Over a raiding career spanning three months and 30,000 nautical miles (56,000 km; 35,000 mi), Emden had destroyed two Entente warships and sank or captured sixteen British steamers and one Russian merchant ship, totaling 70,825 gross register tons (GRT).
Another four British ships were captured and released, and one British and one Greek ship were used as colliers.
In 1915, a Japanese company proposed that Emden be repaired and refloated, but an inspection by the elderly flat-iron gunboat HMAS Protector concluded that wave damage to Emden made such an operation unfeasible.
By 1919, the wreck had almost completely broken up and disappeared beneath the waves.
It was eventually broken up in situ in the early 1950s by a Japanese salvage company; parts of the ship remain scattered around the area.

Following the destruction of Emden, Kaiser Wilhelm II awarded the Iron Cross to the ship and announced that a new Emden would be built to honor the original cruiser.
Wilhelm II ordered that the new cruiser wear a large Iron Cross on her bow to commemorate her namesake ship.
The third cruiser to bear the name Emden, built in the 1920s for the Reichsmarine, also carried the Iron Cross, along with battle honors for the Indian Ocean, Penang, Cocos Islands, and Ösel, where the second Emden had engaged several Russian destroyers and torpedo boats.
Two further vessels have been named for the cruiser in the West German Bundesmarine: the Köln-class frigate Emden laid down in 1959, and the Bremen-class frigate Emden laid down in 1979.

Three of the ship's 10.5 cm guns were removed from the wreck three years after the battle.
One is preserved in Hyde Park in Sydney, a second is located at the Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre in HMAS Kuttabul, the main naval base in Sydney, and the third is on display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
In addition, Emden's bell and stern ornament were recovered from the wreck and both are currently in the collection of the Australian War Memorial.
A number of other artifacts, including a damaged 10.5 cm shell case, an iron rivet from the hull, and uniforms were also recovered and are held in the Australian War Memorial.

A number of films have been made about Emden's wartime exploits, including the 1915 movies How We Beat the Emden and How We Fought the Emden and the 1928 The Exploits of the Emden, all produced in Australia.
German films include the 1926 silent film Unsere Emden, footage from which was incorporated in Kreuzer Emden of 1932, and Heldentum und Todeskampf unserer Emden, produced in 1934.
All three films were directed by Louis Ralph.
More recently, in 2012, Die Männer der Emden (The men of the Emden) was released, which was made about how the crew of Emden made their way back to Germany after the Battle of Cocos.

After the bombardment of Madras, Emden's name, as "Amdan", entered the Sinhala and Tamil languages meaning "someone who is tough, manipulative and crafty."
In the Malayalam language the word "Emadan" means "a big and powerful thing" or "as big as Emden".
Over a raiding career spanning three months and 30,000 nautical miles (56,000 km; 35,000 mi), Emden had destroyed two Entente warships and sank or captured sixteen British steamers and one Russian merchant ship, totaling 70,825 gross register tons (GRT). Another four British ships were captured and released, and one British and one Greek ship were used as colliers. In 1915, a Japanese company proposed that Emden be repaired and refloated, but an inspection by the elderly flat-iron gunboat HMAS Protector concluded that wave damage to Emden made such an operation unfeasible. By 1919, the wreck had almost completely broken up and disappeared beneath the waves. It was eventually broken up in situ in the early 1950s by a Japanese salvage company; parts of the ship remain scattered around the area.
Following the destruction of Emden, Kaiser Wilhelm II awarded the Iron Cross to the ship and announced that a new Emden would be built to honor the original cruiser. Wilhelm II ordered that the new cruiser wear a large Iron Cross on her bow to commemorate her namesake ship. The third cruiser to bear the name Emden, built in the 1920s for the Reichsmarine, also carried the Iron Cross, along with battle honors for the Indian Ocean, Penang, Cocos Islands, and Ösel, where the second Emden had engaged several Russian destroyers and torpedo boats. Two further vessels have been named for the cruiser in the West German Bundesmarine: the Köln-class frigate Emden laid down in 1959, and the Bremen-class frigate Emden laid down in 1979.
Three of the ship's 10.5 cm guns were removed from the wreck three years after the battle. One is preserved in Hyde Park in Sydney, a second is located at the Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre in HMAS Kuttabul, the main naval base in Sydney, and the third is on display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. In addition, Emden's bell and stern ornament were recovered from the wreck and both are currently in the collection of the Australian War Memorial. A number of other artifacts, including a damaged 10.5 cm shell case, an iron rivet from the hull, and uniforms were also recovered and are held in the Australian War Memorial.
A number of films have been made about Emden's wartime exploits, including the 1915 movies How We Beat the Emden and How We Fought the Emden and the 1928 The Exploits of the Emden, all produced in Australia. German films include the 1926 silent film Unsere Emden, footage from which was incorporated in Kreuzer Emden of 1932, and Heldentum und Todeskampf unserer Emden, produced in 1934. All three films were directed by Louis Ralph. More recently, in 2012, Die Männer der Emden (The men of the Emden) was released, which was made about how the crew of Emden made their way back to Germany after the Battle of Cocos.
After the bombardment of Madras, Emden's name, as "Amdan", entered the Sinhala and Tamil languages meaning "someone who is tough, manipulative and crafty." In the Malayalam language the word "Emadan" means "a big and powerful thing" or "as big as Emden".
SMS Emden