On 14 August, Emden and Markomannia left the company of the East Asia Squadron, bound for the Indian Ocean.
Since the cruiser Königsberg was already operating in the western Indian Ocean around the Gulf of Aden, Müller decided he should cruise in the shipping lanes between Singapore, Colombo and Aden.
Emden steamed toward the Indian Ocean by way of the Molucca and Banda Seas.
While seeking to coal off Jampea Island, the Dutch coastal defense ship Tromp stopped Emden and asserted Dutch neutrality.
Müller steamed into the Lombok Strait.
There, Emden's radio-intercept officers picked up messages from the British armored cruiser HMS Hampshire.
To maintain secrecy, Emden's crew rigged up a dummy funnel to impersonate a British light cruiser, then steamed up the coast of Sumatra toward the Indian Ocean.

On 5 September, Emden entered the Bay of Bengal, achieving complete surprise, since the British assumed she was still with Spee's squadron.
She operated on shipping routes there without success, until 10 September, when she moved to the Colombo–Calcutta route.
There, she captured the Greek collier Pontoporros, which was carrying equipment for the British.
Müller took the ship into his service and agreed to pay the crew.
Emden captured five more ships; troop transports Indus and Lovat and two other ships were sunk, and the fifth, a steamer named Kabinga, was used to carry the crews from the other vessels.
On 13 September, Müller released Kabinga and sank two more British prizes.
Off the Ganges estuary, Emden caught a Norwegian merchantman, which the Germans searched; finding no contraband they released her.
The Norwegians informed Müller that Entente warships were operating in the area, which persuaded him to return to the eastern coast of India.

Emden stopped and released an Italian freighter, whose crew relayed news of the incident to a British vessel, which in turn informed British naval authorities in the region.
The result was an immediate cessation of shipping and the institution of a blackout.
Vice Admiral Martyn Jerram ordered Hampshire, Yarmouth, and the Japanese protected cruiser Chikuma to search for Emden.
The British armored cruiser Minotaur and the Japanese armored cruiser Ibuki were sent to patrol likely coaling stations.

In late September, Müller decided to bombard Madras.
Müller believed the attack would demonstrate his freedom of maneuver and decrease British prestige with the local population.
At around 20:00 on 22 September, Emden entered the port, which was completely illuminated, despite the blackout order.
Emden closed to within 3,000 yards (2,700 m) from the piers before opening fire.
She set fire to two oil tanks and damaged three others, and damaged a merchant ship in the harbor.
In the course of the bombardment, Emden fired 130 rounds.
The following day, the British again mandated that shipping stop in the Bay of Bengal; during the first month of Emden's raiding career in the Indian Ocean, the value of exports there had fallen by 61.2 percent.

From Madras, Müller had originally intended to rendezvous with his colliers off Simalur Island in Indonesia, but instead decided to make a foray to the western side of Ceylon.
On 25 September, Emden sank the British merchantmen Tywerse and King Lund two days before capturing the collier Buresk, which was carrying a cargo of high-grade coal.
A German prize crew went aboard Buresk which was used to support Emden's operations.
Later that day, the German raider sank the British vessels Ryberia and Foyle.
Low on fuel, Emden proceeded to the Maldives, arriving on 29 September and remaining for a day while coal stocks were replenished.
The raider then cruised the routes between Aden and Australia and between Calcutta and Mauritius for two days without success.
Emden steamed to Diego Garcia for engine maintenance and to rest the crew.

The British garrison at Diego Garcia had not yet learned of the state of war between Britain and Germany, and so treated Emden to a warm reception.
She remained there until 10 October, to remove fouling.
While searching for merchant ships w
On 14 August, Emden and Markomannia left the company of the East Asia Squadron, bound for the Indian Ocean. Since the cruiser Königsberg was already operating in the western Indian Ocean around the Gulf of Aden, Müller decided he should cruise in the shipping lanes between Singapore, Colombo and Aden. Emden steamed toward the Indian Ocean by way of the Molucca and Banda Seas. While seeking to coal off Jampea Island, the Dutch coastal defense ship Tromp stopped Emden and asserted Dutch neutrality. Müller steamed into the Lombok Strait. There, Emden's radio-intercept officers picked up messages from the British armored cruiser HMS Hampshire. To maintain secrecy, Emden's crew rigged up a dummy funnel to impersonate a British light cruiser, then steamed up the coast of Sumatra toward the Indian Ocean.
On 5 September, Emden entered the Bay of Bengal, achieving complete surprise, since the British assumed she was still with Spee's squadron. She operated on shipping routes there without success, until 10 September, when she moved to the Colombo–Calcutta route. There, she captured the Greek collier Pontoporros, which was carrying equipment for the British. Müller took the ship into his service and agreed to pay the crew. Emden captured five more ships; troop transports Indus and Lovat and two other ships were sunk, and the fifth, a steamer named Kabinga, was used to carry the crews from the other vessels. On 13 September, Müller released Kabinga and sank two more British prizes. Off the Ganges estuary, Emden caught a Norwegian merchantman, which the Germans searched; finding no contraband they released her. The Norwegians informed Müller that Entente warships were operating in the area, which persuaded him to return to the eastern coast of India.
Emden stopped and released an Italian freighter, whose crew relayed news of the incident to a British vessel, which in turn informed British naval authorities in the region. The result was an immediate cessation of shipping and the institution of a blackout. Vice Admiral Martyn Jerram ordered Hampshire, Yarmouth, and the Japanese protected cruiser Chikuma to search for Emden. The British armored cruiser Minotaur and the Japanese armored cruiser Ibuki were sent to patrol likely coaling stations.
In late September, Müller decided to bombard Madras. Müller believed the attack would demonstrate his freedom of maneuver and decrease British prestige with the local population. At around 20:00 on 22 September, Emden entered the port, which was completely illuminated, despite the blackout order. Emden closed to within 3,000 yards (2,700 m) from the piers before opening fire. She set fire to two oil tanks and damaged three others, and damaged a merchant ship in the harbor. In the course of the bombardment, Emden fired 130 rounds. The following day, the British again mandated that shipping stop in the Bay of Bengal; during the first month of Emden's raiding career in the Indian Ocean, the value of exports there had fallen by 61.2 percent.
From Madras, Müller had originally intended to rendezvous with his colliers off Simalur Island in Indonesia, but instead decided to make a foray to the western side of Ceylon. On 25 September, Emden sank the British merchantmen Tywerse and King Lund two days before capturing the collier Buresk, which was carrying a cargo of high-grade coal. A German prize crew went aboard Buresk which was used to support Emden's operations. Later that day, the German raider sank the British vessels Ryberia and Foyle. Low on fuel, Emden proceeded to the Maldives, arriving on 29 September and remaining for a day while coal stocks were replenished. The raider then cruised the routes between Aden and Australia and between Calcutta and Mauritius for two days without success. Emden steamed to Diego Garcia for engine maintenance and to rest the crew.
The British garrison at Diego Garcia had not yet learned of the state of war between Britain and Germany, and so treated Emden to a warm reception. She remained there until 10 October, to remove fouling. While searching for merchant ships w
SMS Emden