Meanwhile Sir George Warrender, who was in command of the 2nd Battle Squadron and was the senior officer of the forces at sea, on receipt of the Admiralty telegram had turned to the northward to endeavour to intercept the enemy forces on their return passage. Wireless signals were intercepted in the _Iron Duke_ indicating that the scout _Patrol_ was being engaged by two enemy battle cruisers and that battleships or battle cruisers were off Scarborough and light cruisers off Hartlepool. I knew that a gap between two mine-fields laid by the enemy off our coast existed between Lat. 54.20 N. and 54.40 N. and concluded that any enemy forces operating off our coasts would pass through this gap. At 10 A.M., therefore, after intercepting the various messages mentioned above, I reminded the Vice-Admiral of the 2nd Battle Squadron and the Vice-Admiral of the 1st Battle Cruiser Squadron by wireless that this gap existed, and that the enemy would probably emerge there, and Sir George Warrender at 10.26 A.M. directed Sir David Beatty to pass through the gap towards our coast. The Admiralty at 10.30 signalled, however, to the Vice-Admiral of the 2nd Battle Squadron that the enemy was probably returning towards Heligoland, and that he should keep outside the mine-fields and steer to cut off the enemy. Sir George Warrender then directed Sir David Beatty to obey this latter order. I had ordered the 3rd Battle Squadron to sea from Rosyth immediately on receipt of the first news of the enemy, and Vice-Admiral Bradford, whose squadron was at short notice for steam, left at 10 A.M. with directions from me to proceed to lat. 55.50 N., Long. 1.10 W., my object being for this force to intercept the enemy should he pass out to the northward of the German minefields instead of through the gap between them. Sir George Warrender, with the 2nd Battle Squadron, the 3rd Cruiser Squadron being in company, was informed of these dispositions by me. At 11.40 A.M. he signalled that at 12.30 P.M. he would be in Lat. 54.24 N., Long. 2.0 E. Sir David Beatty, with the 1st Battle Cruiser Squadron and 1st Light Cruiser Squadron, was to the north-westward of the Battle Squadron, and the Commodore (T) some 60 miles to the southward, having been ordered by the Vice-Admiral of the 2nd Battle Squadron, at 10.28 A.M., to steer for a position in Lat. 54.20 N., Long. 1.30 E. The weather throughout the whole morning had been very misty, with a visibility of about five miles, and sufficient sea to cause a great deal of spray when ships were steaming at high speed.