish memoirs on this topic written by foreign authors. These will be small brochures with diagrams and little-known photographs. We hope that the books in the series will interest you and you will look forward to the publication of the next editions.

The editors of the journal "Marine Historical Collection"

Light cruiser "Emden" on trials. Lepu 1909. Built at the imperial shipyard in Danzig, she was the last German light cruiser with piston engines.

"Emden" passes the Kiel Canal.

"Emden" in the Kola harbor. April 1910 After some time, he will go to the Pacific Ocean forever. Being in the Baltic for a short time, this ship did not visit the port of the city of Emden.

"Emden" at the pier in the port of Qingdao.

In white color "Emden" was rightly considered the "white swan" of the Far East.

"Emden" during coal loading in Qingdao. Chinese coolies were hired for the work.

Commander of the light cruiser "Emden" frigate captain (captain 2nd rank) Karl von Müller. 1873-1923 During the First World War, one of the most popular officers of the fleet, He possessed the initiative, courage and chivalrous generosity that brought him world fame. After the war he became an honorary citizen of the city of Emden.

"Emden" in Qingdao in the early days of the war.

The first prize of "Emden" - steamer "Ryazan". After re-equipment, he received a new name "Kormoran" and took part in cruising operations of the M. Spee squadron. December 14, 1914 interned in the United States on the island of Guam. In April 1917, after the US entered the war, she was scuttled by her crew.

Ship days. Barrel wash the dishes.

Emden officers. In the top row, seventh from the right, the commander of the ship, Karl von Müller. In the bottom row, second from the left, is the adopted son of Wilhelm II, Prince Franz Hohenirllern.

Coat of arms of the city of Emden. A similar decoration was located on both sides at the stem of the cruiser "Emden".

Steamboat "Mar co mani ya". For a long time he was a coal miner at the Emden. October 12, 1914 sunk by the British cruiser Yarmouth.

The inspection party departs from the side of the "Emde) w" In a few minutes, the inspection of the next merchant ship will begin.

The last minute of the "merchant".

In cruising. Entertainment for sailors between shifts.

Despite the fact that the First World War is associated mainly with positional battles in Europe, "grinding" millions of people, there were episodes that were completely different in spirit. On the other side of the world, in the Indian Ocean, the small German cruiser Emden, under the command of a brave and enterprising captain, was operating against enemy trade. As a result of his actions, in three months the enemy missed 23 merchant ships, one cruiser and a destroyer. At the same time, not a single person died on the captured and sunk ships.

The German small cruiser "Emden" was laid down in 1906 at the shipyard of the city of Danzig as a replacement for the obsolete advice note "Pfeil". The construction of the ship was greatly delayed due to lack of funds, so the missing money was collected by subscription from the residents of the city of Emden, after which the cruiser got its name. In 1909, the ship became part of the Imperial German Navy. Having a graceful silhouette with three thin tubes, the cruiser with a total displacement of about 4200 tons was armed with ten 105-mm rapid-fire guns with a barrel length of 40 calibers. The anti-mine caliber was represented by eight 52-mm guns, in addition, the ship carried two 450-mm underwater torpedo tubes.

The only defense of the Emden from enemy shells was an armored deck 20–30 mm thick (on the bevels, the thickness increased to 50 mm). The conning tower of the ship was protected by 100 mm armor. Two steam engines with a maximum power of 16320 liters. with. allowed "Emden" to develop a test speed of 24 knots, which was a good result for a ship with steam engines. However, during the daily service, the speed of the Emden did not exceed 23 knots. As a result, she became the last cruiser in the German fleet, equipped with this type of power plant. Interestingly, the Dresden cruiser of the same type as the Emden was already equipped with turbines and developed a speed of 0.5 knots higher.

The cruiser "Emden" accompanies the imperial yacht "Hohenzollern" shortly after entering service.
Source: tsushima.su

Way to the east

After a short stay in native waters in April 1910, Emden was included in the East Asian cruising squadron and went to the port of Qingdao, the main German naval base in Asia. The path to the destination ran across the Atlantic, around Cape Horn and further across the entire Pacific Ocean. The cruiser completed this difficult route with honor, arriving in Qingdao in October.

The calm and measured service of the stationer was interrupted by a message about the uprising of the natives on the island of Ponape in the Caroline Archipelago, which belonged to the German crown. The Emden team took part in the suppression of the riot, while an officer was killed, and five more sailors were injured. Then the service of the stationer followed again, but it was impossible to call it boring. In 1911, the cruiser was damaged in a collision with a Japanese steamer and, having undergone repairs, set sail in the central Pacific Ocean as part of the Cruiser Squadron. In 1912, the Emden team received the Imperial Prize for artillery firing of the squadron. In 1913, riots began in China caused by the Xinhai Revolution - several times the Emden was fired from the coast, each time returning artillery fire. However, there were no losses on the cruiser.

In May 1913, Corvette Captain Karl von Müller, an experienced naval officer who knew firsthand what service in distant colonies was, was appointed commander of the Emden. From 1909 to 1912, Muller served in the Admiralty and was in good standing with the commander of the fleet, Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz. Apparently, at this time, Muller became acquainted with Tirpitz's views on a future naval war (of course, against England), in which a significant role was assigned to the actions of cruisers against merchant shipping. Since Great Britain was entirely dependent on maritime trade, it was believed that stretched maritime communications were its Achilles heel.

In May 1914, Emden returned to Qingdao. On May 23, joint exercises of Emden took place here with the armored cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, the main force of the Cruiser Squadron under the command of Vice Admiral Count Maximilian von Spee. June 20 "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" went on a long voyage in the Pacific Ocean. Von Müller, by then promoted to frigate captain, remained in Qingdao with his ship. By that time, the international situation had clearly worsened, and the air smelled of war. The alignment of forces was approximately clear - the alliance of Russia with France and England against Germany and Austria-Hungary. In the East Asian region, Japan played an important role, which, in the event of a war between the great powers, would not refuse to seize German possessions in this region.

At the end of July, reports of a sharp aggravation of the political situation in Europe fell like a cornucopia. In the event of the outbreak of war, Muller had an order - firstly, in no case should he be trapped in Qingdao, and secondly, to connect with the main forces of von Spee's squadron. In addition, the Emden was supposed to cover the exit from Qingdao of coal miners who supplied the German squadron with fuel. In the event of a war, Muller intended to go south, to the ports of French Indochina, in order to disrupt the sea communications of France by laying mines and intercepting merchant ships.

Emden in Qingdao
Source - cmchant.com

On July 30, Müller ordered the Emden put on alert. The cruiser was replenished with fuel and food, leaving everything superfluous on the shore. On July 31, the cruiser left Qingdao, and on August 2, a telegram was received on board, announcing the start of the German war against Russia. So, thunder struck.

First trophy

Contrary to his original plans to move south, Muller decided to take his ship north to the Tsushima Strait, hoping to catch the enemy by surprise. His calculation was justified when on August 3 at 4 o'clock in the morning at the entrance to the Tsushima Strait, German signalmen noticed the silhouette of an unknown vessel. Seeing the Emden, it tried to hide in neutral waters near Tsushima Island, but could not get away from the cruiser. However, the ship stopped only after the Germans fired several shots with live shells, which lay next to it. Having stopped, the "merchant" raised the Russian flags. The trophy was the passenger-and-freight steamer of the Volunteer Fleet "Ryazan" with a displacement of 3,500 tons, en route with 80 passengers from Nagasaki to Vladivostok.

Steamboat "Ryazan"
Source - retroflot.com

Due to the presence of women on board the Russian ship, Muller made the decision to bring him to Qingdao. Due to the high speed that the ship showed when evading the chase (at least 17 knots), it was decided to convert it into an auxiliary cruiser. The prize party was sent to the ship, after which the Emden and Ryazan headed back to Qingdao, where they arrived on August 6. The passengers of the Ryazan were sent by rail to Vladivostok, and the ship was renamed the auxiliary cruiser Kormoran and equipped with weapons taken from an old gunboat that previously bore the same name. Coal and food supplies were replenished on the Emden, and in the evening of the same day he went to sea along with the steamers Prinz Eitel Friedrich (a former postal steamer converted into an auxiliary cruiser) and Markomania (coal miner). The cruiser's course lay on Pagan (Marian Islands), where a meeting with von Spee's squadron was to take place.

The passage across the Pacific Ocean took place safely, and on August 12, the Emden sailors saw German ships. The armored cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, the small (armored) cruisers Emden and Nuremberg, the auxiliary cruiser Prinz Eitel Friedrich, the coal miner Markomania and a number of auxiliary ships gathered on the Mariana Islands. The next day, a meeting of ship commanders was held on board the Scharnhorst. On it, von Spee expressed his view on the current situation - in his opinion, Japan's entry into the war on the side of the Allies was almost inevitable. In this case, the squadron would be in a very vulnerable position, surrounded by enemy bases and deprived of coal supplies. According to von Spee, the squadron had to go to the shores of Chile, whose government was sympathetic to Germany. In Chilean ports, it was possible to replenish coal and food supplies, as well as get in touch with German agents.

Having stated his views, the admiral asked the commanders of the ships to speak. Müller suggested sending light cruisers (or at least one Emden) to the Indian Ocean, where there were busy shipping routes, and try to paralyze maritime traffic in the region. From his point of view, the combat value of the light cruiser was relatively low, so it would be of little use as part of the squadron, and besides, it was much easier to organize its coal supply than the entire squadron. Müller was supported by the chief of staff, and in the end von Spee agreed.

Navigation map of the Emden in August-November 1914
Source: forum.panzer-archiv.de

The next day, August 14, the squadron left Pagan, while the Emden was allowed to conduct independent operations in the Indian Ocean. Together with him, the coal miner "Marcomania" went there. On August 19, Emden and Marcomania reached the island of Palau, which belonged to Germany, where they bunkered and exchanged news with the German steamer Princess Alice. Then "Emden" continued its navigation on a south-westerly course. Finally, he approached the Sunda archipelago, which had to be passed in order to find himself in the expanses of the Indian Ocean. Since fishing ships were constantly scurrying around the straits around the islands, and it would not be possible to slip past them unnoticed even at night, Lieutenant Myukke came up with the idea to build a fake fourth chimney so that the Emden at least from afar looked like the English cruiser Yarmouth. At first, an improvised pipe was built in haste, from tarpaulin and wooden slats, and only then, when the threat of direct detection was over, they built a temporary pipe that really looked like a real one. On the night of August 28, the Emden safely passed through the Lombok Strait, leading directly to the Indian Ocean.

Fox in the chicken coop

The cruiser's route now ran along the east coast of the islands of Java and Sumatra. On September 4 and 5, the Emden once again received coal from the Marcomania near the Dutch island of Simolye. Finally, on the night of September 9-10, the lights of a single ship were seen from the cruiser. After approaching the ship, the Germans stopped it. The prize team reported that the ship belonged to Greece, called "Pontoporos" and was going with a cargo of coal to Calcutta. Since the coal was destined for the British, it could be confiscated as spoils of war. The captain of the Greek ship was immediately offered to go over to the German side - naturally, with generous compensation. Apparently, the Greek did not care for whom to carry coal, so he immediately agreed, and "Pontoporos" became the collier of "Emden". Thus, Emden purchased a collier with 6,500 tons of coal, kept its location secret, and saved fuel from the Marcomania for a rainy day - especially since its reserves were already half depleted. The only thing that spoiled the picture was that the coal on the Pontoporos was of disgusting quality, and he himself could not reach a speed of more than 9 knots.

"Emden" in the Indian Ocean, September 11, 1914
Source: tsushima.su

On the morning of September 10, a column of smoke appeared on the horizon. Rushing there, the Emden found a large steamer, which itself headed towards it, apparently mistaking it for an English cruiser. After a warning shot and a stop, it turned out that this was the English steamer "Indus", converted into a military transport - however, without soldiers on board. After unloading the "Indus" and "liberating" it from supplies, which the Emden crew badly needed, the steamer was sunk. The Hindu team was placed on board the Marcomania, which temporarily became a home for prisoners of war.

On September 11, another steamer was stopped - it turned out to be the English passenger liner Lovet, which was empty. Then everything went according to an almost familiar pattern - the transportation of the team to the coal miner, the opening of the kingstones and a few shots at the waterline to speed up the flooding. On September 12, the Emden took a very advantageous position on the route that the ships followed in and out of Calcutta. Its location has not yet been disclosed, and therefore the extraction "itself went into the hands." In the evening, the Germans stopped the English bulk carrier Kabinga, whose cargo, according to the documents, belonged to the United States. Fearing by his actions to spoil relations with a still neutral country, Muller decided to release the Kabinga, transferring the crews of the sunken ships to it, but not earlier than the Emden left the area of ​​\u200b\u200bits hunting.

A few hours later the next steamer was stopped. It turned out to be a coal miner "Killin" with a load of coal. Despite the valuable cargo, it was decided to sink the ship the next day, since it turned out to be even slower than the Pontoporos. On the morning of September 13, the Germans caught another victim - the new Diplomat steamer, which was sailing with ten thousand tons of tea from Calcutta to England. It was a very expensive cargo worth about $ 1.5 million, at that time - the most valuable production of Emden. They did not have time to place explosive charges on the Diplomat, as the cruiser found another booty - the Italian steamer Loredano (neutral). Having taken the word from the captain not to talk about the meeting with the Emden, the ship was released, and the Diplomat was sent to the bottom.

On September 14, Muller decided to release the Kabinga with the crews of the sunken ships. While people were being transported to the Kabinga, another smoke was seen from the Emden on the horizon - as it turned out, it belonged to the English steamer Trabboch. His team went to the "Kabingu" and he was sunk. Releasing the Kabinga to Calcutta, Muller understood that the whole world would soon know about him, and it would no longer be possible to stay in this area. On September 15, having destroyed another English steamship (the “Matheson Clan” with a valuable cargo of cars, locomotives and steam engines), the Emden set off towards Rangoon. However, by that time the news that a German cruiser was operating in the Bay of Bengal had already spread around the world - perhaps that is why the sea was empty. In addition, the British cruisers became more active, starting an active search for the Emden. Having met a single neutral steamer and transferred the crew of the Matheson Clan to it, Muller abruptly changed course, directing his ship west towards Madras.

Raid on Madras

Having successfully hunted transport ships in the Calcutta region, the commander of the Emden decided to raid the port of Madras, located on the east coast of India. The Germans were aware of the presence of a large number of oil tanks in the port, which were an excellent target. Muller's main goal was to sow panic in India, increase anti-English sentiment there and, what the hell is not joking, provoke, if not an uprising against the English crown, then at least civil unrest. Emden approached Madras on the night of September 22-23. In order to disguise the cruiser, a fake chimney was again installed. Approaching Madras, the Emden crew was surprised to notice that the coastal lights were burning brightly and the beacons were working as if the war had never begun. The Germans were clearly not expected here. Turning starboard to the shore, "Emden" turned on combat searchlights, "groped" high oil tanks on the shore. The cruiser's guns opened fire from a distance of 3000 m. After several volleys, the oil in the tanks caught fire, brightly illuminating everything around. Having extinguished the searchlights, the Germans continued firing. The Madras coastal battery returned fire, but after firing only 9 shots, fell silent, as it no longer saw its target. On the Emden, they observed the fall of three shells that fell quite close to him. Deciding not to tempt fate again, Muller ordered to stop firing and turn back to the sea. The Emden's guns managed to fire 130 shots.

Burning oil storage in Madras
Source - armagedon-1914.tumblr.com

The effect of the shelling was very significant. 5,000 tons of oil burned in oil storage facilities, but this was not even the main result. As Muller expected, panic began in Madras, the white population of the city rushed to flee inland, not believing that the authorities were able to protect them from the elusive corsair. The cost of insurance for transported goods skyrocketed, and captains refused to go to sea until they were guaranteed complete safety. In a word, the effect of the shelling of Madras exceeded all expectations, making Muller the most famous person in all of Asia.

Action at Ceylon

Leaving Madras, "Emden" turned on the running lights for a while and moved in a northerly direction to confuse the enemy. In fact, Muller's plans included a visit to the area south of Ceylon, where there was a busy shipping. Soon the Germans were lucky again - on September 25 they sank the steamships King Lad and Timerick. The next day, the Greyfewell steamer, which was sailing in ballast, was stopped (later prisoners were transferred to it and released). On September 27, another victim was caught - it turned out to be the Buresk coal miner with 6500 tons of excellent coal for the English fleet. Now one could not worry about fuel reserves for a long time. The steamships Ribera and Foyle were the next victims.

After such a successful cruising, it was decided to release the empty Marcomania to meet with the Pontoporos, from which it was necessary to reload coal, pay the crew and let the Greek ship go in peace. According to Muller's plan, after that, "Marcomania" was supposed to head to one of the Dutch ports, take food and water supplies for "Emden" and meet him in early November at a designated place. The role of the main supply vessel all this time was to be played by Buresk.

Saying goodbye to "Marcomania" (no one then knew that forever), "Emden" went south to the Chagos archipelago. On October 9, having met no one along the way, the cruiser arrived in Diego Garcia, the main port of this archipelago. Muller decided, taking advantage of the remoteness of this place from the shipping lines, to clear the bottom of the Emden from algae, do minor repairs and give the team time to rest. The complexity of the situation was that these islands belonged to England. However, in the port of Diego Garcia, which did not have a radio station, they still did not know that the war had begun. Muller did not notify the local governor of this and kindly received him on board his cruiser. As a sign of his friendly disposition, the governor sent supplies of fresh food to the Emden, and the German sailors repaired his broken boat. On October 10, Emden and Buresk left Diego Garcia. As it turned out, Muller's instinct did not let him down again - shortly after the Germans left, the British armored cruiser Hampshire came to the port. What was the surprise of his captain when he learned that a German cruiser had recently visited here! Obviously, the governor of the island was no less surprised, realizing that he was helping the enemy without knowing it.

Müller knew from radio interception that the British were not waiting for him in the area he had recently left. Therefore, the Germans decided to return north again, to the area between Ceylon and Aden. Once again, Muller's hunting instincts did not let him down: from 16 to 19 October, Emden captured seven prizes. According to the already established tradition, one ship was released with the crews of other ships, another one (“Exford”) began to be used as a coal miner, and the rest of the Germans sank.

Having hunted enough once again, Muller decided to head to the shores of the Malay Peninsula, planning to attack the British port of Penang and catch merchant ships or some Allied warship there by surprise. For more on the daring Emden attack on October 28, read the article "Massacre in Penang Bay: Emden vs. Zhemchug". Here we only briefly mention that as a result of a successful night attack, the Germans managed to sink the Russian cruiser Zhemchug and the French destroyer Muske without any losses or damage on their part. The glory of Muller and his ship skyrocketed.

Last Stand

After a successful attack on Penang, Muller decided to destroy the British telegraph and cable station in the Cocos Islands in order to sever the direct connection between India and Australia. Early in the morning of November 9, Emden approached the northern tip of the Directorate Island, where the station was located. For some unknown reason, the ever-cautious Muller broke radio silence and went on the air, calling the Buresk coal miner. Having caught an unknown signal, the British telegraph operators decided to check what was happening in the roadstead. Looking out the window, they found an unknown warship at the harbor entrance and immediately went on the air with an SOS signal. Muller counted on the sudden appearance of the Emden, which would allow him to freely land a landing party on the island, destroy the station and have time to leave before any British warship called for help appeared there. Alas, the “limit of luck” given to Emden and his team has run out. Muller did not know that just at that time a large convoy with a solid cover of warships was passing near the Cocos Islands. The Australian cruiser Sydney, under the command of Captain John Glossop, was selected from its composition, which headed for the island to find out what caused the SOS signals. To get to his destination, he needed about two hours of travel at maximum speed.

Australian cruiser Sydney
Source: navy.gov.au

Meanwhile, three boats with a landing party of 50 people were lowered from the Emden. It was headed by senior assistant Lieutenant von Myukke. Muller could not single out more people, since part of the team was on the captured coal miners (however, serious resistance was not expected on the island). Soon the mast with the British flag flying on it collapsed, which meant the capture of the radio station. Now it was necessary to give the landing party time to destroy the equipment.

Around 9 o'clock in the morning, the Germans saw a column of smoke rapidly approaching the island. At first, the Emden thought that it was the Buresk called by them, but soon the signalmen saw four pipes and two inclined masts. After three months of hunting, the British still managed to overtake the Emden, moreover, by pure chance, and not due to efforts to capture it.

The clock was 9:15. Despite the fact that the landing was immediately withdrawn, there was no time to wait for his return. "Emden" hastily weighed anchor, spreading steam in all boilers. The approaching ship was first identified as a Newcastle-class cruiser, although in fact the Sydney belonged to the much more powerful Chatham-class cruiser class. It was larger and faster than the Emden, much better armed and protected - in a word, it surpassed its opponent in all respects. In a side salvo, the British could use five 152-mm guns (the weight of a side salvo is 205 kg), against five 105-mm guns at the Emden (the weight of a side salvo is 72 kg). Müller could only count on the training of his gunners and a successful hit that would disable the Australian cruiser before he could destroy the Emden.

Frigate Captain Carl von Müller (left) and Captain John Glossop (right)
Source: navy.gov.au

At 09:40, the Germans fired the first salvo from a distance of about 10,000 m - the shells fell just a hundred meters from the Sydney. With the second salvo, the Germans managed to achieve cover and, according to Australian officers, for the next 10 minutes, Sydney was under very dense and well-aimed fire. The next volley scored a hit, but the shell passed through the bridge and forward rangefinder post without exploding. If it exploded, then it is quite possible that the commander of the Sydney and the artillery officer who were on the bridge would have died.

A few minutes later, German shells also destroyed the aft rangefinder post. It began to seem that luck would smile on the Germans again. Soon, a shell from the eighth salvo exploded next to one of the guns aboard the Australian cruiser. The explosion set fire to the powder charges lying nearby, and disabled the calculation of the gun. The last shell that hit Sydney exploded in the ammunition supply shaft. The powder charges again caught fire, and if the fire had penetrated the cellar, the Australian cruiser would have been blown into the air. But the ship and its crew were saved by the courage of cabin boy Tom Williamson, who managed to put out the fire (he would later be awarded the Victoria Cross for this). In total, "Sydney" was hit by fifteen shells, of which only five exploded. Australian losses were 3 killed (another seriously wounded died after the battle) and twelve wounded. All the damage was received by the Australian cruiser at the beginning of the battle, because after the Emden began to receive hits in turn, the accuracy and rate of fire of her fire fell sharply.

"Sydney" is preparing to open fire. Frame from the feature film "The Exploits of Emden" (starring "Sydney" himself)
Source: navy.gov.au

After recovering from their hits, the Australians opened fire. Despite the loss of both rangefinder posts, already with the third salvo they achieved two hits that destroyed the radio room and one of the Emden's bow guns. Then hit followed hit, methodically destroying the German cruiser. Soon, both rangefinders and speaking pipes were destroyed on it, with the help of which commands were transmitted to the guns. The bow chimney was broken at the base and fell overboard. The fire of the Germans was significantly weakened, and they were no longer able to achieve a single hit on Sydney. Soon a second chimney fell on the Emden. The shells destroyed the switchboards, as a result of which the elevators that fed the shells to the guns stopped (now they had to be lifted manually). The rate of fire of the remaining guns dropped sharply. The steering machine also failed, leaving the Emden to be controlled only by machines. Another hit caused an explosion of ammunition in the stern and a strong fire, which there was practically no one to extinguish because of the large losses in the crew.

Realizing that the end was near, the Germans decided to torpedo the enemy ship, but the Sydney did not let them into the range of a torpedo salvo, taking advantage of its superior speed, and the Emden's torpedo room was soon flooded. At 10:40, Sydney fired a torpedo itself, but it missed the enemy. Convinced that further continuation of the battle was pointless, Muller sent his ship to the rocks of North Keeling Island to rescue the surviving crew members. The clock was 11:15.

View from the bow of the tank guns and the destroyed bow bridge of the Emden
Source - atlantic-cable.com

Meanwhile, Buresk appeared on the horizon. Seeing that the "Emden" no longer offers resistance, "Sydney" rushed to the collier. At the sight of the Australian cruiser, the Germans scuttled their ship and got on board the Sydney as prisoners of war. Returning to the "Emden" at about 16:00, the commander of the "Sydney" was surprised to see that the German naval ensign continued to fly on the remaining mast. After sending several inquiries about whether Emden was surrendering, and not receiving a clear answer, Sydney, according to her captain, "with great reluctance" at 16:30 again opened fire to kill. At 16:35 the Germans lowered the Kaiser flag and raised the white flag, after which the fire ceased.

Sailors of "Sydney" on the deck of their cruiser 10 minutes after the end of the battle with the "Emden". Thick smoke is pouring out of the chimneys - Sydney is in a hurry to intercept the Buresk coal miner. In the right wing of the bow bridge, a trace of a shell hit from the Emden is visible.
Source: navy.gov.au

Having sent part of the Bureska crew with medicines and water to the Emden, Sydney again left the battlefield and headed for the Directorate Island to capture the enemy landing party. However, having arrived there, the Australians did not find the Germans on the island. Seeing that the Emden was losing the battle, they did not wait until the Australians arrived on the island, and managed to escape, capturing the three-masted schooner Aisha. On it, the German sailors set off on a long journey home, full of dangers and adventures that any novel would envy. However, that's another story...

The next morning, the Sydney returned to the Emden again. A truce was sent to him with a note from Captain Glossop, in which he, stating the helpless position of the Emden and the full serviceability of his cruiser, offered the Germans surrender. After that, the evacuation of German sailors aboard the Sydney began. According to Mueller's report, 134 people from the Emden team were killed in the battle near the Cocos Islands, and another 65 were wounded.

Sailors from the Sydney approach the badly damaged Emden to begin evacuation of the wounded.
Source: navy.gov.au

After battle

Captain Muller and his team spent the rest of the war in a POW camp in Malta. In 1918, Muller, due to poor health, was released to his homeland, where he was charged with the loss of a cruiser. However, the charge was soon dropped, and Müller was awarded the Pour le Mérite order, and also promoted to the rank of captain-zur-see. Müller retired in 1919 for health reasons and died in 1923.

During her cruise, Emden sank or captured 23 merchant ships and destroyed two enemy warships. It is noteworthy that not a single person died as a result of his actions on the captured merchant ships. Thanks to this, the then journalists warmly treated Emden, calling him the "white swan of the East." In honor of the Emden, two German cruisers and two frigates built in Germany after the Second World War were named in succession. The skeleton of the cruiser remained on the rocks of North Keeling Island until the 50s, until it was dismantled for metal.

All valuable items and three guns were removed from the Emden. One of them is now in Hyde Park in Sydney (on its trunk you can see the damage received in the last battle), the second is at the Kittabul naval base, the third is at the Australian War Memorial. From the silver coins found on board the Emden, an Australian commemorative medal was minted, dedicated to the battle of the Cocos Islands, which was awarded to all those involved in this event.

The actions of the Emden in the Indian Ocean show that even a small warship under the leadership of an experienced and enterprising commander can achieve a lot and cause great damage to the enemy. On the other hand, "no matter how much the rope twists, the end will still be." No matter how long luck smiles, no matter how skillful and experienced the commander is, sooner or later he will make a mistake, and the ship will die. Such a fate eventually befell almost all German raiders who fought against enemy trade. Nevertheless, the memory of the “white swan of the East” is still alive in India today - in the language of one of the small tribes, the word “amdan” means a clever, strong and cunning person.

List of ships captured and destroyed by Emden

	Name	Sailing route	Affiliation		Displacement, t	Notes
	"Ryazan"	Hong Kong - Vladivostok	Russian empire	Passengers		Brought to Qingdao, converted to auxiliary cruiser
	"Pontoporos"					Captured; liberated by the British cruiser Yarmouth
		Kolkata–England	United Kingdom			Sunk
		Calcutta-Bombay	United Kingdom			Sunk
	"Kabinga"		United Kingdom			Released with a crew of sunken steamships
	"Killin"	Calcutta-Colombo	United Kingdom			Sunk
	"Diplomat"	Kolkata - England	United Kingdom			Sunk
	"Trabboch"	Negapatam – Kolkata	United Kingdom			Sunk
	"Clan Matheson"		United Kingdom			Sunk
	"King Lad"	Alexandria – Kolkata	United Kingdom			Sunk
	"Timerick"	Samarat-Falmouth	United Kingdom			Sunk
	"Grayfell"		United Kingdom			Released with crews of sunken ships
	Buresk	Port Said - ?	United Kingdom			Captured; during the death of "Emden" sunk by the crew
	"Riberia"	Alexandria – Batavia	United Kingdom			Sunk
			United Kingdom			Sunk
	"Clan Grant"	England - Kolkata	United Kingdom			Sunk
	"Benmore"	England - Far East	United Kingdom			Sunk
	"Ponrabe"	England-Launceston	United Kingdom	Empty (dredge)		Sunk
	Troilus	Yokohama - England	United Kingdom			Sunk
		England-Kolkata	United Kingdom			Sunk
	"Exford"	Cardiff -?	United Kingdom			Captured; caught and sunk by auxiliary cruiser Express of Japan
	"Saint Egbert"		United Kingdom			Released with crews of sunken steamships
	"Pearl"	Anchored in Penang	Russian empire			Sunk by torpedoes and artillery
		At the entrance to Penang		destroyer		Sunk by artillery
	"Glenturret"		United Kingdom			Released with French sailors from "Muske"

Literature:

1. H. Myukke. "Cruiser Emden" - St. Petersburg: series "Ships and battles", 1995
2. R. K. Lochner. "The Last Gentleman of War" - M .: AST Publishing House LLC, 2004
3. I. L. Bunich. "Kaiser's Corsairs" - Kyiv: A.S.K., 2001
4. K. P. Puzyrevsky. Damage to ships from artillery and the struggle for survivability (based on the materials of the world imperialist war of 1914–1918) - L .: Sudpromgiz, 1940
5. Site materials http://www.navy.gov.au
6. Site materials http://atlantic-cable.com
7. Site materials https://www.awm.gov.au
8. Site materials http://www.naval-history.net

The most famous German raider of the Great War

The light cruiser "Emden" of the German Imperial Navy, without exaggeration, can be considered one of the most famous warships of the Great War. His combat path to be short-lived - just over three months. But during this time he did the seemingly impossible. Under the command of the young captain Karl von Muller, the ship that left the German naval base in Qingdao passed through two oceans - the Pacific and the Indian, destroying 23 enemy transports, a cruiser and a destroyer in this raid. The actions of the Emden became a model of a daring and successful cruising war, disrupting British maritime trade in the Indian Ocean for a while. At the same time, the Emden crew strictly observed not only the laws and customs of war, but also knightly traditions - the Germans did not kill or leave a single captured sailor or passenger in the ocean to their fate. With his scrupulous attitude to the high concept of officer honor, Captain 2nd Rank Karl von Muller earned the honorary title of “the last gentleman of war” in world naval history, which none of his enemies has ever disputed.

Child of burgher patriotism

The light cruiser "Emden" by the beginning of the Great War was both a new and an old ship. New - by the time of enrollment in the combat structure of the German Navy, July 10, 1910. Old - by design features, which inevitably affected its seaworthiness.

In the German system of naval classification, the Emden was considered a class 4 cruiser - the lightest and least armed. It was laid on April 6, 1906 in Danzig and built, by German standards, for a very long time - more than 3 years. At the time of laying the ship was called "Ersatz-Pfeil". But almost immediately, funding problems began, and so serious that the Dresden of the same type, laid down almost a year later, was launched earlier. The decisive role in the fate of the ship was played by the patriotic inhabitants of Lower Saxony - among the burghers of the city of Emden, by subscription, they collected the 6.8 million marks missing for the completion of the ship. In gratitude, the new ship was named "Emden".

In its design, solutions already leaving the practice of shipbuilding were applied. So, for example, in the hull set of the ship, soft (low-carbon) Siemens-Marten steel was widely used. In addition, the Emden was the last German cruiser equipped with a classic-type steam engine. All cruisers of a later laying, including even the Dresden of the same type, had a steam turbine, which allows, at the same level of energy consumption, to deliver significantly more power to the propeller shaft of the ship.

The Emden steam engine was the reason that, with external contours, almost ideal in terms of ensuring high speed, the cruiser produced a maximum speed of only 24 knots (44.45 km / h) during tests. At the beginning of the 20th century, such a speed for a light cruiser was already insufficient, which ultimately played a fatal role in the fate of the Emden.

The armament of the Emden was not very powerful: with a full displacement of 4268 tons, the cruiser was armed with 10 medium-caliber 105-mm guns. There were 8 more 52-mm cannons, but they were useless in the event of an inter-ship artillery duel. For comparison: launched in 1911, the Russian destroyer Novik, almost three times less displacement - 1360 tons, was armed with four 102-mm cannons and four twin-tube 457-mm torpedo tubes. Against this background of the Russian Novik, the Emden's torpedo armament looked almost helpless - two single-tube underwater torpedo tubes of 450-mm caliber. The undoubted advantage of the Emden's armament was only the exceptional rate of fire of its main guns: in a minute, one barrel could throw 16 shells into the enemy ship.

In general, the light cruiser Emden was a very balanced ship in terms of its characteristics. Its maneuverability and ability to quickly turn, according to military experts, were very good. In the main German naval base in the Pacific Ocean - the port of Qingdao, this cruiser was called the "Swan of the East" for its graceful, light contours.

Capture of Ryazan

Emden captain Karl von Müller was a student of the outstanding German military theorist and naval commander, Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, having worked for him for 3 years as a junior officer in the naval department of the German Empire. The creator of the fundamental naval “Risk Theory”, which included, among other things, the theoretical justification for unlimited raiding in the oceans, von Tirpitz saw his like-minded officer in a modest officer. In the spring of 1913, on the recommendation of the grand admiral, a little-known staff officer from Hanover unexpectedly received an honorary promotion - the rank of captain of the 2nd rank with the appointment of commander of the Emden cruiser in Qingdao.

Captain of the light cruiser Emden Karl von Müller. Photo: Imperial War Museums

Operationally, Müller's ship was part of the German East Asia Squadron under the command of Vice Admiral Maximilian von Spee. It was based in Qingdao and consisted of the armored cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, light cruisers Emden, Nuremberg and Leipzig. Significant Entente forces were stationed against the Germans only in the ports closest to Qingdao: the French armored cruisers Montcalm and Duplex, the Russian cruisers Zhemchug and Askold, the British battleships Minotaur and Hampshire, the British cruisers Yarmouth and Newcastle, numerous destroyers.

The aggravation of the international situation in June 1914 set the most important task for Vice-Admiral von Spee: to prevent the allies in the Entente and the Japanese from quickly "locking up" the German squadron in the Qingdao roadstead in case of war. To avoid this, von Spee led the main part of the squadron (Emden remained in Qingdao) on a demonstration raid in German Oceania - it was planned to visit the Mariana and Caroline Islands, Fiji, the Bismarck Archipelago, Kaiser Wilhelm Land in New Guinea.

It was no accident that the Emden was left in Qingdao: Captain Karl von Müller did not enjoy the special location of the squadron commander. Count von Spee was a brilliant representative of the German military school, but his views differed significantly from those of von Tirpitz and his student von Müller. The commander of the East Asian squadron was not a supporter of an all-out "economic" war at sea and clearly demonstrated his disgust for the mere idea of ​​using cruisers to fight enemy civilian transports. A representative of an ancient Prussian family, tracing his lineage back to 1166, von Spee saw the main task in defeating enemy cruising formations. “Cruisers are fighting cruisers,” von Spee told his officers, “leave the “economic troughs” to the gunboats.” At the same time, being a fair and honest man, von Spee highly valued the initiative, strong-willed style of von Muller's command.

On the night of July 29, 1914, while on the roadstead of Qingdao, the captain of the Emden received a radiogram from the German Naval General Staff: “I suggest that the Emden, if Plan B (meaning a war with France and Russia - RP) is put into effect, head south to establish in Saigon, other ports of Indochina mines, cause difficulties in the implementation of the French coastal trade".

Ships of the German East Asian squadron under the command of Vice Admiral Maximilian von Spee. Photo: Imperial War Museums

On July 30, at 6.30 am, the senior assistant to the captain, Lieutenant Helmut von Mücke, gathered all the officers and gave the order to prepare for hostilities. The sailors were ordered to clear the decks and take their places according to the combat schedule. At 19.00 on July 31, taking on board additional supplies of coal and ammunition, the Emden left Qingdao, heading east into the open ocean - into the Tsushima Strait.

The combat schedule was observed on the Emden (as, indeed, on all German ships) strictly. Each sailor knew that the mine-artillery part of the cruiser must respond immediately to an unexpected attack by enemy ships. The cruiser's guns were pre-set to the "combat" position.

Around 2 o'clock in the morning on August 4, the forward looking cruisers found the running lights of a twin-tube steamer right on the course. After a 5-hour chase and the tenth warning shot, the enemy ship slowed down, continuously giving an SOS signal over the radio. "Emden" approached the ship and, using the flag signal on the foremast, gave the order "Immediately stop. Do not send radio signals. A boat was lowered from the cruiser with a boarding team under the command of Lieutenant Gustav von Lauterbach.

Already a cursory inspection of the steamer and ship's logs made it possible to determine that the Emden had won a valuable prize. The ship was called "Ryazan", belonged to the Russian Volunteer Fleet and followed from Nagasaki to Vladivostok. The ship was of the latest German construction (launched in 1909 in Danzig) and could reach a speed of 17 knots (31 km / h), which is very significant for transport. To sink such a ship was impractical.

The German naval flag was hoisted over the Ryazan and taken to Qingdao. Here she was quickly converted into the auxiliary cruiser Kormoran II (SMS Cormoran). The new ship of the German Navy received the name and guns of the old Kormoran raider, which had already served its age, had once taken part in the capture of Qingdao by the Germans.

"Kormoran II" carried out raider operations in Oceania from August 10 to December 14, 1914. Due to the complete production of coal, the raider was forced to enter the port of Apra on the American island of Guam, where he was interned in gross violation of international maritime law. After the United States entered the war against Germany on April 7, 1917, the commander of the Kormoran II, Adalbert Zukeshverdt, was forced to give the order to sink the ship. Despite the shooting raised by the Americans, the Germans carried it out, killing 9 crew members who did not have time to get out of the holds after the opening of the kingstons. The bodies of the dead were raised by American divers and buried with military honors in the Guam Naval Cemetery.

Last conversation with Count von Spee

At 3 am on August 6, 1914, the cruiser Emden brought the steamer Ryazan (future Kormoran II) to Qingdao. Cozy, rebuilt according to the German plan, the town has changed a lot. Before the war, the Germans grew groves in the vicinity of the port, and now special teams cut them down mercilessly to ensure accurate shooting for artillery.

The crew of the Emden did not receive shore leave. By the evening of August 6, having received a cargo of coal, food and ammunition, the cruiser was ready to go on the raid again. The governor of Qingdao, Captain Alfred Meyer-Waldeck, arrived to see off the cruiser, who subsequently organized the defense of Qingdao from the Japanese, surrendering the port only after the ammunition was completely used up. The ship's orchestra played the waltz "Patrol on the Rhine" - the unofficial anthem of the German sailors. The officers stood with their caps off, the sailors sang along in unison.

On August 12, Emden joined the squadron near the island of Pagan in the Mariana Islands group. The next morning, on the flagship cruiser Scharnhorst, Maximilian von Spee held an officer meeting to discuss future plans. He himself was inclined to operate with a full squadron in the western Atlantic. When the commander asked the opinion of the commanders of the ships, von Müller said that the light cruisers in the squadron would be almost useless, since they could only inflict little damage on the enemy. Considering the shortage of coal and the huge distance that a squadron had to travel to reach the Atlantic, von Müller suggested sending one or more cruisers to the Indian Ocean.

In the afternoon, a special courier from the Scharnhorst delivered the order of Count von Spee to the commander of the Emden:

Accompanied by the steamer Marcomannia, I order you to change your deployment to the Indian Ocean in order to wage a furious cruising war there to the best of your ability.

Attached are copies of telegraph messages from our southern coal supply chain over the past few weeks. They indicate the amount of coal ordered for the future - all this coal is transferred to you.

You are staying with the squadron tonight. Tomorrow morning, this order will be put into effect by the signal of the flagship "Separate".

I intend to sail with the remaining ships for the west coast of America.

Signature: Graf Spee.

In the early morning of August 14, the German flotilla of 14 ships (a significant part of them were coal miners) set out to the open sea heading east. None of the sailors on the Emden, except for the first mate von Mücke, knew where their ship was heading. Suddenly, the flagship Scharnhorst signaled the Emden with a flag semaphore: “Separate! We wish you every success!” In response, von Müller transmitted a response message to Count von Spee by semaphore: “Thank you for trusting me! I wish the cruiser squadron easy sailing and great success.”

The Swan of the East increased its speed and turned in a wide arc to the southwest. In marine 35x stationary binoculars, von Müller clearly distinguished the tall figure of Count von Spee, standing without a cap on the open captain's bridge. The captain of the Emden did not know that he was seeing the count for the last time: Maximillian von Spee would die heroically along with the main part of his formation in a truly epic battle with the squadron of the British Vice Admiral Sturdee near the Falkland Islands in the southern part of the Atlantic.

Bombing of Madras

Soon, a ghost ship appeared on the expanses of the Indian Ocean, which shot, undermined, drowned by boarding teams any of the ships of the Entente countries, which had the misfortune to get in its way. At the same time, the lives of all crew members and passengers of these ships were invariably preserved. Captain von Müller, despite the troubles, the loss of fuel and food, ensured the transfer of prisoners to ships of neutral states or their delivery to neutral ports. The luck and truly chivalrous nobility of von Muller could not be denied even by his main enemies - the British.

“We hated the Emden in words,” later recalled Royal Navy Lieutenant Joachim Fitzwell, “as panicky rumors of an elusive enemy raider shackled transport in the British island archipelago. However, in the secret depths of the soul, each of us bowed before the luck and chivalrous generosity of the captain of the German ship.

Fire at oil storage facilities in Madras, one of the largest ports in British India, after they were shelled by the light cruiser Emden. September 22, 1914. Photo: Agence Rol / Gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliotheque nationale de France

Already by mid-September, i.e. just a month after the start of the hunt, the total tonnage (deadweight) of the transports of the Entente countries sunk by Emden approached 45,000 tons, which was undoubtedly an outstanding result for a lone raider.

On September 20, 1914, Captain von Müller decided to bombard Madras, one of the largest ports in British India. On a cruiser made of canvas and plywood, a fake fourth pipe was installed, which created the Emden silhouette of English light cruisers.

At 21.45 he appeared abeam Madras and began to enter the harbor, guided by the harbor lights that were not turned off. After 40 minutes, "Emden" was already 3000 meters in front of the central berths. To the south of them towered huge oil terminals, from which the port, city and ships were supplied with oil. Turning on powerful searchlights, the Emden gunners quickly fired, having already covered the oil storage from the third salvo. The resulting colossal fire burned out all the oil of Madras. After unleashing several more volleys on the port artillery positions, the Emden turned off the searchlights and disappeared into the blackness of the southern night. In total, about 130 shells were fired at the city and port.

Judging by the reports of British newspapers in India, the Emden shells brought significant destruction: all oil reserves burned out, the port's steam communications and telegraph lines were destroyed. The psychological impact of the attack was enormous: there was a panic, thousands of British and Indians stormed the station.

“The devastation caused by Emden's effective predatory expeditions is very depressing,” wrote the influential Calcutta Capital newspaper a month later, “the wildest rumors are spreading through the bazaars like hurricanes. Even for those who do not succumb to alarmist agitation and trust the government, the successful Emden raids make a deep impression, which is not easy to get rid of.

Von Müller, meanwhile, did not even think of giving the sons of Foggy Albion at least a small respite. Only from October 15 to 19, 1914, a German raider captured seven British ships on the high seas: Clan Grant, Ponrabbela, Benmore, St. Egbert, Exford, Chilkana and Troilus. Five of these ships were sunk. The Exford collier was requisitioned under maritime prize law and the German flag was hoisted over him. The ship "St. Egbert", whose cargo belonged to the United States, was released with all the prisoners and received permission to proceed to any port except Colombo and Bombay.

Massacre with the careless "Pearl"

The radio intelligence of the Germans during the Great War worked clearly, and the radio service of the Emden cruiser was no exception in this regard. Based on the analysis of the intercepted radio messages, Captain von Muller came to the conclusion that some enemy warships, in particular the French armored cruisers Montcalm and Duplex, are based in the port of Penang on the island of the same name in the Strait of Malacca. Interrogations of the captured English skippers confirmed that the port lighting and entrance beacons actually work in peacetime.

The operation to attack Penang was carefully planned. Of particular danger to the warship was the narrow and long inner harbor of Penang, which deprived the freedom of maneuvering. An artillery duel with French armored cruisers was out of the question: the 164-mm and 194-mm guns of these ships could turn the Emden into a sieve in a few minutes. Only an accurate torpedo shot could tip the scales in favor of the German raider. The idea of ​​the operation struck with desperate audacity.

Russian armored cruiser Zhemchug. Photo: Agence Rol / Gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliotheque nationale de France

In the early morning of October 28, having put up a fake fourth pipe, turned off the lights and removed the German flag, the cruiser entered the inner roadstead of Penang. The ship's clock showed 04.50. French cruisers, to the disappointment of the Germans, were not in the harbor. However, at the far inner berth, the bulk of a warship darkened, which was identified as the armored cruiser Zhemchug. The Russian ship, together with another cruiser "Askold", was part of the Allied cruising squadron under the command of the British Vice Admiral Jeram. In Penang, Zhemchug was undergoing routine boiler cleaning.

At 05.18 Emden entered the combat course, raised the German naval flag and fired a torpedo shot from a distance of 800 meters. The torpedo hit the stern of the Zhemchug, but the cruiser's warhead of eight 120-mm guns could well open fire. However, she did not open it: the officer on duty slept sweetly, apparently, the combat guards also rested. Commander of the "Pearl", captain of the 2nd rank Baron I.A. Cherkasov at that time was resting with his wife who came to him in one of the hotels in Penang. There was no one to fight back the enemy.

The artillery guns of the Emden brought down an avalanche of fire on the deck and sides of the Zhemchug: already in the first minutes of the battle, the number of killed Russian sailors went to tens. Panic broke out, part of the sailors rushed overboard. With incredible efforts, senior artillery officer Yu.Yu. Rybaltovsky and watch commander, midshipman A.K. Sipailo managed to open fire with two guns. However, it was too late - the German cruiser again went to the traverse (direction perpendicular to the board) of the Zhemchug and fired a new torpedo shot.

This time the sight was more accurate: the torpedo hit under the conning tower, the explosion detonated the forward artillery cellar. A column of smoke and steam flew into the sky - the cruiser broke in half and sank in 15 seconds. The human casualties of disciplinary slovenliness were terrible: 87 people were killed, died from wounds and drowned, 9 officers and 113 lower ranks were wounded.

The investigative commission of the Naval General Staff, created on the fact of the death of the cruiser, found guilty of the tragedy the captain of the 2nd rank, Baron Ivan Cherkasov and the ship's senior officer, senior lieutenant Nikolai Kulibin. They were deprived of "ranks and orders and other insignia", in addition, "on deprivation of the nobility and all special rights and advantages" they were given to "corrective prison departments of the civil department." In wartime conditions, the prison was replaced for Cherkasov and Kulibin by sending ordinary sailors to the front.

Having destroyed the "Pearl", the German raider headed for the exit from the harbor. The French destroyer Muske rushed to intercept him, but the German lookouts noticed him in time. From the first salvo, the raider's gunners managed to cover the French destroyer, and the third salvo turned out to be fatal: the boilers exploded on the Musk, it lay sideways on the water and sank. Russian lieutenant L.L., who was in the water. Seleznev later recalled: “A column of black smoke rose in the place of Muske, and in a few minutes it was all over.”

Despite the need for an urgent departure, the Emden commander gave the order to stop the cars and collected all the surviving Frenchmen from the water: 36 of the 76 crew members. On October 30, 1914, a German raider stopped the British steamer Newburn, en route from Great Britain to Singapore, and transferred all captured French sailors on board.

When leaving Penang, the French destroyer Pistole joined the wake of the Emden, which did not go on the attack, but every 10 minutes broadcast the coordinates of the outgoing raider, calling on the Allied forces to intercept the German.

The “big hunt”, however, did not work out: after a few hours of pursuit on the “Pistol”, the main bearing of the propeller shaft began to warm up and the destroyer was forced to slow down. Suddenly, a strong wind with rain hit, and the German raider began to get lost in the haze, and the stormy sea left no wake for the French.

Last Stand

Incredible in audacity and luck, the Emden mission, according to the logic of any war, should have ended sometime. For many days of a brilliant raid, Karl von Muller, most likely due to psychological fatigue, for the first time made a major mistake near the Cocos Islands, which turned out to be fatal.

On November 2, in a secluded bay of one of the uninhabited islands, Karl von Müller lined up the cruiser team dressed in a new uniform on the deck. The anthem played solemnly - 40 Emden sailors were awarded medals.

It would seem that everything developed according to a well-thought-out plan: the next operation was to be the destruction of the radio station and cable relay station on the island of Direction, located in the chain of Cocos Islands.

The capture of the station, undertaken by the German landing on November 9 at 6.30 am, was successful. However, before the paratroopers took her, the Australian radio operator managed to broadcast an SOS and a message about an unidentified warship. It was received by the flagship of the operational convoy, the Australian cruiser Melbourne, which was 55 miles away. Its commander, Captain Mortimer Silver, immediately sent to the Directorate the newest (built in 1912), the high-speed cruiser Sydney, armed in the main caliber with eight long-range 152-mm guns.

A boat with the surviving members of the crew of the light cruiser Emden after the Battle of the Cocos Islands. November 9, 1914. Photo: Universal History Archive / UIG / Getty images / Fotobank.ru

The radio operators of the Emden intercepted the order from the Melbourne, but due to interference they considered the signal weak and, by its impulse, determined the removal of the Australian cruisers at 200 miles. In fact, "Sydney" to the island of the Directorate was 2 hours away.

Elementary caution dictated the need to go to the open ocean, but von Muller, trusting the technical conclusion of the radio room, ordered to prepare for the loading of coal and called the previously captured coal steamer Buresk by radio.

At 0900, a lookout on the Emden's mast saw smoke on the horizon, but on the captain's bridge it was assumed that the Buresk collier was approaching. At 9.12 the approaching ship was identified as a four-tube English cruiser. A combat alarm sounded - an emergency siren howled on the cruiser, calling on the landing force under the command of Lieutenant von Myukke to return to the ship. The landing did not have time to do this - at 9.30, the Emden raised anchor and rushed away from the island.

But time was lost: the Emden hull, overgrown with seashells over many months, did not allow it to withstand even the design speed of 23.5 knots (43.5 km / h). The newest "Sydney" was running at a maximum speed of almost 26 knots, and the "Emden", which stood for more than 3 hours with muffled boilers, could not instantly achieve the necessary steam power.

At 0940, it became obvious that the Australian cruiser would not be able to break away and the Emden, having opened fire, moved closer. "Sydney", fearing the famous German torpedoes with a range of about 3.5 km, began to retreat - not allowing the distance between the ships to be reduced to less than 7000 meters. At this distance, the 50 mm armor of its armored hull withstood bursts of 102 mm German shells. The gunners from the Emden, however, fired excellently: the rear mast was broken on the Sydney, the main artillery rangefinder was destroyed, and after the eighth salvo a fire broke out on the Australian ship.

Seeing the flames engulfing the stern of the Sydney, Carl von Muller made a desperate attempt to launch a torpedo attack, but the Sydney retreated again, taking advantage of its advantage in speed.

The Australians took longer to shoot, but when they achieved cover, the real execution of the raider began. After another salvo, a high-explosive 152-mm projectile hit the radio room of Emden. "Sydney" switched to the most rapid fire, while not allowing the German raider to get closer to the effective range of its 102-mm shells. Soon on the Emden, the electric elevators that fed shells from artillery cellars stopped working. A direct hit tore open the chimney at the fore mast, which fell aboard, and black soot fell onto the deck, clogging the glass of the artillery rangefinders, and then the flames engulfed the raider's stern.

Captain to the end

At 11.15, trying to save the crew, Karl von Müller threw the blazing cruiser into the shallows off North Keeling Island. Seeing this, "Sydney" stopped firing. The commander of the "Australian" John Glossop sent a boat with a doctor and medicines to the "Emden", and then - with the hope of capturing the German landing - went to the island of Directorate. The next day, the surviving officers and sailors from the Emden were taken aboard the Australian cruiser. The total losses on the Emden amounted to more than half of the regular crew: 131 people were killed and 65 people were injured.

The landing party of Lieutenant Helmut von Mücke, left on the island of the Directorate, undertook an incredible odyssey. The Germans did not wait for the Australian Marines - they captured the old Aisha sailboat on the island and went on it to the open sea. In one of the neutral ports, having replaced "Aisha" with a German collier, the von Mücke team reached the port of Hodeid in Yemen. From there, by land, at times with battles, the Germans made their way to the borders of Turkey - an ally of Germany in the Great War. In June 1915, the "iron corsairs" von Mücke were greeted with honor at the German military mission in Constantinople.

Carl von Müller and other members of the raider's crew were placed in a POW camp in Malta. In October 1916, after the successful escape of one of the Emden officers, the captain was taken to the UK. In September 1917 he tried to escape but was caught and spent 56 days in solitary confinement as punishment.

Malaria, which von Müller contracted in the South Seas, sapped his health. In January 1918, the physical condition of the Emden commander became so bad that the British, in view of the already obvious victory in the war, let him go to his homeland.

In Germany, Captain von Müller managed to receive from the hands of Kaiser Wilhelm II the highest military award - the order "Pour le Merite". In early 1919, Karl, he retired for health reasons and settled in Braunschweig, in the town of Blankenburg. He lived alone, very modestly, using all his available funds to help the needy members of the Emden team, primarily those who became disabled due to injuries.

The heart of the great German corsair stopped on the morning of March 11, 1923. He was only 49 years old.

The merits of the surviving crew members were highly appreciated at home - after the end of the war, they and their descendants were awarded a unique honor, having received the right to change their surname to a double one, with the addition of the word "Emden".

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Action against Allied merchant shipping and warships in the Indian Ocean. From August 1 to November 9, 1914, he captured 23 merchant ships, sank a Russian cruiser and a French destroyer. In the battle near the Cocos Islands, he was destroyed by the Australian cruiser Sydney.

Construction and service until the First World War

On sea trials, the cruiser showed a maximum speed of 24 knots per measured mile. The main armament of the cruiser was 10 rapid-firing 105 mm guns and two 450 mm torpedo tubes. The anti-mine caliber consisted of eight 52-mm guns, but according to some sources, they were subsequently dismantled.

The ship, after commissioning, was sent under the command of the frigate-captain Voldemar Vollertun to Qingdao, to serve as part of the East Asian Cruiser Squadron. On the way to Qingdao, the cruiser paid an official visit to Buenos Aires, timed to coincide with the centenary of the independence of Argentina, as well as Valparaiso, Tahiti and Samoa met with the flagship of the squadron, the cruiser Scharnhorst. On August 17, 1910, the ship arrived in Qingdao. Thanks to the graceful contours, the cruiser received the nickname "Swan of the East".

Raiding in the Indian Ocean

Map of Emden's operations in the Indian Ocean

In the Bay of Bengal

Over the next week and a half, Emden did not meet a single ship, until on September 9, at about 23:00, the cruiser stopped the Greek steamer Pontoporos en route from Bombay to Calcutta. Greece was a neutral country and did not participate in the war, but the cargo - 6500 tons of coal belonged to the British and was a legitimate prize. Müller managed to convince the captain of the Pontoporos to sign a contract with the Germans for a substantial reward. In order to ensure its observance, a team of armed sailors was left on board. On the morning of the next day, a steamship sailing under the flag of the British auxiliary fleet was seen, superstructures of an incomprehensible purpose were visible on the deck. After the ship was stopped, it turned out that this was the English steamer "Indus" with a displacement of 3413 tons, built in 1904. The ship was converted into a military transport, and the superstructures on the deck turned out to be stalls for horses. The Hindu team was transferred to the Marcomannia, and after everything needed (primarily provisions, soap and cigarettes) was reloaded onto the cruiser, the ship's kingstones were opened and the Emden fired 6 shells at the waterline. The next day, the English liner Lovet, built in 1911, with a displacement of 6012 tons, was detained and sunk in the same way. At about 22:00, the English steamer Kabinga (4657 tons, 1907) was stopped. Since, according to ship documents, most of the cargo belonged to American owners, and also not wanting to put the women and children on board at risk, Muller decided not to sink the ship, but to use it as a floating prison, transferring prisoners from the Marcomannia there. Over the next two days, three more British ships were detained and sunk: "Kaillin" (1908), with a cargo of 6 thousand tons of coal, "Diplomat" (1912, 7615 tons) with a cargo of tea and "Trebboch", en route to Calcutta in ballast. The crews of the ships were transferred to the Kabinga, and on September 14, Muller ordered the ship overflowing with prisoners to be released. After a short time, patrol cruisers discovered another ship, which made an attempt to get away from the chase by giving distress signals. The ship stopped only after the cruiser opened fire to kill. The boarding party determined that this was a 4,775 tonne Clan Maphison, en route to Calcutta with a load of cars, bicycles and steam engines. The ship was flooded by opening the kingstones and exploding the charges in the hold. In addition to the captured British ships, two Italian steamships were stopped and released during the operations near Calcutta.

After the Kabinga was released, and the Mafison Clan managed to send out distress signals, it became unsafe to stay in the Calcutta area and Captain Muller headed southeast to Rangoon. On September 18, the Emden met a ship from a neutral country, Norway, whose captain agreed to take the prisoners to Rangoon. The next day the cruiser headed west, heading towards Madras.

Bombing of Madras

After this incident, the British organized floodlighting of all major harbors, which prevented further attacks, but according to the testimony of the senior officer of the cruiser, Lieutenant Commander Myukke (German. Hellmuth von Mucke) greatly facilitated the cruiser navigation in coastal waters.

Ceylon, Maldives and Chagos Archipelago

After the raid on Madras, Captain Muller decided to change the area of ​​operations and withdraw from the Bay of Bengal. On September 23, "Marcomannia" was met at the agreed point and both ships headed southeast, towards Ceylon. The very next day, on September 24, the cruiser stopped and sank the next prizes - the English steamships King Land (3650 tons) en route to Calcutta in ballast and Timerick (4000 tons) going to England with a cargo of sugar.

Emden, escorted by Buresk, headed for the Chagos Archipelago, on the way the cruiser crossed the Australia-Aden and Cape Town-Calcutta trade lines and patrolled in the area for several days, but did not encounter any ships. On October 9, the ships anchored in the bay of the island of Diego Garcia and the crews began to reload coal, cruising the cruiser to clean the underwater part from fouling, and to bulkhead and clean the ash and scale from the boilers. There was a small French colony and a coconut oil factory on the island. The colonists had no connection with the outside world, except for a ship that called every few months for the products of the factory, and they did not know anything about the outbreak of war. Muller did not inform them, under the pretext that his ship was allegedly on a long solo voyage and also had not received news for a long time. German sailors repaired a broken motor boat for the colonists, the cruiser's officers were invited to breakfast with the factory director, the team calmly completed loading and repair work.

Raid on Penang

After the end of the rescue operation, Müller ordered the speed to be increased to 22 knots. The sentinels found another French destroyer pursuing the cruiser (it was the Pistol that managed to separate the pairs), but Muller decided not to get involved in the battle in order to leave the Penang area as soon as possible. A few hours later it began to rain heavily and the opponents lost sight of each other.

Over the next two days, three seriously wounded French sailors died and were buried at sea with military honors. Around four in the morning on October 30, the cruiser intercepted the English steamer Newborn (3000 tons). Fearing for the condition of the wounded, Muller did not sink the ship, but released it with all the French prisoners, having previously taken a written obligation from them not to participate in hostilities against Germany anymore. After that, Emden headed for the Indonesian island of Simelue, off the coast of which a rendezvous with Buresk was scheduled.

Battle of the Cocos Islands. The death of the Emden

coconut islands

On October 31, the Buresk was met at the appointed place; on November 2, in a solemn atmosphere, Muller awarded 40 sailors of the cruiser with medals. After the completion of the next loading of coal off the coast of West Sumatra, the Buresk left, having received the coordinates of a new rendezvous point.

For the next few days, the Emden cruised around the Sunda Strait in anticipation of a meeting with the Exford and in an attempt to intercept Japanese and British merchant ships. The meeting with the Exford took place on November 8, and Lieutenant Lauterbach, who took command of the coal miner, was ordered to go to the island of Socotra and wait there for a meeting with the cruiser. Muller planned to relocate to the Gulf of Aden, but before that, he decided to destroy the radio station and cable relay station on Directorate Island, one of the Cocos Islands, thus disrupting Australia's communications with the outside world.

Australian cruiser Sydney

Around 6:30 am on November 9, Emden anchored in the harbor of Directorate Island and landed an armed landing party, which included 32 sailors, 15 technicians and three officers. The landing commander was appointed the first officer, Lieutenant Commander Myukke. Before the paratroopers could get to the island radio station, she managed to broadcast an SOS signal. Despite the cruiser's attempts to jam the signal, it was received by the Australian cruiser Melbourne, which was 55 miles from the island, the flagship of the escort of a large Australian-New Zealand troop convoy bound for Colombo. The commander of the Melbourne, Captain Silver (eng. Mortimer T. Silver) who also commanded the escort forces, ordered the Sydney cruiser by radio to separate from the convoy and find an unknown cruiser. The radio operators of the Emden intercepted the order, but due to the weakness of the signal, they considered that the enemy was at least two hundred miles away, and Muller, instead of immediately going to sea, ordered the Buresk to be called on the radio and prepare to load coal, while as having developed maximum speed, "Sydney" had less than two hours to go to the island.

During this time, the paratroopers destroyed the radio station, blew up the mast with antennas, the cable warehouse and began cutting cables and destroying the cable substation. At 09:00, a lookout on the cruiser's mast noticed the approaching smoke, and on board it was assumed that the Buresk appeared on the horizon, but at 09:12 the approaching ship was identified as a four-tube cruiser. At 09:15, the landing party was ordered by siren and flags to urgently return on board, but the Myukke team did not have time to fulfill it - at 09:30 the cruiser weighed anchor. The Emden enemy was much faster, better armored and armed with more powerful and long-range 152-mm guns. The 105-mm Emden guns were unable to inflict devastating damage to the enemy ship, and Muller considered reaching the distance of a torpedo attack as the main task in the upcoming battle.

Remains of Emden

At 09:40, Emden opened fire first from a distance of about 9 thousand meters and from the third salvo hit the Australian cruiser, destroying the stern rangefinder. Subsequent hits started a fire and disabled one of the bow guns. The Australian gunners needed more time to zero in, but at the twentieth minute of the battle, the Emden began to receive hits, and by 10:20 the German cruiser lost a pipe, the fire control system, steering and radio station were disabled, there was no power supply. Due to heavy losses among the gunners and the need to feed shells from the cellars manually, the return fire of the Emden was significantly weakened. Using the advantage in speed, the Australian cruiser kept an advantageous distance. By 09:45, two rear tubes and a mast were lost, the speed of the cruiser fell to 19 knots due to loss of thrust in the furnaces. The chances of a successful torpedo attack were minimal, but Müller kept trying until he was informed that the torpedo room had flooded from holes below the waterline. At 11 o'clock, Muller ordered a ceasefire and moved to North Killing Island, the northernmost of the Cocos Islands. Since the continuation of the battle became meaningless, the captain decided to save the surviving crew members, and throw the ship ashore at full speed, opening the kingstones so that it would not get to the enemy. At this time, the Buresk and Sydney appeared on the horizon, leaving the obviously incapacitated German cruiser set off in pursuit of the coal miner.

When the Sydney was overtaken by the collier, he was already sinking, the team managed to open the kingstones. Taking the boats with the crew in tow, the Australian cruiser returned to the Emden, and with a searchlight signal demanded surrender. Since there was no answer, and the topmast flag was still fluttering on the surviving mast, Sydney opened fire again. After the first salvo, the German cruiser lowered her battle flag and threw out a white one, as a sign of surrender. Having sent a boat with a doctor and medicines to Emden, Sydney went to the island of Directorate to find out the fate of the communication center and capture the German landing. The Australians returned to North Killing only the next day. An Australian parliamentary officer arrived at Muller with a formal demand for surrender from Captain Glossop. John C T Glossop), commander of the Sydney. The letter stated the hopeless situation of the German cruiser, guaranteed humane treatment of prisoners and assistance to the wounded. Muller agreed and the Sydney crew began a rescue operation. Muller was the last to leave the cruiser, upon arrival on board the Australian ship he was given captain's honors, a specially prepared dinner awaited the surviving crew members, and the wounded were placed in the ship's infirmary.

Cruiser "Emden"

A year after the conclusion of the Treaty of Versailles, the Niobe cruiser was twenty years old, and it was possible to build a new ship to replace it.

The designers were given the difficult task of meeting the constraints, both contractual and financial. Therefore, we had to limit ourselves to reworking the wartime project.

The main elements of the new cruiser are as follows: displacement 6990 tons (fully loaded), 5600 tons (standard), length 155.1 m (maximum),

150.5 m (at the waterline), width 14.3 m, draft 5.93 m (full load), 5.15 m (with standard displacement).

The hull was divided into 23 watertight compartments. The numbering of compartments and frames went, as was customary in the German fleet, from stern to bow. The largest compartments were No. 8 (stern or first engine room), No. 10 (bow or second engine room) and No. 11 (boiler room No. 2). The double bottom extended from frames No. 20 to No. 90 (56% of the ship's length). The double-bottom space was used to store liquid fuel, boiler water and ballast.

The armor as a whole corresponded to the standards of the end of the First World War - the ship had a 50 mm belt along the waterline and horizontal armor: the deck, which stretched from the tiller compartment to the 106th frame, had a thickness of 20 mm at the ends, 40 mm in the center. From the deck to the belt was a 40-mm bevel at an angle of 40 °. The conning tower was also armored, the maximum thickness of its armor was 100 mm.

The main power plant included 10 naval boilers - 4 coal and 6 oil (they were located in one large and two small boiler rooms), 2 Brown Boveri turbines, each in a separate compartment. The total power of the mechanisms was 46,500 hp. The speed was 29.4 knots, cruising range 6750 miles at a speed of 14 knots, fuel: 875 tons of coal, 859 tons of oil.

Electricity for ship consumers was generated by three diesel generators with a total capacity of 42 kilowatts and a voltage of 220 volts in the network.

Initially, it was planned to install 4 twin 150-mm installations with a barrel length of 50 calibers on the ship, but it soon became clear that post-war Germany could not manufacture them. But the old Kaiser 150-mm guns were available. The project was revised, and the Emden was armed with 8 150-mm guns. They were located in the same way as on the last cruisers of military construction, with one exception, gun number 2 was elevated above the tank gun number 1. Then another pair of guns stood on the sides of the bow superstructure, another pair looked aft from the second tube , one gun was on the aft superstructure and one more on the poop. The broadside consisted of 6 guns.

These 150-mm installations had the following characteristics: C / 16 machine, elevation angle + 27 °, descent angle -10 °, firing range 16800 m, muzzle velocity 885 m.sec., barrel length 6558 mm, barrel survivability 1400 rounds, number 48 rifling, barrel and lock weight 5730 kg, cradle weight 2345 kg, total installation weight 11,386 kg, projectile weight 45.3 kg.

The experience of the World War was taken into account, and the fire control system was noticeably modernized. There were three rangefinders with a base of 4 meters: one on the top of the foremast, one on the roof of the conning tower, one on the aft superstructure, sighting posts on the wings of the bridge. The data came to the central artillery post, it was deep below, under the spare command post, which was connected by an armored pipe to the conning tower.

Anti-aircraft artillery consisted of 2, later 3 88-mm guns with a barrel length of 45 calibers. The characteristics of the guns were as follows: muzzle velocity 950 m/sec. lock and barrel weight 2500 kg. projectile weight 9 kg. charge weight 2.35 kg.

The cruiser was equipped with 2 twin-tube 500-mm torpedo tubes, and could be placed on the upper deck for 120 minutes. The torpedo firing control system consisted of three rangefinders. They could also be used to control the fire of 88 mm guns. One rangefinder was located on the aft superstructure, two on the wings of the bridge. There were also viziers.

The crew consisted of 19 officers, 445 sailors and foremen. During the use of the cruiser as a training ship: 29 officers, 445 sailors and foremen of the permanent command and 162 cadets.

"Emden" became the most "modernized" cruiser of the German fleet. The upgrades ranged from purely cosmetic to substantial. In 1926, the shape of the foremast was changed. Instead of a kind of "tulip", a classic mast appeared. In 1933-1934. the shipyard-builder carried out a major modernization. Coal-fired boilers were dismantled, and 4 naval oil boilers were installed instead. The cruising range after that was 5300 miles at a speed of 18 knots. The fuel reserve was equal to 1266 tons of oil. 500-mm torpedo tubes were removed from the Emden, and 533-mm torpedo tubes were installed instead, since G-7a type torpedoes entered service with the fleet. Their specifications were as follows: explosive weight 430 kg TNT; the torpedo engine was powered by compressed air; cruising range: 15000 m at 30 knots, 5000 m at 40 knots, 4500 m at 45 knots; installation of a recess up to 52 m. In 1938, small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery appeared on the cruiser: 2 37-mm (soon the number increased to 4) and 18 20-mm guns. During the war it was used as a training ship. They were always dealt with in the second place, but still modernized. In 1940-1941. a demagnetizing winding was installed on the ship, in 1942 the Kaiser 150-mm guns were removed and instead of them 150-mm guns of the TVK model were installed, designed to arm the new destroyers. The 150 mm TVK S/36 gun, mounted on a S/36 carriage, had the following characteristics: caliber 149.1 mm, elevation angle +30°, descent angle -10°, muzzle velocity 835 m/s, barrel survivability 1000 shots, type of rifling cubic parabola, number of rifling 44, maximum firing range 21950 m, projectile weight 45.3 kg, charge weight 6 kg, installation weight 16100 kg.

Shield armor: frontal 10 mm, board 6 mm.

Despite the use of the cruiser as a training ship, in September 1942 it was decided to significantly strengthen its anti-aircraft armament.

It was planned to dismantle the 150-mm gun No. 4, and install a twin 88-mm anti-aircraft gun in its place. Instead of the Kaiser's 88-mm anti-aircraft guns, two twin 37-mm machine guns were to be installed on the sides, and a twin 20-mm in the diametrical plane. In addition to them, single-barreled 20-mm machine guns were planned to be installed on the searchlight platform and stern.

After the New Year's Battle, in February 1943, this project had to be abandoned. The cruiser was equipped with two quadruple 20-mm machine guns, the so-called "firlings". They were located on the superstructure near the onboard 150-mm gun. Two single-barreled 20-mm machine guns were installed in the stern of the navigational bridge. Before being sent to Skagerak in August-September 1944, instead of 88 mm guns, 105 mm SKS / 32 guns were installed. Its characteristics were as follows: the initial speed of the projectile was 780 m.sec., the elevation angle was +70 °., the angle of descent was 10 °., the survivability of the barrel was 4100 shots, the type of rifling was a cubic parabola, the number of rifling was 32, the weight of the lock and barrel was 1765 kg., firing range 15175 m., projectile weight 15.1 kg., charge weight 3.8 kg., total cartridge weight 24 kg., installation weight 23650 kg.

Shield armor: frontal armor 12 mm, side and base 4 mm.

Two 40 mm machine guns were mounted on the bridge. As a result, anti-aircraft artillery consisted of 3 105-mm, 2 40-mm machine guns of the Bofors system, 20 20-mm (2 four-barreled and 6 double-barreled).

Electronic weapons. In 1942, the FuMo-22 radio station was installed on the Emden. At the end of 1944, it was planned to install a new FuMo-26 Pallau radar station and a FuMo-6 enemy radar detection system on the cruiser. But after the grounding, these plans were abandoned. At the end of the war, the FuMo-25 radar station was installed.

Service

Laid down on December 8, 1921 at the State Naval Shipyard in Wilhelmshaven. Originally designated Neubau A. "Ersatz Niobe", according to other sources, "Ersatz Ariadne". The slipway period dragged on due to economic and political problems (the entry of the French army into the Ruhr region). On January 7, 1925, a solemn ceremony of descent and christening of the ship took place, which was named "Emden". He inherited his name from the famed World War I raider. The speech during the ceremony was delivered by the commander of the navy, Admiral Hans Zenker. Frau Uta von Müller, the widow of the commander of the first Emden, became the godmother of the new ship.

Completion afloat proceeded quickly. On October 15, 1925, the cruiser was handed over to the Navy, the flag was raised on it, the pennant was raised, and tests began. "Emden" became the 100th ship built by the Wilhelmshaven shipyard for the German fleet.

The main drawback of the ship was the shape of the foremast. Later it was removed by the shipyard-builder. The command of the German fleet decided to use the cruiser as a training cruiser and assign it to the North Sea station. The bow of the ship was decorated with the "Iron Cross", inherited from the first "Emden". After completing an individual combat training course, "Emden" took part in the big autumn maneuvers of 1926. Then he was returned to the shipyard, where work was carried out with pipes and spars, and after a brief preparation for a round-the-world voyage, on November 14, 1926, "Emden" goes to sea ​​from Wilhelmshaven. The cruiser circled Africa. New 1927 his sailors met in the ocean. The ship then visited a number of East Asian ports. March 15, 1927 "Emden" arrived at the island of North Killing (Cocos Islands), to the grave of his predecessor. A funeral ceremony was held in memory of 133 sailors who died in battle with the cruiser "Sydney". Subsequently, the cruiser visited Japan, a number of ports in Alaska and on the western coast of North America, circled South America and met in 1928 on the roadstead of Rio de Janeiro. In the next three months, the cruiser visited a number of ports in Central America, went to the Azores and the Spanish port of Villagarcia. March 14, 1928 the long voyage ended, "Emden" arrived in Wilhelmshaven.

From March to December, the cruiser was engaged in combat training in German waters. The commander for "Emden" from October 1928 to October 1930 was selected unique. It was Lothar von Arnaud de la Perrier (1886-1941) - an outstanding underwater ace of the First World War. Unlike the average German officer, he had a penchant for diplomacy. He could easily maintain contact with foreigners and be an example for cadets. After commanding the Emden, he retired from 1932 to 1938. taught at the Turkish Naval Academy. After returning to Germany, he received the rank of Vice Admiral. In 1940-41, Lothar von Arnaud de la Perrier was a senior naval commander in various parts of Western Europe. But in the end, this outstanding man died in a plane crash.

In late autumn, preparations began for the second long voyage. December 5, 1928 "Emden" again left Wilhelmshaven. This time he went to the Mediterranean, paid a visit to Constantinople, then proceeded to the East through the Suez Canal and visited the Dutch possessions in Indonesia, Australia and the Hawaiian Islands. Then the ship made a friendly visit to the ports of the west coast of the United States of America, passed through the Panama Canal, visited the ports of Latin America, called at Las Palmos and on December 13, 1929 returned to Wilhelmshaven. As a reward, the sailors were given the opportunity to celebrate Christmas and New Year with their families. Despite all maritime superstitions, the cruiser went to sea for the third time on January 13, 1930. During this campaign, the Emden visited Madeira, San Tomas, New Orleans, Kingston (Jamaica), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Charleston . Stopped at Las Palmos and Santa Cruz on the way back and arrived at Wilhelmshaven on 13 May.

Then the cruiser stands at the factory wall for current repairs. After its completion and testing, he is back on a long voyage. "Emden" could be seen in Vigo, Souda Bay (Crete), Port Said, Aden, Cochin, Colombo, Trincomalee, Port Blair (Port Blair) Sabang, Bangkok, Victoria Hafen (Labuan Island), Manila, Nanjing, Shanghai , Nagasaki, Osaka, Nii Time, Hakodate, Otare, Yokohama, Guam, Batavia. During this voyage there was a second visit to the Cocos Islands and the place of the last battle of the first legendary "Emden".

Then the return to Germany began. Calls were made to the following ports: Mauritius, Durban, East London. From this port, a group of German naval officers traveled to Johannesburg, where they were introduced to the leadership of the Union of South Africa. Then the cruiser could be seen on the roads of Lobito, Luanda, Site Isabella with Fernando Poo, Lagos, Freetown, Sant Vikent, Las Palmos and Santander. December 8, 1931 "Emden" arrived in Wilhelmshaven.

After this campaign, the cruiser was excluded from the lists of the practical detachment and transferred to the reconnaissance forces of the fleet. They were commanded by Rear Admiral Albrecht, who kept his flag on the Koenigsberg. While being part of this formation, "Emden" took part in many exercises, and then in large naval exercises. From February 21 to March 15, 1933, he made a trip to the Atlantic along with the newest cruiser Leipzig (callings at Funchel and Las Palmos). Three days later, on March 19, a ceremony was held on board the cruiser to hand over the brass plaque with the name, which had previously been on the waist of the first Emden.

Approximately two weeks later, the ship comes to the factory wall, coal boilers are dismantled from it and oil boilers are installed. At the same time, the height of the pipes was reduced by 2 meters, and a new double radio antenna was installed. September 29, 1934, when the "Emden" returned to the fleet, it was decided to use it as a training ship. At this time, Captain 2nd Rank K. Doenitz, the future commander of the submarine fleet, the second and last Fuhrer of the Third Reich, took command of the ship. The command of a cruiser in the future will make it much easier for K. Doenitz to select personnel for submarines. But for the time being, his attention was riveted on preparations for a large foreign campaign. November 10, 1934 "Emden" for the fifth time goes on a long voyage from Wilhelmshaven. During this campaign, he called at the following ports of Santa Cruz de La Palma, Capstadt, East London, Port Achelink, Mombasa, Port Victoria, then Trincomalee (Ceylon) and Cochin.

The cruiser went back through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea with calls to Alexandria, Cartagena, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Porto Delgada, Lisbon and Vigo. During the last passage there was a rendezvous with the cruiser "Karlsruhe". On June 12, 1935, the ship arrived at the Schilling raid and on June 14 at Wilhelmshaven. The commander-in-chief of the German naval forces, Grand Admiral E. Raeder, immediately arrived on board the Emden. On the same day, the cruiser Karlsruhe returned from a campaign in North and South America under the command of Captain 1st Rank Lutyens, later admiral and commander of the fleet. Lutyens will die in May 1941 on the battleship Bismarck.

In the future, according to the plan of the main command of the naval forces, Lutyens was to sail to the New World and visit Japan, China, the then Dutch Indies, the South Pacific, and Australia. Lutyens suggested changing the route of passage: he wanted the crew of the Karlsruhe to be able to get acquainted with the ancient culture of the East. “I objected to him, saying that the East Asian region went to Emden, according to tradition, from the famous namesake, who at the beginning of the First World War crossed it under the command of Captain 2nd Rank von Muller. Very unexpectedly for me and Lutyens, the commander-in-chief remarked dryly: "Do not argue, gentlemen, you will both leave your ships. Lutyens is appointed head of the personnel department of the main command of the naval forces and will recruit the officer corps for the newly built navy, and you Doenitz will take over the organization of the German submarine forces, "K. Doenitz wrote about the events of those days. ( K. Doenitz, Submarine Fleet of the Third Reich, pp. 8-9).

The German bureaucracy worked slowly, so Dönitz only relinquished command in September. At this time, "Emden" was once again preparing for a foreign voyage. October 23, 1935 the cruiser leaves for her sixth long voyage. He visited the already familiar Azores, the ports of the island West Indies and Venezuela, passed the Panama Canal, entered the Guatemalan port of San Juan and Portland (Oregon), crossed the Pacific Ocean and visited the Hawaiian port of Honolulu. On the way back, they crossed the Panama Canal and called at a number of ports in the West Indies, followed by visits to Baltimore and Montreal. "Emden" for some time was a stationer in the Spanish port of Pontevedra. June 11, 1936 "Emden" arrived in Germany.

After a short rest, preparations began for the next trip abroad. On October 16, 1936, the withdrawal from Wilhelmshaven took place. This time the cruiser was supposed to visit the Mediterranean and Black Sea ports. The ship could be seen in Cagliari, Istanbul. During his visit to Varna "Emden" was visited by the Bulgarian Tsar Boris. After returning to the Mediterranean, the cruiser passed the Suez Canal and visited a number of East Asian countries, the British possession of Ceylon, Siam, Japan, China and returned to Germany through the Suez Canal.

On the way, I had to "stop" off the Mediterranean coast of Spain, engulfed in civil war. April 23, 1937 the cruiser arrived in Wilhelmshaven.

After a short course of combat training in the fleet, preparations began for the next long-distance campaign. October 11, 1937 "Emden" goes on another long voyage. The cruiser had to linger in the Mediterranean Sea, performing tasks to assist the Francoists. After that, the ship passed the Suez Canal, crossed the Indian Ocean and visited Colombo, Belavani, Surabaya, Mormugao, Massawa, returned to the Mediterranean Sea "Emden" and for some time was enlisted in the German Mediterranean squadron.

In the period from March 14 to 21, 1938, the commander of the Emden, Captain 1st Rank Bruckner, acted as commander of the German fleet in Spanish waters. On the way to Germany, the cruiser made a visit to Amsterdam and on April 23, 1938 returned to Wilhelmshaven. The pre-war service of the "Emden" can be called unique - after a short rest, preparations began for the eighth long-distance campaign. On July 26, 1938, the cruiser puts to sea and this time goes north to Norwegian waters, calling at Reykjavik. The Emden then turns south, entering the Azores and then Bermuda.

At sea, the crew of the Emden survived all the twists and turns of the Munich crisis. Then in 1938, A. Hitler ordered to complete the preparations for the invasion of Czechoslovakia (Operation "Grun"). Everyone was waiting for the start of the war. But it did not start - France and England betrayed their ally. The cruiser's radio operators took conflicting orders one by one from Berlin. Unlike its predecessor, the new Emden could no longer be used as an enemy trade fighter. Probably, in the event of a war, he should have been interned in a neutral port. But the crisis was resolved, the Western "democracies" betrayed Czechoslovakia, and the cruiser went first to the Mediterranean and then to the Black Sea. From 19 to 23 March "Emden" took part in the mourning ceremonies in honor of Kemal Ataturk. At this time, the flag of Admiral Karls was raised on it. On the way to Germany, the cruiser visited the island of Rhodes and the Spanish port of Vigo. On December 16, 1938, he arrived in Wilhelmshaven. This was Emden's last long-distance voyage. Until September 1939, he carried out routine service in German waters. The only event that took place in the ship's life was a campaign to protect fisheries (from March 29 to March 15) with a call to Reykjavik.

The attack on Poland found the ship in Wilhelmshaven. The first operation of the ship was to reach the mine setting, one of the parts of the Westwall minefield system. The destroyers "Karl Galster" and "Hans Lodi", the yacht (mine layer) "Grille" and destroyers took part in the operation. The ships put to sea after Britain and France declared war on Germany. The operation went without incident.

On September 3, in the first minutes of the war, a reconnaissance aircraft started from one of the British airfields. His pilot was tasked with reconnaissance of the Kiel Canal zone. The pilot spotted the German ships at anchor. It was not possible to report because the transmitter was frozen. The pilot spoke about what he saw immediately upon returning to the airfield, and the British command decided to strike. On the morning of September 4, reconnaissance of the object of attack was carried out. This time the pilot managed to transmit the message.

The command gave orders to 107 and 110 squadrons of the Royal Air Force, which were armed with the Blenheim IV. 10 cars took off into the air (equally from each squadron). 107 Squadron attacked the armored ship "Admiral Scheer". 4 aircraft were shot down with well-aimed fire, and the aircraft returned to the base without finding a target. 110 Squadron was more fortunate. They found the Emden. 4 planes attacked the enemy (one was lost somewhere along the way). The attack was unsuccessful, the bombs exploded near the side. Trouble on the cruiser was involuntarily brought on by chief foreman Dieselsky, gunner of a 20-mm machine gun. He managed to hit the left engine of the attacking Blenheim. The plane at that time was 200 meters from the ship, the height was low, and it began to fall, crashing into the starboard side of the Emden 1 meter above the waterline.

The fire engulfed the dentist's office and the foremen's wardroom. The Emden's hull suffered from water hammer and bomb fragments. The board, pipes, bridges were cut by fragments, all the searchlights were broken. A torpedo tube turned out to be in the affected area - after the battle, 8 holes were counted in it, fortunately, the combat charging compartments of the torpedoes did not explode. Crew losses amounted to 29 killed and 30 wounded (other data: 2 officers and 9 sailors died). It can be added to the history of this raid that the downed Blenheim was flown by an English pilot named Emden.

And yet, the damage to the cruiser was not very serious - the repair took a week, and then the ship was transferred to the Baltic at the disposal of the senior naval commander in Danzig. He was assigned a modest role - "Emden" was used to hunt ships with smuggling. From December 2, 1939 to January 3, 1940, the cruiser underwent maintenance repairs, after which a period of inactivity began for it. But not for long. At the end of March, the development of Operation Weserübung, the invasion of Denmark and Norway, entered its final stage. "Emden" was included in the most important. 5th group, whose goal was to capture the Norwegian capital. The formation was commanded by Rear Admiral Kümmetz. The group included the heavy cruiser Blucher, the armored ship Lutzow, 3 destroyers, 2 armed whalers, the 1st flotilla of minesweepers (8 ships).

On April 6, 600 soldiers boarded the Emden. The transition as part of the squadron went without incident, and the light cruiser itself was only a witness to the events in the Oslo Fjord. The 5th group did not complete the task and, moreover, lost the Blucher. Therefore, 9 and 10 In April, the cruiser spent in Drobin Fjord. The Norwegian capital was captured by an airborne assault. "Emden" arrived at the Oslo raid at noon on April 10. The commander of Captain 1st Rank Werner Lange was entrusted with the organization of patrol service on the outskirts of Oslo. Only on April 24, 1940 was Captain 1st Rank Friedrich Rive, the last commander of the Karlsruhe cruiser, was appointed commander of the harbor of Oslo.The Emden remained in Oslo until June and served as a communications ship.Then it was decided to reuse the cruiser as a training ship.

In the summer of 1940, the Emden crew "suffered heavy losses", many officers and sailors were transferred to ships captured in France. November 7, 1940 "Emden" stands at the wall of the "Deutsche Werke" plant in Kiel, ammunition is unloaded from it, and the crew moves to the "Monte Olivia" floating barracks. Until February 15, 1941, the cruiser underwent routine repairs with docking and returned to the duties of a training ship. In the summer of 1941, he was again in Norwegian waters, although he did not take part in the hostilities. In September 1941, according to the German command, it was necessary to reflect the breakthrough of the Soviet Baltic Fleet to Sweden. In mid-September, the so-called "Baltic Fleet" was formed under the command of Vice Admiral Tsiliaks. "Emden", together with "Leipzig" and torpedo boats, was part of the so-called Southern Group, based on Liepaja. This connection lasted from September 21 to 23, then it was disbanded in several stages. The cruisers of the Southern Group and three destroyers were assigned to support the German offensive on the Moonsund Islands.

On September 26 and 27, "Emden" and "Leipzig" fired at units of the Red Army on the Svorbe peninsula. The first day passed without incident. On the second day, the German formation was attacked by Soviet torpedo boats, and later, during the return to Libau, the submarine Shch-319 (Lieutenant Commander N.S. Agashin). Both attacks were unsuccessful. This ended the participation of "Emden" in the war against the USSR. He returned to duty as a training ship. In November 1941, a fleet training unit was formed. "Emden" was included in it and remained in its composition, until his death.

In June 1942, the cruiser arrives at the shipyard-builder. Regular repairs and replacement of the main caliber guns are carried out on it, and in November 1942 it returns to the training detachment. The command of the German fleet in the fall of 1942 decided to send the cruiser to the waters of Northern Norway.

To get acquainted with the true state of affairs, the commander-in-chief of the fleet, Grand Admiral E. Raeder, arrived on board the Emden - this was his last visit to the ships as commander-in-chief. After the New Year's battle, these plans were abandoned, and an unenviable "threat" for a warship hung over the "Emden" - in the midst of the war, to be disassembled into metal. But the new commander of the Kriegsmarine defended all the large surface ships, "Emden" continued its service as a training ship. Occasionally he was involved in providing combat training for ships. In 1943, the cruiser carried out work to strengthen anti-aircraft weapons.

Until September 1944, the ship continued to fulfill its duties as a training ship. At this time, the military situation in Germany deteriorated sharply. "Emden" was enrolled in the ships of the first line. In the second half of September, he took part in a series of mine productions in the Skagerak Strait. In addition to the Emden, destroyers and the Kaiser minelayer took part in the operation. On the night of September 19-20, he was a participant in Operation Claudius (according to other sources, this operation was carried out from September 19 to 21), then Operation Caligula on the night of October 1-2 and on the night of October 5-6 "Vespasian".

His further service in Norwegian waters was calm - he was not involved in combat missions. On December 9, in the Oslo Fjord, the cruiser ran aground east of Flateguri Island. It can only be removed the next day. On December 16, Grand Admiral Doenitz ordered the ship to be repaired at the Koenigsberg branch of the Shihau shipyard. From 23 to 26 December "Emden" makes the transition to the place of repair. The ship meets Christmas at the dock. A month later, the repair had to be interrupted. On the evening of January 21, units of the Soviet Army were already 40 km from Koenigsberg. The work was turned off, and the cruiser was taken out of the dock. On January 23, the ship received an order to "leave immediately." The coffins of the President of Weimar Germany, Field Marshal P. Hindenburg, and his wife were urgently loaded on board the Emden. In addition to the dead, living refugees were also taken on board.

On January 24, the cruiser, towed by an icebreaker, arrived in Pillau (Baltiysk). In this port, the coffins and most of the passengers were unloaded. The remains of Hindenburg were transferred to the floating base of the 1st training division of submarines "Pretoria". In Pillau, they managed to assemble one of the turbines and reach Gotenhafen, where guns were delivered to the cruiser. From February 2 to 6, the transition to Kiel took place, on which the Emden could develop only 10 knots. During the transition, the destroyer "T-11" and training ships (converted from minesweepers) TS-6 and TS-9 and a tugboat were in his escort. The ships arrived safely in Kiel, where Emden continued repair work at the Deutsche Werke plant.

The life of the ship was cut short on the night of April 9-10, when British bombers attacked Kiel. During this raid, 2,634 tons of bombs were dropped on the city and port. Its consequences were horrendous: the port, city and surrounding areas were destroyed. The heavy cruiser "Admiral Scheer" capsized, "Admiral Hipper" and "Emden" were so badly damaged that they could no longer return to the fleet. April 26, 1945 "Emden" was excluded from the lists of the fleet. The hull was dismantled in 1949.