- Author
- Werner, Arthur
- Subjects
- WWII operations
- Tags
-
- RAN Ships
- None noted.
- Publication
- September 1980 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
The first intentions of the Captain were to capture French and Russian steamers and to return them to Tsingtao where they could be re-equipped as supply ships or, if they had sufficient speed, to be armed as auxiliary cruisers. The sea was rough as we cruised in the Tsutshima Straits. Suddenly the signalman in the crow’s nest called out, ‘Smoke on the starboard bow’ and in a matter of minutes we were proceeding at full speed in the direction concerned. Our prizeofficer Lieutenant Lauterbach happened to be a peacetime merchant captain, so our Captain asked him if he could identify the ship which had now been sighted. Lauterbach, with his expert knowledge of such matters gave a short laugh and replied, ‘It’s a Russian!’ We immediately signalled her, ‘Stop your engines!, do not use your wireless!’
As a warning a blank shot was sent across her bows. The Captain of the steamer, however, ignored our commands and tried to escape into Japanese territorial waters. In order to avoid this we opened fire with live rounds. The Russian now sent out SOS calls but stopped her engines after being shocked by a close miss. A prize-crew of twenty men was sent aboard with orders to take over and proceed to follow the Emden. The ship concerned had a displacement of 3,500 tons and a speed of 17 knots and with this first prize of ours we started to make steam for our base, Tsingtao.
At about 5 p.m. we sighted several clouds of smoke which turned out to be from the two French cruisers, Montcalm and Duplex, escorted by destroyers on their return from a visit to the port of Vladivostok and proceeding south. With an immediate change of course we just managed to avoid them in the darkness.
On the night of the 4th August the wireless operator reported to the Captain that England had declared war against Germany. We found this news very hard to believe as we had always had the most friendly relations with the crews of English ships.
We knew that the British cruisers Minotaur and Hampshire both possessed eight-inch guns against which our puny four-inch ones would have been useless, thus we were immediately put on the alert for any signs of these two ships.
In the early morning hours we arrived at Tsingtao with our booty and the Russian ship was soon converted into an auxiliary cruiser and renamed Kormoran. She was then despatched into the Pacific in search of possible victims.
A wireless message from the Admiral ordered us to rejoin the Squadron and, after hastily refuelling and provisioning, we set out to sea accompanied by our supply ship Markomannia. On the 12th August we arrived at the Isle of Pagan in the South Seas and met up with the Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Neurenberg as well as a large number of supply ships loaded with coal and provisions. Immediately on dropping anchor the Commanding Officers of all cruisers were ordered to a conference on board the flagship Scharnhorst.
The suggestion of our Captain that one of the small cruisers should be sent into the Indian Ocean to prey on British ships was accepted. Early next morning all ships left Pagan and at eight o’clock the flagship hoisted the signal, ‘Emden, detach! Good Luck’! This meant that we were now acting independently. Our Captain turned to the signalman saying, ‘Send the following signal to the flagship: My grateful thanks for the confidence you are placing in me, may I also wish you the success I myself hope to achieve’. The signal was sent and we swung out of line and sped on our way southwards. In opposition to our Captain’s wish we were accompanied by our supply ship Markomannia, loaded with 6,000 tons of coal and provisions. The rest of the Squadron steamed eastwards and after a victorious battle on the 1st November at Coronel on the west coast of South America, during which the two cruisers Monmouth and Good Hope were sunk, it was itself finally annihilated at the Falkland Isles battle on the 8th December 1914 by a force under the command of the British Admiral Sir F.D. Sturdee.
We then steamed southwards through the Moluccan Passage to the Isle of Timor and headed westwards, followed by shoals of huge sharks which resembled wolves waiting for the kill.