Cruise of the Emden, August 1914

[jerryasher]

Did the Emden stop and release any ships before or after it captured the Russian Rayzan on August 4th? I believe a saw a single reference that the Sakaki Maru was stopped and allowed to continue, but I didn't jot it down and am seeking confirmation. Many thanks in advance.

[Ken S.]

This is what I could find using google books and archive.org...

Germany at this time began to scent danger
in the Anglo-Japanese Alliance and its possible
effect upon Kiaochow and her other colonial
possessions in the Pacific, and so on August 8
the German Embassy issued the following
communique stating the relative position of the
German Far Eastern fleet with Japanese com-
merce : —

It will be of interest to learn that the German
authorities have taken proper measures to avoid
all unnecessary interference with neutral shipping,
especially Japanese. Thus it is known that the
German cruiser Emden, when meeting the Japan-
ese steamship, Sakaki Maru, in hazy weather, re-
quested her to show her flag in order to ascertain
her nationality, and, when this request was com-
plied with, immediately allowed her to proceed, ob-
serving all the usual courtesies.

(Jones - "The fall of Tsingtau" p. 22)

Soon after starting she held up the Japanese mail steamer Sakaki Maru, but let her go, merely " jamming " her attempts to signal...

(Jose - "The Royal Australian Navy, 1914-1918" p. 166)

He had radioed Sakaki Maru and sent visual signals, asking her to show her flag. And when she had showed the flag of the Rising Sun, Emden had saluted the Japanese vessel with a sweep of her war ensign, and sent her safely on her way.

(Hoyt - "The Fall of Tsingtao" p. 53)

She was the Japanese mailship Sakaki Maru, but this fact was not known until the Emden was close by, her guns pointed at her hull. Von Muller, who hated the ...

(McClement - "Guns in Paradise: The Saga of the Cruiser Emden" p. 45)

[jerryasher]

Many thanks Ken. Did any of these sources give a date?

[Ken S.]

I can't say if there's a date. The last three are from google books which only gives a "snippet view" of the books, and what I cut & pasted is all that there is.

The first clip is from a book available on Internet Archive.
https://archive.org/details/falloftsing ... p?q=Sakaki

I've also searched through the newspapers on Chronicling America but didn't find anything directly related to this incident.
https://archive.org/details/falloftsing ... p?q=Sakaki

In case it's of interest, there are a few other interesting references to the Sakaki Maru:

Screenshot 2020-06-28 at 4.32.09 PM.png

Screenshot 2020-06-28 at 4.30.37 PM.png

Screenshot 2020-06-28 at 4.28.40 PM.png

[jerryasher]

Thank you Ken, nice work --I have started to follow through--checking world cat as to which libraries might be able to loan mine a copy. The Australian naval account looks most promising to me. Date of August 8 is clearly the outer. Emden didn't know of war until August 4th and captured Ryazan, hard to picture her then chasing Sakaki Maru. She kept with her throughout the 5th and 6th and departed Tsingtau on the 6th.

[Ken S.]

There was a newspaper called "The North-China herald & supreme court & consular gazette" which may have information about this incident. This appears to be the only on-line option, though:
https://media2.proquest.com/documents/hnp_cnc.pdf

Here is an example from 1913:
https://books.google.ca/books?id=VZYhAQ ... 22&f=false

[jwsleser]

Der Kreig zur See Kreuzerkrieg band 1 p. 95 states that the Emden sighted a Japanese steamer on the morning of 7 August in hazy weather. The ship was identified as belonging to the Nippon Yusen Kaisha, but no name is given.

Franz-Joseph's Emden p. 36 recounts the same event, but places it on the morning of 8 August. The ship was again identified as belonging to the Nippon Yusen Kaisha with no name provided.

The Sakaki Maru was built in 1913 for the Nippon Yusen Kaisha. She was 3,500 tons and turbine equipped, unusual for a Japanese merchant ship at that time. She was built as part of the Japanese Volunteer Fleet. See Pacific Marine Review

v/r Jeff

[jerryasher]

Many thanks jwsleser for rounding out the discussion. Not unusual for dates to differ. Each reporting institution having discretion as their standard. Many thanks to both of you.

[Ken S.]

Just noticed the error. The link should be:
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/sear ... Type=basic

I've also searched through the newspapers on Chronicling America but didn't find anything directly related to this incident.
https://archive.org/details/falloftsing ... p?q=Sakaki