Notebook 2 of Vivian Agincourt Spence Little, 1914- Part 1

I. Convoying Australian Imperial Expedition.

Albany

Description in general of convoy and experiences

II. The Day of the Action.

7.30 or thereabouts, wireless message to Melbourne

from Cocos - passed on to Sydney. 
Started off south, wh particulars of course

and exact position.

Enemy in sight (quote time in bearing)

Engagement began 9.40 a.m.

Description.

11.15am Cease fire.

Look over ship - condition of decks - guns

damage done.

Emden seen ashore burning - cloud of smoke.

5pm (exact line)

About noon (exact time) chased collier, Buresk

took off crew - fired 5  3 (?) shots - left
collier to sink.

5pm (exact time) returned to Emden - signalled

to surrender - but no proper reply - fired again.

They hauled down - left her - anchored 6pm off [[?]]

Id Direction Ids.

10^th Nov. - Landing party sent to cable sta.

officials ^and Residents and officials from Id. came

about 9am.

Then (exact time) to Emden, 15 miles, Nth Keelg Id,

took off prisoners - (exact number and classification)

also collier crew

11^th Nov. - Prisoners rescued from Id - & our landing party

Then sailed for Colombo.

Condition of Decks &c.

Passed through Convoy early in morning

Met up "Empress of Russia".

wounded &c transferred.

Arrived Colombo.

see German accounts of action in

ships xxxx records.

Experiences 

at Sea
in H.M.A.S. Sydney

V.A.S. Little

Chaplain

Action with S.M.S. Emden

9th Nov 1914.

At Albany.

We arrived at Albany on 31^st Oct. after an uneventful

voyage from Sydney. The ships composing the convoy

had been assembling for some time past in King George

Sound. A Japanese warship, the "Ibuki", was present besides

H.M.S. "Minotaur" and "HMAS Melbourne". The spectacle of

the broad waters of the sound which I had seen on

two occasions previously without a craft upon them,

comfortably full of large merchant ships, and was

one to be remembered. And the steamboats and

motor boats darting here and there along the lines

of the troop ships, imparted an air of activity and

life to the scene.

And also one's feelings were mixed. Every Australian 

felt proud of this display of the seapower and military

power of his own land, but there was an accompaniment

of mystery. No one for certain ^except the powers that be knew certainly when

^we were to sail or by what route we were to go nor what was to be our

destination. However when our course was set toward

the north it was obvious that the route would be via

Colombo Aden and the Canal. ^Finally we sailed on Sunday 1^st Nov about 11am.

2.

[*see diagram in variation of war.*]

The immense fleet consisting 38 transports with the

warships already mentioned steamed on day by day at 

the very moderate speed of about ten Knots, a snail's pace 

compared with the usual ocean speed of a number of

the units. Rather rough weather was met with for two

or three days in the vicinity of the Llewin, during which

the labouring of some of the ships was interesting to watch.

The accompanying diagram will give a graphic idea of the

disposition of the ships of the convoy.

I often stood on deck and admired not without a thrill 

the fine spectacle: - Thirty (?) eight columns of smoke ascending

and dissipating in the atmosphere - the variety of xxx

types of ships from the ocean greyhound to the pedestrian

cargo steamer - the thicker and more voluminous masses

of smoke from the warships ahead, astern and 

on the flanks of the lines - the general ensemble

of the whole scene which was never without new

points of interest.

Thus for several days without any event to disturb this

imperturbable symbol and dignity of power, the great

fleet steamed on its course. Yes but there was one incident

xxx worthy of mention. On    when the news came

in more detail about the melancholy end of the ^our squadron

off the Chilian coast, H.M.A.S. Minotaur was despatched

south, evidently via the Cape to reinforce our ships 

in the South Atlantic. This placed the command and

responsibility upon H.M.A.S. "Melbourne", the ship next

in seniority and thereupon the "Melbourne" took station

as the head of the lines.

Of course, the thought that if a practical proposition, the

Germans would attack the convoy was obvious. But so far

as we knew there were only two German cruisers in the

Indian Ocean, viz the "Emden" and the "Kingsbury". The former

had already made the name notorious by her many captures

of merchantmen and there was the possibility that information

may have been obtained by her captain relative to the

A.I. Expedition. Consequently, every precaution was taken

and in at least one case, one of our warships was despatched

to determine the character of a ship discerned some distance

away. However no one molested us throughout the voyage.

Thus from day to day, a sharp lookout being kept, we steamed

on at the very moderate speed of 10 Knots.

17.

The Action with the "Emden".

On Monday morning 9^th Nov. when I awoke I noticed the

ship was travelling at an unusual speed. The Immediately

I gathered that something unusual extraordinary was possibly

going to happen. After hastily dressing I went out on deck

to try to glean some information. The first officer I saw

was Keith Hampden. In a jocular way he greeted me with

the comforting language, "Go and have your last breakfast

parson". I at once After finding out what was the meaning

of this unwanted haste, I yielded to nature's usual

promptings and breakfasted.

It appears that at about seven o'clock that morning, the

officials of Cocos Island Cable station observed a

warship entering the harbour. Apparently the ship had

four funnels, but on nearer approach, it was seen that

one was a dummy and betrayed its nature by its

unsteadiness in the wind. Suspicions which were already

aroused were now confirmed and a wireless message

was despatched to all British ships to the effect that

a "strange warship was entering the harbour". This 

message was picked up by the wireless apparatus of our