Lieut. Atkins thereupon asked the Captain of the _Meteor_ to steer south-west, but the Germans naturally enough objected, as they desired to make their own coast. However, in spite of the fact that the British were unarmed and numerically very inferior, their arguments prevailed and a south-west course was steered for a short time until another fishing vessel was sighted; the British suggested transferring to her; this was agreed to by the Germans. As the British were leaving, the German captain, Konstten-Kapitän von Knorr, asked Lieut. Atkins if he had any money, to which he replied, “How could I, seeing that you picked me up in pyjamas?” Captain von Knorr pressed money on him, but Lieut. Atkins said that he did not see that he would require it. However, he eventually took it, Captain von Knorr handing him an English £5 note and other money. It is pleasant to record so gentlemanly and courteous an act, which stands out in strong contrast to the usual behaviour of German naval officers during the War. The money was given to me, and I sent it to the Admiralty, asking that it might be repaid, with the thanks of the British for the courtesy shown to our prisoners of war. The 1st, 2nd and 4th Light Cruiser Squadrons were ordered to return to their bases on receipt of the news of the sinking of the _Meteor_. The mine-sweeping operations in the Moray Firth on August 9th showed that the mine-field was larger than had been at first reported, and additional paddle mine-sweepers were sent from the Clyde to assist the other vessels. Mr. Asquith and Mr. McKenna were on board the _Iron Duke_ from the 7th to the 9th, and various matters of importance were discussed. When questioned as to urgent requirements I pressed for the building of a large number of sloops, a class of vessel which had proved most useful, both as mine-sweepers and as patrol vessels, and which could supplement the numerous destroyers then building, which took much longer to complete. The persistence of the fog at this period is shown by the fact that the _Agincourt_, returning to Scapa from Portsmouth, was unable to enter the base for 36 hours after passing Cape Wrath, only 60 miles distant, and was forced to cruise to the westward, making repeated attempts at entry. The _Ajax_ was similarly delayed in entry for 12 hours during the same period. On August 10th the armed merchant-ship _India_, of the 10th Cruiser Squadron, was torpedoed and sunk by an enemy submarine off the coast of Norway with considerable loss of life. Four destroyers were sent on August 13th to locate and engage a submarine that had attacked one of the Fleet mine-sweepers. They did not succeed in finding her, but on the following day an armed yacht engaged a submarine off the Aberdeen coast and claimed to have hit her by gunfire; and the trawler _Shamrock_ claimed to have run over another submarine.