THE mass grave of the crew members of the Russian Empire cruiser Zhemchug (Pearl) is a link in history that connects Penang with Russia. Zhemchug served during World War 1. At 5.30am on July 20, 1914, a flag signal from another cruiser, Askold, announced: "Germany has declared war."
On Aug 24 that same year, Russian Emperor Nicholas II was informed that "by order of the British admiral, Askold and Zhemchug were leaving for Hong Kong on Aug 25 to join the Allies."
On Sept 3, the Russian cruisers split up near the Philippines. In September 1914, Zhemchug successfully escorted British and French transports. On Sept 17, Zhemchug headed for Singapore, escorting French transport along the way. After five days, Zhemchug went to the port of Penang, escorting four transports.
From there, the cruiser headed for the Nicobar Islands in search of the German raider Emden, which in less than three months — from Aug 3 to the end of October 1914 — managed to capture more than two dozen merchant ships and raid the port of Madras, destroying British oil storage facilities.
However, Zhemchug, helmed by the captain of the second rank, I.A. Cherkasov, had to return to Penang on the same day due to the poor technical condition of the boiler plant. On Oct 14, Cherkasov went ashore to the Eastern & Oriental Hotel in George Town, ordering, "just in case", to have loaded guns facing the entrance.
This is where Emden appeared! At 4.50am on Oct 15, without lights, with a false smoke stack, which made it look like English cruiser Yarmouth, it entered Penang harbour. French ships carrying out patrols, deceived by the appearance of the cruiser, freely admitted it to the port.
Emden fired the first torpedo from the right side and opened fire with its entire side at the bow of Zhemchug. Panic broke out on Zhemchug, and part of the crew threw themselves overboard.
A few minutes later, the Emden, fired a torpedo from the left side, which, having got under the bridge of the Russian ship, caused the cellar to detonate. The hull broke and went into the water with its nose. After 15 seconds, only the top of the mast with a yard remained on the surface.
The cruiser, damaged, but not sunk in the Tsushima battle in the Russian-Japanese war, perished, taken by surprise. The German cruiser then sank a French destroyer and disappeared.
Meanwhile, the port began to rescue the Zhemchug crew with the help of local Malay fishermen. It turned out that midshipman Sipailo and 80 lower ranks were killed.
On Jan 4, 1915, an auxiliary cruiser Orel (Eagle) came to Penang to organise diving operations. Due to the strong current, only one 120mm cannon, a machine gun and six optical sights were lifted from Zhemchug. A month later, Orel left, stopping efforts to raise any more property from Zhemchug.
A court-martial in Vladivostok found Cherkasov guilty of gross negligence and sentenced him to three and a half years in prison. Executive officer, Lieutenant Kulibin, was sentenced to 18 months. Both were stripped of their rank and decorations and demoted to become commoners.
The sentences were later commuted to 18 months by Tsar Nicholas II, who sent them to the front as ordinary seamen. Both distinguished themselves in combat and were decorated with the Cross of St George.
In the 1920s, Zhemchug was partially raised and disassembled by British specialists. The deceased were buried in a mass grave at the main Christian cemetery of Penang's "Western Road". It was not possible, however, to lift all the bodies of Russian sailors from the depths of the sea.
In 1915, the sailors of the auxiliary cruiser Orel erected a stone cross on a mass grave in Penang. In February 1938, the emigrant Cossacks, who found themselves on a tour of the Cossack choir in Penang, put the grave in order, straightened the cross and installed a memorial plaque with nine names that they managed to learn from the cemetery archives.
In February 1976, a new monument in the form of a stone cube appeared on the grave with the inscription "To Russian naval sailors of the cruiser Zhemchug from grateful Motherland". In the 1990s, a plate with the names of the cruiser officers was added. Nearby is a large ship's anchor.
It has become a tradition among compatriots living in Malaysia to annually visit the monument in Penang to honour the memory of the Russian sailors, organised by the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Kuala Lumpur, in cooperation with the International Association of Russian-speaking Compatriots in Malaysia.
The writer, writing from Russia, is a former lecturer of Universiti Malaya