The SMS Emden


In the early days of World War I, a German warship known as the SMS Emden made its mark on history with one of the most audacious naval attacks on Indian soil. On September 22, 1914, the Emden stealthily approached the shores of Chennai (then Madras) under the command of the cunning Captain Karl von Müller. Despite the heavy surveillance by the British Navy in the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal, the ship anchored a mere 2.7 miles from Chennai harbor unnoticed.

Under cover of darkness, the Emden fired 130 bombs onto the unsuspecting city, causing chaos and destruction. Two warehouses, containing a total of 5,000 liters of kerosene belonging to the Burma Oil Company, were set ablaze, while several other buildings, including the iconic eastern wall of the High Court, were severely damaged. Even a merchant ship fell victim to the bombardment. What makes this attack particularly noteworthy is that it was the only recorded attack on Indian soil during World War I.

The Emden was no stranger to such daring operations. By the time it struck Chennai, the ship had already captured or sunk over 20 enemy vessels. Among its victims were the French warship Mosquet and the Russian ship Semchuk. In a remarkable twist of fate, one of the Russian ships captured by the Emden, the SS Ryazan, was transformed into a German warship and rechristened SMS Cormoran.

Despite the might and elusiveness of the Emden, its reign of terror came to an end on November 9, 1914. Off the Cocos Islands, it met its match when the Australian ship HMAS Sydney engaged in a fierce battle, leaving the Emden crippled. Captain von Müller was forced to ground the ship to prevent it from sinking. Of the 376 men on board, 133 perished, and the survivors were taken as prisoners of war.

However, the story doesn’t end there. In a strange twist of fate, during World War II, a German ship bearing the name Cormoran once again clashed with the Australian Navy. This time, it was the Sydney that met its doom, sunk by none other than a ship sharing the same name as the former SS Ryazan. Coincidence, or a chilling echo of the past?

The SMS Emden will forever be remembered as a phantom of the seas—stealthy, bold, and unrelenting in its pursuit of naval supremacy. Its surprise attack on Chennai remains one of the most fascinating episodes in the annals of Indian military history, a stark reminder of the global reach of the First World War.