On this date 1,000 additional seamen ratings arrived to join the Fleet, experience having shown that the number of deck complements, as well as the engine-room complements, required increasing, principally owing to the heavy guns of the secondary armament being so constantly manned at sea--by day against submarine attack, and by night against destroyer attack. _August 27th._--On this date I wired to the Admiralty proposing the erection of two wireless stations in the Orkneys for local communication, and a directional station to assist in locating the positions of German ships using wireless. The remainder of the Battle Fleet proceeded to sea at 6 P.M. to join the 1st and 3rd Battle Squadrons at 7 A.M. on the 28th to the south-eastward of the Orkneys in Lat. 58.20 N., Long. 0.20 W. The 2nd Flotilla accompanied the Fleet as a submarine screen. On this date a patrol of the eastern approaches to the Pentland Firth was inaugurated by the Mine-laying Squadron which was not required at the time for mine-laying operations, with the object of ensuring a closer watch on the mercantile traffic through the Pentland Firth, and the _Oceanic_, an armed merchant cruiser, which had joined the Fleet, was detached to carry out a patrol to the westward of the Fair Island Channel in order to control the traffic at this point. Information was received from the Admiralty of the existence of mined areas off Harwich, Flamborough Head and Tynemouth. The positions of the two latter minefields appeared to corroborate the information obtained prior to the outbreak of war. A collision occurred at 9.30 P.M. between the _Bellerophon_ and the s.s. _St. Clair_, which was passing through the Fleet. The _St. Clair_ was damaged, but the damage to the _Bellerophon_ was not serious. _August 28th._--The weather was misty with a visibility of 4 to 6 miles until the evening, when it cleared slightly. The Battle Fleet during the day proceeded to the southward, the noon position being Lat. 58.19 N., Long. 0.21 E., with cruisers in advance.