The future general naval policy was also discussed, one of the main questions being that of the 3rd and 6th Battle Squadrons joining the Channel Fleet. It was determined that this step should be taken and the necessary orders were given. I agreed to it with some reluctance, as there was obviously no prospect of the 3rd Battle Squadron being able to join the Dreadnought Fleet before a Fleet action if stationed in southern waters, and a dispersion of the Fleet, which resulted in the main Battle Fleet having but a slender preponderance of strength over the High Sea Fleet, was a measure which was open to considerable objection. The increasing necessity for refitting our ships, which involved sending them as far away as Portsmouth or Devonport, combined with the failures in condenser tubes that were occurring, led to two, or three, or even more battleships being absent at a time, on passage, laid up, or refitting. At the German selected moment, our main Battle Fleet might well at this period have been reduced to 18 ships (all Dreadnoughts), whilst the High Sea Fleet was just rising to a strength of 16 Dreadnoughts and 16 pre-Dreadnoughts. Later, however, after the raid on East Coast towns, the 3rd Battle Squadron was again detached from the Channel Fleet and based on Rosyth, with the 3rd Cruiser Squadron; the two squadrons arrived there on November 20th after passing west of Ireland and coaling at Scapa. The 6th Battle Squadron remained in southern waters. The object which it was desired to attain by this last distribution, which was ordered from the Admiralty, was to have a naval force based farther south than Scapa, to be more immediately available in the case of an attempt by the enemy to land a hostile force on our east coast. I returned to Lough Swilly at noon, November 3rd, and found the Fleet under orders from the Admiralty to proceed to Scapa at once. These orders were cancelled after my arrival, and the movements of the Battle Fleet left to my discretion. I proceeded to sea with the 1st, 2nd and 4th Battle Squadrons at 3.45 P.M. and, passing south of Tory Island, made for the vicinity of the Bills Rocks on the coast of Galway, for target practice, which was carried out on the 4th, the Fleet then proceeding to the northward. The Battle Fleet was screened out of Lough Swilly by the 2nd Flotilla, which then left for Scapa. This flotilla had been employed during the stay at Lough Swilly in providing patrols off the entrance and in hunting for submarines, reports of which were very frequent.