18/10/2022
A R O U N D T H E W O R L D
HOW GERMAN CRUISER ‘EMDEN’ STRUCK TERROR IN THE HEART, OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE.
The summer of 1914 was unlike any other year in Europe. Since early July, the specter of war had begun to haunt the continent. And by the end of the month, the greed of European imperial powers had plunged the world into World War I.
Around this time, an obscure German light cruiser named SMS Emden had completed four years of service in China, at Tsingtao, the East Asian Station of the Imperial German Navy. In mid-August of that year, the German admiral Maximilian von Spee assembled all his captains on Pagan Island in the North Pacific Ocean. The admiral’s plan was for the entire squadron to leave for the coast of South America, its future hunting grounds.
Everyone concurred, except Emden’s Commander, Karl Friedrich Max von Müller. Müller put forth an unexpected proposal: Emden should detach from the squadron and operate as an independent commerce raider in the Indian Ocean. A brave proposition, but possibly suicidal too.
Spee agreed. Soon, the signal flags rose: ‘ Emden detached. Wish you good luck!’ they read. Emden withdrew from the long queue, along with her coaler, Markomannia, sailed in a different direction, soon losing sight of the squadron.
From then on, Emden had no harbor of refuge. This ‘swan of the east’ was all alone in hostile waters, with one mission only — to sneak into the Indian Ocean and play havoc with British shipping.
Emden entered the Indian Ocean on August 30. The British were unaware that a heavily armed 389 ft long German warship was prowling in their waters. Back then, the British dominated the Indian Ocean. Cargo, essential for the survival and expansion of the Empire, was regularly transported across the oceans. The Indian Ocean provided crucial sea lanes and connected the Far East with Europe. Müller’s idea was to inflict heavy losses on the British by raiding ships on these busy trade routes. This, he believed, would also lower the prestige of the British and inspire the Indians to rebel against their oppressor.
Though swift and well-armed, Emden was poorly protected. But it was her appearance that worried the Germans the most. Unlike the British ships with two or four funnels, Emden had three. The enemy would recognize her from miles away. A brilliant idea struck Müller’s second-in-command, First Lieutenant Hellmuth von Mücke; he simply rigged up a counterfeit funnel with sailcloth and wooden laths.
With Emden’s identity now camouflaged, the Germans were ready to cause trouble. They found their first victim on September 10. On the Colombo-Calcutta route, Emden intercepted a Greek steamer, Pontoporros, which was carrying coal for the British, a much-needed commodity for Emden’s own survival. The very next day, the Germans plundered and scuttled Indus, which was transporting provisions from Calcutta to Bombay for British troops. Later that day, a troopship, Lovat, also ended up at the bottom of the sea. Over the next few days, Killin, Diplomat, Trabbock, and Clan Matheson all met their doom.
With its fourth dummy funnel, the German raider looked exactly like the British cruiser Yarmouth. The crews of the intercepted ships were often left puzzled. Müller’s men were also exceptionally efficient. They would not give the victims any chance to use their wireless. ‘In this way,’ wrote Mücke, they ‘cleaned up the whole region from Ceylon to Calcutta’.
What happened next was an anomaly in naval history. On September 12, Müller captured an English ship, Kabinga, but released it two days later. The gesture was gallant albeit hugely risky. But Müller was no ordinary commander. He was fighting a big war, but with a big heart.
At just 18, Müller had joined the German Navy as a midshipman and had quickly risen through the ranks to become Emden’s commander by 1913. He proved to be a gentleman, even during the war. he resolved to disrupt the enemy’s shipping, but without bloodshed. While the intercepted vessels were destroyed ruthlessly, the crew and passengers were treated with kindness. Around 400 people aboard the Kabinga soon reached Calcutta safely.
Although Emden’s hunting grounds in the Bay of Bengal were not far from Indian shores, the British remained completely ignorant of her depredations until around 2 p.m. on September 14.
A day earlier, Müller had intercepted Loredano. Being a ship from a neutral country, Italy, he had let her go. Loredano, however, broke her code of neutrality and reported Emden to a British steamer. The British immediately ceased all shipping activities in the Bay of Bengal. Emden shifted course and drifted towards Rangoon, but in vain. Meanwhile, Vice-Admiral Martyn Jerram dispatched Hampshire, Chikuma, Yarmouth, Minotaur, and Ibuki to hunt Emden down. With several Allied warships now frantically combing the sea, Emden was in peril.
