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Battle of Cocos, Indian Ocean, WW1
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Battle of Cocos, Indian Ocean, WW1
Battle of Cocos, Indian Ocean, 9 November 1914, between the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney and the German light cruiser SMS Emden, First World War. The Australia ship won.
1914
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Media ID 23096736
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Australian Cocos Cruiser Destroyed Emden Hmas Rocks Sydney
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This evocative photograph captures the aftermath of the Battle of Cocos, a pivotal engagement in the early stages of the First World War's naval campaign in the Indian Ocean. The image, taken on 9 November 1914, depicts the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney triumphantly anchored off Direction Island in the Cocos Keeling Islands, having successfully engaged and destroyed the German light cruiser SMS Emden. The Emden, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Karl von Müller, had been wreaking havoc in the region since August 1914, sinking several Allied merchant ships and British warships. The Australian cruiser, under the command of Captain John Glossop, pursued the Emden following the sinking of the Australian ship HMAS Pandora. In the ensuing battle, the Sydney inflicted significant damage on the Emden, forcing it to beach itself on Direction Island. The German crew, led by Kapitänleutnant von Müller, surrendered the following day. The photograph poignantly illustrates the contrasting fortunes of the two ships. The Sydney, proudly flying the Australian flag, appears victorious and unscathed, while the Emden lies wrecked on the shore, its once-imposing silhouette now dwarfed by the towering rocks and palm trees of the island. The image serves as a poignant reminder of the brutal realities of wartime at sea and the tenacity of the Allied forces in the face of adversity.
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