Battle of Penang
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| The Command of the Oceans 1914-1918 |
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| Penang – Coronel – Cocos – Falkland Islands - Königsberg |
The Battle of Penang occurred on October 28, 1914, during World War I. It was a naval action in the Strait of Malacca, in which the German cruiser SMS Emden sank two Allied warships.
Penang was part of the Straits Settlement, a British Crown Colony. Penang is an island off the west coast of Malaysia (then known as Malaya). It is only a short distance from the mainland. The main town of Penang, George Town, was a harbour. In the early months of the war, it was used by Allied naval and merchant vessels.Shortly after the outbreak of the war, the German East Asia Squadron left its base in Tsingtao, China. The squadron broke up and one ship, the SMS Emden, under Korvettenkapitän (Lt. Commander) Karl von Müller, proceeded on a solitary raiding mission.
Early on the morning of October 28, 1914, the Emden appeared off the George Town roads and attacked the harbour and vessels lying therein. Before any of the naval vessels could respond, the Russian cruiser Zhemchug, was torpedoed and sunk. The French destroyer Mosquet set off in pursuit of Emden and was also sunk by the German ship.
The Emden continued its raiding mission for several more weeks, before being sunk at the Battle of Cocos.
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