On 9th November 1914, the battle of Cocos took place between the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney (pictured immediately below) and the German light cruiser SMS Emden. A single-ship action, the conflict took place in the Cocos-Keeling island group in the Indian Ocean as the HMAS Sydney responded to an SOS message that preceded an attack on the Cable and Wireless Station on Direction Island by the crew of the SMS Emden. The battle resulted in the first naval victory for the Royal Australian Navy, with the feared Emden run aground by its captain, Karl von Müller, to prevent it from sinking.

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In the below picture, the SMS Emden can be seen beached on North Keeling Island.

 

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The original images can be found here and here