In the Cocos Islands, almost 3,000 kilometres north-west of Perth, 200 people have gathered to remember the Royal Australian Navy's first victory at sea - HMAS Sydney's destruction of the German cruiser SMS Emden on November 9, 1914. <\/p>\n
Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, the chief of the Navy, Vice-Admiral Tim Barrett, and the German ambassador to Australia were joined by descendants of the crews of both ships and Cocos Island locals for the service. <\/p>\n
The Sydney was in a convoy escorting 29,000 Australian troops to Europe when it encountered the feared light cruiser Emden, which was intent on destroying the telegraph station on the Cocos Islands. <\/p>\n
The Emden was much feared by the allies and had been wreaking havoc on trading ships in south-east Asia since the outbreak of war. <\/p>\n
The battle was a huge victory for the Royal Australian Navy, which was then less than three years old; 136 Germans and four Australian sailors died in the battle. <\/p>\n
Speaking at the ceremony, Sir Peter Cosgrove said it was a victory the Navy still celebrates today. <\/p>\n
\"This was a coming of age for Australia's fledgling Navy. It proved to us that we could hold our own in the heat of a battle against an experienced adversary,\" he said. <\/p>\n
The Governor-General also paid tribute to the skill and humanitarian spirit of the Emden's captain, Karl von Mller, who had successfully sunk or captured 27 ships with the loss of only one life. <\/p>\n
\"To be remembered alongside his crew as the last gentlemen of war is something he, his family and the German people can be very proud of,\" he said. <\/p>\n
The German ambassador to Australia, Dr Christoph Mller, gave a moving speech on the battle that took place 100 years ago. <\/p>\n
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Battle of the Cocos Islands: Australians, Germans commemorate centenary of HMAS Sydney's destruction of SMS Emden ...<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the Cocos Islands, almost 3,000 kilometres north-west of Perth, 200 people have gathered to remember the Royal Australian Navy's first victory at sea - HMAS Sydney's destruction of the German cruiser SMS Emden on November 9, 1914. Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, the chief of the Navy, Vice-Admiral Tim Barrett, and the German ambassador to Australia were joined by descendants of the crews of both ships and Cocos Island locals for the service. The Sydney was in a convoy escorting 29,000 Australian troops to Europe when it encountered the feared light cruiser Emden, which was intent on destroying the telegraph station on the Cocos Islands Continue reading