During March the system of carrying out target practice in the Pentland Firth off Dunnet Head, instead of in the Moray Firth was regularly instituted, and no further practices took place in the Moray Firth during the year 1916. The new procedure proved to be most satisfactory in every respect, no difficulty ever arising, except that of towing the target in the strong tides of the Pentland Firth. On March 19th the battleship _Hercules_, which had been laid up at Scapa with a defective turbine for nearly six weeks, completed her repairs. These were carried out with the assistance of artisans from the engine contractors. The usual visits to Scapa of the squadrons from Rosyth for the purpose of practices continued. The 10th Cruiser Squadron’s weekly average for March showed: Number of ships intercepted, 43; number sent in, 11; number on patrol, 12; number absent at bases, or _en route_ to or from patrol, 9; number on special service, 1. A great deal of fog, mist and snow was experienced during the month, and the weather generally in northern waters was bad, gales occurring on the 6th, 11th, 12th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th. On April 2nd zeppelins reached the Firth of Forth and attacked Leith and Edinburgh, but did not make any attempt on the Fleet at anchor. The 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron was sent to sea in the hope of intercepting some of them during their return passage, but saw nothing of them. On April 3rd the _Devonshire_ and two destroyers left Rosyth and proceeded to the Norwegian coast in the vicinity of Udsire lighthouse, and swept thence to the Naze to intercept German merchant-ships, or neutrals with contraband which might be found outside territorial waters. One Swedish steamer was sent in; heavy traffic in territorial waters was reported. On April 5th three submarines left Blyth to operate against enemy submarines on the route which it was thought was taken by them between the Shetlands and Heligoland. They were directed to work on lines about 30 miles apart, zigzagging across the lines. They did not, however, sight any enemy submarines. Anti-submarine operations of this nature by the submarines attached to the Grand Fleet were carried out at frequent intervals during the remainder of the year 1916 whenever any craft were available for this purpose; the plan of operations was constantly varied. The general scheme was to place our craft in positions through which hostile submarines were expected to pass, or along the routes which they usually took. On April 6th the _Roxburgh_ left Rosyth with two destroyers, to repeat once again the operation of sweeping down the Norwegian coast from Udsire to the Naze. The search was again unproductive.