On January 26th the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron, with six destroyers, and the 2nd Battle Cruiser Squadron, with five destroyers, left Rosyth for operations in the Skagerrak. The 1st Light Cruiser Squadron and destroyers, during daylight on the 27th, swept through the Skagerrak to the Skaw, the 2nd Battle Cruiser Squadron being in support. The ships then moved to the northward; at daylight on the 28th, the whole force, joined by the 4th Light Cruiser Squadron and three destroyers from Scapa, spread on a line 210° from Udsire Lighthouse and again swept into the Skagerrak. The squadrons then returned to their respective bases. During the operations the remainder of the Battle Cruiser Fleet was at short notice for steam. No suspicious vessels were sighted outside territorial waters, but Commodore Le Mesurier, of the 4th Light Cruiser Squadron, reported a stream of small vessels passing along the Norwegian coast inside territorial waters. On January 28th the senior officer of the mine-sweepers reported that he had swept a clear channel along the north coast of Scotland from Cape Wrath to Scapa, between the coast and the Whiten Bank mine-field laid by the _Moewe_. This channel was instituted for warships only for use in daylight. Mercantile auxiliaries were directed to steer to the northward from Cape Wrath, thence to make Noup Head, on the north-west coast of the Orkneys, passing afterwards down the west coast to Scapa; all other vessels were ordered to pass through the Fair Island Channel to their destination. During the month of January gunnery practices were carried out, both in the Moray Firth and in the Pentland Firth. The operations of the 10th Cruiser Squadron were much restricted by the bad weather experienced, the weekly average showing: Number of ships intercepted, 21; number sent in, 8; number of ships on patrol, 11; number absent at ports or _en route_ to or from patrol, 10; number on special service, 2. Gales were experienced at Scapa or the neighbourhood on January 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 20th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 30th. The weather during the month both at Scapa and in the whole northern area was exceptionally severe, and seriously hampered the work of the 10th Cruiser Squadron and the movements of all small craft. Independent squadron exercises at sea by day and by night from the various bases were continued in January, as was the change of base of the Rosyth squadrons to Scapa and Cromarty for practices. At 6 A.M. on February 1st the 1st Cruiser Squadron and four destroyers left Scapa, steering towards the little Fisher Bank, whence the destroyers returned to Scapa, and the squadron proceeded to sweep up the Norwegian coast during daylight hours and thence to Scapa. These sweeps up the coast were undertaken because it was considered probable that enemy raiders, attempting to pass out of the North Sea, would hug the coast on passage.