scored, which reflected much credit on all concerned in the operations. On the 26th a submarine was engaged about 120 miles east of Dundee by the armed trawler _Taranaki_, which claimed to have sunk her. On the 27th an engagement took place between the armed trawler No. 830 and a submarine to the southward of St. Kilda, the trawler reporting that the submarine was hit several times by gunfire and considered to have been badly damaged. Other events of interest during the month included an attempt by the _Digby_ to tow the Norwegian steamer _Oscar II._, damaged by collision with the _Patuca_ on July 1st, into Stornoway, the destroyers _Fury_ and _Staunch_ being detached from Scapa and local patrol vessels from Stornoway to assist. In spite of perseverance under very bad weather conditions, during which the ships and the destroyers were handled with great ability, the _Oscar II._ sank on the night of the 3rd. An expedition consisting of the armed merchant-ship _Columbella_, the sloop _Acacia_ and the two trawlers _Arley_ and _Mafeking_, left Scapa on July 29th for Bear Island and Spitzbergen to search for a reported German submarine base and wireless station. These vessels carried out as thorough a search as was possible, in face of the ice-fields in the neighbourhood of the islands; but no trace of a submarine base was discovered, nor could it have been possible for one to operate under such conditions. The average figures per week for the 10th Cruiser Squadron during the month were: Number of ships intercepted, 62; number of ships sent in with armed guards, 10; number of ships on patrol, 15; number of ships refitting, coaling or on passage to or from base, 9. German submarines were active in the vicinity of the ships of the 10th Cruiser Squadron during the month, and the _Columbella_ was unsuccessfully attacked on the 21st. Some armed boarding steamers were detailed to assist the 10th Cruiser Squadron during the month, being withdrawn from the patrol eastward of the Pentland Firth. The anti-submarine defence of the base at Swarbachs Minn was practically completed during the month.