Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 236
Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 236]
Chapter 3.
The Emden
Although we were steadily pushing north in the Indian Ocean and into waters where it was thought possible the Emden and Kõnigsberg might be, nothing had been heard of these ships either directly or indirectly on the wireless since the Emden's exploit in Penang harbour some days before. Every night our wireless watch strained their ears to pick up the German Naval Telefunken note, but the Germans were sufficiently wily to remove this ready means of detection from their enemies, who, they knew, were all around them and gradually tightening the net. On the night of the eighth of November Captain Glossop had a premonition that we were going to find the Emden, and he wrote in his night order book "I look on to-night and tomorrow night as the most critical periods of the trip". Soon after daybreak his premonition was being fulfilled.
It was a bright sunny morning on the ninth of November when the decoding officer rushed in to Captain Silver of the Melbourne with the wireless signal "Strange warship off the port. Cocos". and later "S.O.S. Cocos". The wireless officers on the island tried to send further details, but these were jammed.