Transcribed extract from diary of Herbert Spencer Dickinson, 1914

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On Sunday Nov 8th in the evening a
four funnel cruiser appeared at
entrance to Cocos Is harbour
Inhabitants (about 28) thought it was
British Cruiser "Newcastle". It appeared
again at daybreak c.e. Monday Nov 9
Nothing suspected until the rear funnel
was seen to wobble about a bit &
then collapse on the deck. At the same
time a boats crew was lowered
consisting of 3 Officers 1 warrant Officer
and about 40 men all armed & with
4 machine guns, ammunition etc.
As soon as this was noticed the
wireless operator sent the S.O.S. signal
with- Strange Cruiser in harbour, the
Emden tried to drown the message
but did not succeed. That was about
6.30. At 7 o'clock the Sydney was
dispatched at about 20 knots. Shortly
after 9 she sighted the smoke of the
"Emden" and the Emden saw her at
about the same time. The Emden
thought the Sydney was a smaller
cruiser of the Newcastle type armed
only with 3 inch guns and steamed
out to meet her. The Emden opened
fire at about 10,000 yards with a
salvo (broadside) of 5 guns which went
over the Sydney the second salvo fell
short & the third hit the Sydney.

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The Sydney opened on the Emden with
the same result the third salvo hitting
her. The first 15 minutes of the fight
was very fierce, as many as three of
the Emden's salvos being in the air at
one time.

Diagram see original document 

One of the first to hit the Sydney knocked
away her forward range finder, cutting
off one man's leg and killing him &
another, as well as wounding a few
The shell missed an Officer by a few
inches the wind of it shifted his hat
round. The Sydney was only hit
12 times altogether very few of the
shells bursting, The Emden was on the
Sydneys port side & most of the hits
were on the starboard side caused by
the high elevation owing to the distance.
One shell penetrated the Sydney's deck
then the wall of an Officers cabin,
missed his desk by a foot & then
penetrated the side and went out to
sea. Another shell hit the side, 

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dinted it in & then dropped out again.
At first the Emden's forward funnel
went then her forward mast then
her other two funnels which hung over
the side. Most of the shots hit her stern.
One of the Sydney's salvos got in through
the Emden's stern portholes and caused
tremendous damage, The deck was wrinkled
like the waves of the sea. The whole of
the stern caught fire and the Sydney
ceased firing thinking she was going to
sink. After about 20 minutes as the Emden
did not obey the signal in International
Code to lower her flag the Sydney fired
two more salvos and discharged a torpedo
at about 4000yds. The direction was
correct but it stopped about 50 yds short.
These two salvos caused more damage
(so the Germans say) than all the previous
fighting. In order to get the flag down
one sailor jumped off the bow, swam
around to the stern & climbed up the
rigging & unwired it from the mast.
After the Emden beached the Sydney
set off after the collier which turned
out to be the captured British 18,000 ton
steamer "Buresk" which had been in
the hands of the Germans for about 6 weeks
When she caught up it was sinking
fast, the Germans had done this to stop
the 2,000 tons of coal on board being
taken by the Sydney, when she got
back to Cocos it was 6.30 p.m. The
40 men from the Emden landed on the 

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Island had filled a schooner with
3 months provisions & sailed away
at 6. p.m. As it is just about pitch dark
at 6.30 she escaped. Some Germans were
picked up swimming about in the water
who had been blown overboard between
10. a.m. & 11.a.m. while the engagement
was on. They had had nothing to eat or
drink all the time.
Next morning at daybreak the rescue
operations were commenced. A lot
had been landed under tremendous
difficulty through 20  yards of broiling
surf by the German doctor who had
the bad luck to break his leg. He went
mad, drank salt water, & then died, on
Direction Island which is a coral reef
about 1 mile long. It has cocoanut trees
on it but there was not a man capable
of getting any so the result was that all
the Germans had been 24 hours without
food & water. They were all got off by
about 10 o'clock. They must have had
a terrible experience not only during
the engagement but afterwards. It must
have been beyond description.
Altogether the Emden fired about 1,500 shots
and the Sydney about 650. Most of
the shells used by the Emden were
Armour piercing & when they hit the
Sydney which is only protected cruiser
they went right through without
exploding.