Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 31
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[Page 31]
"If it is the Chatham or the Newcastle I shall fight her; if it is the a Japanese or Australian ship I shall sink her."
He then came towards us, leaving behind in his hurry the first lieutenant and forty men who were ashore breaking up the wireless and cable stations and whom there was no time to re-embark.
Captain von Muller probably did not really know what his chances were in the action which followed. A light cruiser of the Sydney class should in all circumstances defeat an Emden, for although the Emden had ten guns they were only 4.1" calibre throwing a shell weighing thirty five pounds, and with six guns in the broadside - the forward and after gun working on either beam - she would have a total weight of 210 lbs every time she turned to bring her guns to bear.
Against this the Sydney's guns - five six inch on either beam - with their 100lb projectiles had five hundred lbs. In addition, the Sydney was probably three or four knots faster and had some thin but useful armour on her sides.
The Germans, however, as we learned later, thought she was a training ship with officers and men new to their job and probably inefficient, and on this they staked their hope of victory.
With the exception however of fifteen or sixteen boys from the training ship Tingira all our people were fully trained and quite fit to take their places in the big line up in the North Sea, as in fact they subsequently did.
About half past nine the action began, and at ten thousand yards the shells began to arrive, shrieking through the air and falling all around the ship. The Germans got the range quickly and hit us with the third salvo and knocked out the aft control. This was a raised steel platform in which were stationed an officer and five men, all save one of whom were wounded.
Soon afterwards a shell got beautifully home on the fire control on the upper bridge and wrecked the