Evening star., 1939-12-31

struction OF system Of anti-sub-
marine nets. The menace of the
submarine became more apparent
on September %, when the British
cruisers Aboukir, Cressy and Hogue
were sunk in rapid succession by a
single German U-boat.
Scapa Flow was again evacuated
by the British feet on October 16,
when another U-boat ran the chan
nel. In November, however, the
British sank cement filled block
ships in all the channels to the
harbor except Hoxa and Hoy. On
November l8 the German subma-
rine U-18 was sunk a mile off the
Hoxa entrance as a result of a COL
lision with a British destroyer. The
details were concealed from the
Germans, who thought the loss was
due to mines or nets. This miscon-
ception had important results.
German U-boat commanders be-
came very wary of the Scapa. and
the British fleet thereafter enjoyed
a practical, If not a mental, i'm
munity from enemy intrusion into
its fleet base.
Although the German submarine
campaign against allied shipping
was very slow getting under way in
the World War, commerce raiding
by surface vessels began promptly
after the declaration of war.
Emden Won Fame.
One of the German raiders, the
cruiser Emden, which had been in
the Far East, gained immediate
fame, due to the daring of her
commander, Capt. Karl Won Muller,
and his crew. The Emden was q
25-knot vessel of $500 tons displace-
ment-fast for her day. In less
than six weeks, the Emden had cap
tured nearly 20 steamers, coaling
and supplying herself from them.
She invariably sank all those which
were not needed to send crews and
passengers into port or to serve as
auxiliarieS.
The Emden proved herself a
deadly raider. Between September
10 and IA she sank five ships and
released one; on September IA she
sank one; on September 80 she sank
four, captured one and took and
released another; on October 20
she sank five and captured two.
She eluded a Japanese armored
cruiser lying in wait for her by rig
ging dummy fourth funnel, which
made her resemble several British
cruisers then in the Far East. Pass
ing the deluded japanese, with the
British ensign flying, the German
tars lined the rail and gave the Japs
three hearty British cheers.
She used the same disguise later.
On October %, before dawn, she
rugged the extra funnel while lying
10 miles outside Penang and so ap-
preached and sank the unsuspecting
Russian cruiser Jemtchug and i'm
mediately afterward the French de-
stroyer Mouquet.
The Emden was one Of six Ger
man cruisers which early In the war
were ravaging the Pacific. Against
them the allies sent an Australian
squadron and British, Japanese,
Russian and French cruisers.
Early in November Capt. Won
Muller took the Emden to the
Cocos-Keeling Islands in the Indian
Ocean, 500 miles southwest Of Java
Head. He was accompanied by one
of his captures, the former British
steamer Buresk, serving as a collier.
On November 8 the crew Of the
Emden landed and destroyed a
wireless station on Direction Island,
but not before warning had been
sent to the Australian cruiser Sgd
ney of the allied squadron.
Ruse Failed.
As the Emden steamed away from
Direction Island at about 8 am,
her crew took down the fourth
dummy funnel, apparently with q
view to confusing any pursuers. but
the ruse failed. The Sydney, ap-
preaching under ferced draft,
caught the Emden coming out, also
under full steam. Ths Emden