Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 27
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[Page 27]
and the Melbourne took station ahead. The Sydney still guarded the flank, and the Ibuki dropped a little astern.
It is curious how Chance plays tricks. Had the Minotaur not left us on the seventh she would have been Senior ship and the Melbourne would infallibly have been ordered to investigate the famous signal which came two days later "Strange warship off Cocos island"; for under in no circumstances would the Senior Officer leave his convoy.
The bad tidings from Coronel gave to us in the Sydney the chance of making the first chapter in Australian Naval History. Although we were steadily pushing North in the Indian Ocean and into waters where it was thought possible the Emden and Konigsberg might be, nothing had been heard of these ships either direct or indirect on the wireless since the Emden's exploit in Penang Harbour some weeks 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 from of detection from their enemies whom 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 tonight and tomorrow night as the most critical periods of the trip". Soon after daybreak next morning his premonition was being fulfilled.
It was a bright sunny morning on the ninth when the decoding Officers rushed into Captain Silver of the Melbourne with the wireless signal "Strange warship off the Port." Cocos, and later "S.O.S. Cocos". The cable officers tried to send further details, but these were jammed.
After a short struggle between duty and inclination Captain Silver ordered the Sydney off at full speed to investigate, and thus unhappily lost the opportunity for which he had served thirty years to grasp. The Melbourne's loss was our gain, but the Fates probably have something yet in store for her.
Crews had sent this signal addressed to all British men-o-war all round the ocean, merely