At around 10:20, the manoeuvring of the two ships brought them to within , and Glossop took the opportunity to order a torpedo firing. The torpedo failed to cover the distance, and sank without exploding. The Australian ship sped up and turned to starboard so guns that had yet to fire could engage. "Emden" matched "Sydney"s turn, but by this point, the second funnel had been blasted off, and there was a fire in the engine room. In addition, about half of the cruiser's personnel had been killed or wounded, and the abandoning of the attack party on Direction Island meant there were no reserves to replace them. By 11:00, only one of "Emden"s guns was still firing. As the third funnel went overboard, "Emden" found herself closer to North Keeling Island, and von Müller ordered the ship to beach there, hoping to prevent further loss of life. "Emden" ran aground at around 11:20, at which point, "Sydney" ceased fire. After "Sydney" contacted the convoy to report ""Emden" beached and done for", the soldiers aboard the troopships were granted a half-day holiday from duties and training to celebrate.