The End of S.M.S. "Emden"...


Eleven days after commissioning (April 1, 1910), the newest small cruiser of the Imperial German Navy, S.M.S "EMDEN", sets off from Kiel for East Asia ...:



"Emden" is assigned to the German "East Asian Cruiser Squadron" stationed in the colony Tsingtau - here it is in the port of the colony ...:



The outbreak of World War I surprised S.M.S. "Emden" under Fregattenkapitän Karl von Müller at sea.




The cruiser immediately sets course for Tsushima Street and shortly afterwards it can make its first prey:

The Russian auxiliary cruiser "Ryazan" ....:


"Emden" brings the prize to Tsingtau and takes coal. On the march to Tsingtau, the ship escapes a French naval force by a hair's breadth, which was commissioned to capture and sink "Emden"!

Captain Müller is in a hurry to get out of the port of Tsingtau, fearing that he will be blocked by superior enemy naval forces!

Barely left, the cruiser sets course for the island of Pagan and meets there with the other warships of the "East Asian Cruiser Squadron", which is led by Vizeadmiral Reichsgraf Maximilian von Spee ...:



These are the two large cruisers (armored cruisers) SMS "Scharnhorst" ...



... and SMS "Gneisenau" ...



... as well as the small cruiser SMS "Nürnberg" ....:





Later "Emden" s sister ship SMS "Dresden" ...



... and the small cruiser SMS "Leipzig" ...:



... will join.

Admiral Graf Spee explains that he wants to operate independently in the Pacific and, depending on the situation, try to make his way home with his association.

Kapitän von Müller takes a different point of view: As a lone operating pirate cruiser, his weakly armed ship can be used much more effectively for Germany - in addition, it will withdraw enemy ships from the German main force in search of him.

Graf Spee agrees and the next day S.M.S. "Emden" detached to independent cruiser warfare.

What begins now will be S.M.S. "Emden" is highly regarded by friends and enemies. This is largely thanks to his commander, Frigate Captain Karl von Müller, for whom the term "knightly warfare" applies in the best sense of the word!

It brought von Müller the nickname "The Gentleman of War".

"Emden" is at war, but the captain absolutely avoids any unnecessary human sacrifice - especially among civilians!

In October and September 1914 "Emden" brought in 23 civilian but enemy ships (with contraband cargo!) With more than 70,000 GRT without a single civilian losing his life. At the first opportunity the people were put ashore - provided with food and best regards from the "Emden" crew ...:



On September 22, 1914, the cruiser unexpectedly appeared in front of the British-Indian port of Madras and destroyed a huge British oil depot with its 10.5 centimeter guns ...:





A little later, "Emden" entered the port of Penang (Malaysia) camouflaged and sank the Russian cruiser "Schemtschug" - which I have already reported on elsewhere.

However, on November 9, 1914, fate overtook "Emden".

Kapitän von Müller had called the remote Coconut Island and landed a troop of marines to destroy the British radio station there.

"Emden" could have used the guns for this, but "Gentleman of War" von Müller wants to avoid unnecessary victims!

During the landing party under Leutnant zur See von Mücke ...



... gets to work on the island and destroys the radio station ...



... suddenly the Australian cruiser H.M.A.S. "Sydney" comes in sight ...:



The Germans had not noticed that the British radio operator was still able to make an emergency call that "Sydney" had picked up!

"Sidney" with its twelve 15.2 cm cannons is far superior to the German cruiser (ten 10.5 cm cannons) in artillery terms - the outcome of the unequal battle is clear from the start:

S.M.S. "Emden" is shot at a long distance to a burning pyre and can hardly defend itself because its guns do not reach as far as the Australian opponents ...:



In the 90-minute battle, seven officers, 30 non-commissioned officers, 92 men - and two Chinese washers from Tsingtau who had voluntarily stayed on board - are killed on "Emden".

When "Emden" can no longer fire, Captain von Müller puts the wreck on a reef - and thus saves the lives of the rest of the crew - especially the wounded!






192 Germans are picked up from "Sydney" ...



... and have to go to the island of Malta in captivity. 3 men died on the Australian cruiser - 13 were wounded.

Then "Sydney expires.

But the Australians had missed the fact that the squad that had previously been set ashore by "Emden" was still on Cocoon Island ...

**contunued next post**

Part 2:

Meanwhile, the landing squad is waiting in the boats on the pier of the coconut island for the return of the "Emden" ...







The sailors had to watch helplessly in the distance ...:



Lieutenant von Mücke does not want to perish on Coconut Island and not in captivity, any more than his people!

So the Germans hijack the scrap-ripe sailing schooner "Ayesha", which happened to be in the harbor, and make off. In the pictures of the waiting landing party above you can see the "Ayesha" in the background!





By ship and a long land march through the Arabian desert (during which the landing party suffered several losses in battles with Bedouins!) ...







... the city of Izmet is reached on the territory of the Ottoman Empire, allied with Germany, where the "Emden" people are new dressed ...



... and can take the train the rest of the way!

On May 23, 1915, Leutnant von Mücke was able to report to Konteradmiral Wilhelm von Souchon-Pascha, the chief of German warships in the Mediterranean and at the same time commander in chief of the Ottoman fleet, at the Haidar-Pascha train station in Constantinople, saying:

"Report obediently, landing platoon S.M.S." Emden "with five officers, seven non-commissioned officers and 37 men on the spot!"



When the fate of the "Emden" and its landing squad became known in Germany, the City Council of Emden immediately named Captain von Müller an honorary citizen ...:



All crew members are awarded the "Iron Cross".

In addition, Kaiser Wilhelm II donates another award that has never been given before and has not been repeated so far:

All crew members of the "Emden" and their family members have the right to add the word "Emden" to their family name. This award is hereditary - to this day!

So if you ever meet a person named Sunke Burscheid-Emden or a Frauke Adomeit-Emden, then you can assume that a grandfather or great-grandfather was once part of the crew of S.M.S. "Emden" ...

One of the cannons of S.M.S. "Emden"is shown until today at Sydney - with clearly visible bullet damage on the barrel ...:



A nameplate of "S.M.S." Emden "also recovered as a trophy from the Australians was given back to the German Reich in 1933 (Hitler had just come to power) as a" symbol of good will "...:



And in my study there is a fully equipped with remote control, motors, etc. driving model of S.M.S. "Emden"...:



My "Emden" has the usual tropical paintwork of the German Kaiserliche Marine, which the original also had until shortly before the outbreak of war.

I only drove my cruiser model on the pond once! The danger that something goes wrong with the filigree thing during transport or on the water is far too great for me ...

gentlemen of War; Last Cruise of SMS Emden..couple of books..as well several of the history channels have pieces on the story..remarkable

Good stuff Martin! I knew the basics of the story but didn't realise the landing party managed to make it home. What a story they could tell their grandkids.

Phil

Many likely didn’t live to tell grandchildren: muller died of his malaria in 1923, Mucke initially endorsed National Socialists but became vocal opponent and was imprisoned...his son killed on Russian front. Don’t know much of the regular ratings, but can imagine turbulent lives ...the casualty count was far higher than in WW1.