In spite, however, of this precaution, some difficulty was experienced in carrying out the turn in the dense fog that prevailed, especially amongst the destroyers, and three of them, namely, the _Garland_, _Ardent_ and _Ambuscade_, were in collision; the _Ardent_ was so seriously damaged forward that it became necessary to tow her back to a repairing-port, stern first. During the night a neutral steamer, in passing through the Fleet in the fog, collided with the battleship _Neptune_, doing considerable injury to that ship. The weather cleared somewhat during the morning, and the Fleet cruised to the westward of the Little Fisher Bank until it was certain that the damaged destroyers were safely on their way to their bases. The operations were then abandoned, as the conditions were unsuitable, and the destroyers had not sufficient fuel to admit of the Fleet remaining out for a further twenty-four hours, so as to repeat the sweep to the Horn Reef on the following day. The whole Fleet returned to its bases during the 24th, fuelled, and again proceeded to sea for another movement south during the evening of that day, the 5th Battle Squadron being sent on in advance of the remainder of the Battle Fleet in order to gain touch with and strengthen the Battle Cruiser Fleet, which was, of course, short of the _Australia_ and _New Zealand_, damaged in collision. At 4.6 A.M. on the 25th, however, whilst steering to the southward, a report was received from Commodore Tyrwhitt, who was at sea with the Harwich force, that he had sighted enemy battle cruisers and light cruisers in Lat. 52.24 N., Long. 1.57 E. This report at once influenced the direction of the sweep, and the Battle Fleet increased to full speed, and shaped a course to pass down the searched channel to the westward of the German mine-field to support the Battle Cruiser Fleet and the 5th Battle Squadron, which proceeded at full speed on a course designed to intercept the enemy battle cruisers during their expected return passage to their ports. At 4.20 A.M. the Admiralty informed me that the enemy was bombarding Lowestoft, and that the 5th Light Cruiser Squadron was in touch with the enemy’s ships; and at 5.40 A.M. the Aldeburgh wireless station reported enemy battle cruisers in sight steaming to the eastward. At 11 A.M. the _Iron Duke_, with the Dreadnought Battle Fleet, was in Lat. 56.22 N., Long. 0.0; the 3rd Battle Squadron and 3rd Cruiser Squadron were about 35 miles and the 5th Battle Squadron about 70 miles to the southward, the Battle Cruiser Fleet being well to the south-eastward in the direction of Terschelling, and, as appeared later, having evidently only just barely missed cutting the enemy off from his base. The Battle Fleet stood on to the south-eastward until the afternoon, when it became evident that the Germans had escaped to their bases, and the Fleet then turned to the northward and shaped course for the bases, arriving on the 26th.