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Battle of Penang
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Command of the Oceans 1914-1918 |
|---|
| Penang – Coronel – Cocos – Falkland Islands - Königsberg |
The Battle of Penang occurred on October 28, 1914, during World War I. It was a naval action in the Strait of Malacca, in which the German cruiser SMS Emden sank two Allied warships.
At the time, Penang was part of the Straits Settlement, a British Crown Colony. Penang is an island off the west coast of Malaysia (then known as Malaya). It is only a short distance from the mainland. The main town of Penang, George Town, is on a harbour. In the early months of the war, it was heavily used by Allied naval and merchant vessels.
Shortly after the outbreak of the war, the German East Asia Squadron left its base in Tsingtao, China. The squadron headed east for Germany, but one ship, the SMS Emden, under Korvettenkapitän (Lt. Commander) Karl von Müller, was sent on a solitary raiding mission.
Early on the morning of October 28, 1914, the Emden appeared off the George Town roads and attacked the harbour and vessels lying therein. Captain von Müller had disguised his ship by rigging a false smoke stack, which made the Emden resemble a British cruiser. Once he had entered the harbour, however, he ran up the German naval ensign and revealed what ship the newcomer actually was.
Before any of the Allied naval vessels could respond, the Russian cruiser Zhemchug, was torpedoed and sunk. The French destroyer Mosquet set off in pursuit of Emden, but was quickly sunk by the German ship.
The Emden continued its raiding mission for several more weeks, before finally being sunk at the Battle of Cocos.