Battle of Penang

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The Command of the Oceans 1914-1918
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.

This article is part of the History of Malaysia series
Prehistoric Malaysia (60,000–2,000 BCE)
Gangga Negara (2nd–11th century CE)
Langkasuka (2nd–14th century)
Pan Pan (3rd–5th century)
Srivijaya (3rd century–1400)
Kedah Sultanate (1136–present)
Malacca Sultanate (1402–1511)
Sulu Sultanate (1450–1899)
Johor Sultanate (1528–current)
Jementah Civil War (1879)
White Rajahs (1841–1946)
British Malaya (1874–1946)
Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824
Burney Treaty (1826)
Straits Settlements (1826–1946)
Larut War (1861–1874)
Klang War (1867–1874)
Pangkor Treaty of 1874
Federated Malay States (1895–1946)
Unfederated Malay States (19th century–1946)
Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909
Battle of Penang (1914)
North Borneo (1882–1963)
Mat Salleh Rebellion (1896–1900)
World War II (1941–1945)
Battle of Malaya (1941–42)
Parit Sulong Massacre (1942)
Battle of Singapore (1942)
Syburi (1942–1945)
Battle of North Borneo (1945)
Sandakan Death Marches (1945)
Malayan Union (1946–1948)
Federation of Malaya (1948–1963)
Malayan Emergency (1948–1960)
Bukit Kepong Incident (1950)
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Operation Coldstore (1963)
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At the time, 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, is on a harbour. In the early months of the war, it was heavily 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 headed east for Germany, but one ship, the SMS Emden, under Korvettenkapitän (Lt. Commander) Karl von Müller, was sent 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. Captain von Müller had disguised his ship by rigging a false smoke stack, which made the Emden resemble a British cruiser. Once he had entered the harbour, however, he ran up the German naval ensign and revealed what ship the newcomer actually was.

Before any of the Allied naval vessels could respond, the Russian cruiser Zhemchug, was torpedoed and sunk. The French destroyer Mosquet set off in pursuit of Emden, but was quickly sunk by the German ship.

The Emden continued its raiding mission for several more weeks, before finally being sunk at the Battle of Cocos.