Troopships

She was one of the first warships in the area escorting troopships trying to hold back the Nazi tide.

Although the narrow fjords gave U-boats little room for manoeuvre, the concentration of British warships, troopships and supply ships provided countless opportunities for the U-boats to attack.

Emden was the last active Central Powers warship in the Indian or Pacific Ocean, which meant troopships from Australia and New Zealand could sail without naval escort, and Allied ships could be deployed elsewhere.

Except from referring to the celestial objects in the arms, the motto was that of the Star of India ; this recalled that troopships bound for British India left from the port.

Initially, major warships and large troopships had a copper degaussing coil fitted around the perimeter of the hull, energized by the ship's electrical system whenever in suspected magnetic-mined waters.

In this role they provided air cover for the troopships and flew the first wave of attacks on beach fortifications in amphibious landing operations.