Cruise and Destruction of the Emden; Report of Captain John C. T. Glossop, I have the honour to report that while on escort duty with the convoy under the charge of Captain Silver, H. M. A. S. Melbourne, at 6:30 a.m., on Monday, November 9, a wireless message from Cocos was heard reporting that a foreign warship was off the entrance. I was ordered to raise steam for full speed at 7 a.m., and proceeded thither. I worked up to 20 knots, and at 9.15 a.m., sighted land ahead and almost immediately the smoke of a ship which proved to be H. I. G. M. S. Emden, coming out toward me at a great speed. At 9.40 a.m. fire was opened, she firing the first shot. I kept my distance as much as possible to obtain the advantage of my guns. Her fire was very accurate and rapid to begin with, but seemed to slacken very quickly, all casualties occurring in this ship almost immediately. First the foremost funnel of her went, secondly the foremast and she was badly on fire aft; then the second funnel went and lastly the third funnel, and I saw she was making for the beach on North Keeling Island, where she grounded at l l.20 a.m. I gave her two more broadsides and left her to pursue a merchant ship which had come up during the action. Although I had guns on this merchant ship at odd times during the action, I had not fired, and as she was making off fast I pursued and overtook her at 12.10, firing a gun across her bows and hoisting International Code Signal to stop, which she did. I sent an armed boat and found her to be the s.s. Buresk, a captured British collier, with 18 Chinese crew, 1 English steward, 1 Norwegian cook, and a German Prize Crew of 3 Officers, 1 Warrant Officer and 12 men. The ship unfortunately was sinking, the Kingston knocked out and damaged to prevent repairing, so I took all on board, fired 4 shells into her and returned to Emden, passing men swimming in the water, for whom 1 left two boats I was towing from Buresk. On arriving again off the Emden, she still had her colours up at mainmast head. I inquired by signal, international code, Will you surrender? and received a reply in Morse What signal? No signal books. then made in Morse, Do you surrender? and subsequently, Have you received my signal? to neither of which did I get an answer. The German officers on board gave me to understand that the captain would never surrender, and therefore, though very reluctantly, I again fired at her at 4.30 p.m., ceasing at 4.35 p.m., as she showed white flags and hauled down her ensign by sending a man aloft. I then left Emden and returned and picked up the Buresks two boats, rescuing 2 sailors (5.00 P.M.), who had been in the water all day. I returned and sent in one boat to Emden, manned by her own prize crew from Buresk, and 1 Officer, and stating I would return to their assistance next morning. This I had to do, as I was desirous to find out the condition of cables and Wireless Station at Direction Island. On the passage over I was again delayed by rescuing another sailor (6.30 p.m.), and by the time I was again ready and approaching Direction Island it was too late for the night. I lay on and off all night and communicated with Direction Island at 8 a.m., November 10, to find that the Emdens party, which had landed on Keeling Island, consisting of 3 officers and 40 men, 1 launch and 2 cutters, had seized and provisioned a 70-ton schooner, the Ayesha, having 4 Maxims with 2 belts to each. They left the previous night at six oclock. The wireless station was entirely destroyed, 1 cable cut, 1 damaged, and 1 intact. I borrowed a doctor and two assistants and proceeded as fast as possible to the Emdens assistance. I sent an officer on board to see the captain, and in view of the large number of prisoners and wounded and lack of accommodation, etc., in his ship, and the absolute impossibility of leaving them where they were, he agreed that if I would receive his officers and men and all wounded, then as for such time as they remained in the Sydney they would cause no interference with ship or fittings, and would be amenable to the ships discipline. I, therefore, set to work at once to tranship them -- a most difficult operation, the ship being on the weather side of the island and the sand alongside very heavy. The condition in the Emden was indescribable. I received the last word from her at 5 p.m., then had to go round to the lee side to pickup 30 more men who had managed to get ashore from the ship. Darkness came on before this could be accomplished, and the ship again stood off and on all night, resuming operations at 5.00 a.m. on 11th November, a cutters crew having to land with stretchers to bring wounded round to embarking point. A German Officer, a Doctor, died ashore the previous day. The ship in the meantime ran over to Direction Island to return their Doctor and Assistants, send cables, and was back again at 10.00 a.m., embarked the remainder of wounded, and proceeded for Colombo by 10.35 A.M., Wednesday, 11th November. Total casualties in Sydney: killed 3, severely wounded (since dead) 1, severely wounded 4, wounded 4, slightly wounded 4. In the Emden I can only approximately state the killed at 7 Officers and 108 men from Captains statement. I had on board 11 Officers, 9 Warrant Officers, and 191 men, of whom 3 Officers and 53 men were wounded, and of this number 1 Officer and 8 men have since died of wounds. The damage to Sydneys hull and fittings was surprisingly small; in all about 10 hits seem to have been made. The engine and boiler rooms and funnels escaped entirely. I have great pleasure in stating that the behaviour of the ships company was excellent in every way, and with such a large proportion of young hands and people under training it is all the more gratifying. The engines worked magnificently, and higher results than trials were obtained, and I cannot speak too highly of the Medical Staff and arrangements on subsequent trip, the ship being nothing but a hospital of a most painful description ! wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Cruise_and_Destruction_of_the_Emden
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 01:27:56 +0000
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