The Dreadnought Battle Fleet remained at Scapa until November 17th with steam ready at from two to three hours’ notice, and on that date the 2nd Battle Squadron, 1st Battle Cruiser Squadron, 2nd Cruiser Squadron, and 1st Light Cruiser Squadron, with a half flotilla as a screen, left their bases to take up positions for preventing a suspected attempt on the part of the enemy to send some ships into the Atlantic. The 2nd Battle Squadron worked to the westward, and the remaining vessels to the eastward of the Shetland Islands. The 1st Battle Cruiser Squadron and 1st Light Cruiser Squadron returned to Scapa on the 20th and the 2nd Battle Squadron and 2nd Cruiser Squadron on the 21st. A heavy gale was experienced in the northern part of the North Sea and in the waters surrounding the Orkneys and Shetlands from November 11th to November 13th, and all work in the harbour had to be suspended, ships lying with steam up, whilst at sea most of the cruisers were obliged to lay to. At Scapa all the sea-plane sheds were wrecked by the gale, and the sea-planes damaged. During this stay of the Battle Fleet at Scapa the routine was introduced of carrying out gunnery and torpedo practices inside the harbour, two or three ships being under way at a time for the purpose. This routine was subsequently carried out whenever the Fleet, or any portion of it, was at Scapa and the greatest possible benefit was derived from it. It was found possible to carry out practice from all guns, up to and including 6-inch, inside the harbour by day and night, besides the ordinary sub-calibre firing and torpedo practices by ships, and by destroyers attacking ships, or divisions of ships. On November 11th, the battle cruiser _Princess Royal_ sailed for Halifax, by Admiralty orders, for the purpose of strengthening the North American Squadron in operations against Admiral von Spee’s squadron, should it appear in northern waters. I protested, as Commander-in-Chief, against sending so powerful a ship as the _Princess Royal_, armed with 13.5-inch guns, since her absence left our Battle Cruiser Squadron inferior in strength to the German battle cruiser force. I suggested that the _New Zealand_, carrying 12-inch guns, was, owing to her economical coal consumption, more suited to the work required and strong enough for the purpose. However, the _Princess Royal_ sailed and remained absent from the North Sea until the beginning of January, 1915. At this period, reports of enemy submarines being sighted, more particularly by shore observers in the Hebrides, Orkneys and Shetlands, were very numerous, and destroyers and patrol craft were frequently being sent to search suspected bases or sheltered bays in which submarines might be taking refuge. All such searches were, however, fruitless, although in many cases the reports were very circumstantial and convincing.