“Such a happy state of things convinces me that whenever the day of battle comes my Navy will add fresh triumphs to its old glorious traditions.”
In reply to His Majesty’s gracious message, I expressed the appreciation of the officers and men of the Grand Fleet, adding that it was “my conviction that the glorious traditions of the Navy are safe in the hands of those I have the honour to command.”
During August the coal strike continued to influence Fleet movements to a certain extent.
On August 2nd the Iron Duke, the 2nd Battle Squadron and the 1st Cruiser Squadron carried out target practice from Cromarty. This was a new departure, the practice hitherto having been limited to firing at a small target towed by other ships or by a collier to the northward or eastward of the Shetlands, or firing at a rock. Both were highly unsatisfactory methods, which did not enable the gunnery efficiency of ships to be either tested or greatly improved. Accordingly I decided to risk sending ships out from Cromarty to fire at a large target of the pattern used in peace practices; it was towed across the Moray Firth, the ships firing and the towing vessels being protected from submarine attack by destroyers, sloops and gunboats. The system was an improvement, although very expensive in the employment of destroyers, etc. It was continued until practice in the Pentland Firth took its place. The usual procedure was for two ships, screened by destroyers, to be on the firing ground at a time, firing either independently or with concentrated fire, with two more vessels approaching the firing ground ready to fire when the first pair had finished. On completion of practice the first pair returned to harbour and were met at the entrance by the third pair, to which they turned over their destroyers. Careful organisation insured that ships did not have to wait at the entrance, nor was there delay for the target to be turned round for the return run. A large number of destroyers, sloops or gunboats, patrolled to seaward of the target to prevent submarines from approaching. The total number usually employed screening and patrolling during a day’s firing was from 22 to 28.
The Iron Duke, with the 2nd Battle Squadron and the 1st Cruiser Squadron, proceeded to Scapa on completion of the practice, being relieved later by another battle squadron and cruiser squadron in accordance with the routine which had been established of changing bases periodically. The special service ship No. 6 left Scapa for Rosyth, with two destroyers, to endeavour to “draw” submarines to attack her and give the destroyers an opportunity of engaging them; but no attack took place.
From August 5th to the 9th extensive anti-submarine operations were carried out to the westward of the Orkneys by a force consisting of nine destroyers, six sloops, five gunboats and a large number of patrol trawlers. The operations covered a very large area, the general idea being to compel any submarine intending to pass round the Shetland Islands or through the Fair Island Channel to submerge for a period that would exhaust her batteries and eventually bring her to the surface to recharge. The limited duration of darkness in northern latitudes assisted the operations of the hunting vessels. No certain success was attained. A submarine was sighted on the 6th at 7 P.M., and a heavy explosion, under water, close to the sloop Hollyhock at 9.30 P.M. on the same night might have been due to a submarine coming to grief, while another submarine was sighted at 10.30 A.M. on the 7th. Examination of a sailing vessel found in the vicinity of this latter submarine was unproductive.
The 4th Light Cruiser Squadron left Scapa on August 6th to cruise off the Norwegian coast, and the battleships Albemarle and Russell, of the 6th Battle Squadron, arrived at Scapa for practices, having left the Channel Fleet.
On August 7th I returned in the Iron Duke to Cromarty in order to meet the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer who were about to visit Invergordon. At 9 A.M. on the 8th a wireless report was received in the Iron Duke that a submarine was attacking a steamer off Rosehearty on the southern shore of the Moray Firth. The “duty” destroyer division was ordered to sea at once, and the remaining three available destroyers followed shortly afterwards. Meanwhile, the destroyer Christopher, already on patrol in the Moray Firth, reported herself in action at 11 A.M. with the submarine, which had submerged, the report stating that the merchant-ship had been sunk. The second destroyer on patrol, the Midge, assisted in the search for the submarine, as did the remaining destroyers and patrol trawlers, without result. At 10 A.M. the trawler mine-sweepers, which had been carrying out the usual routine sweep on the southern shore of the Moray Firth, reported the discovery of a mine-field to the northward of Banff, and several reports were received during the day of drifting mines being sighted along the coast and in the Firth. All destroyers were ordered in at 4 P.M., except the two on patrol and any others in touch with the submarine, and vessels remaining on patrol were given the limits of the mine-field as far as they had then been ascertained.
Such investigation as could be hurriedly carried out during the day, by signal and wireless, revealed the fact that a yacht and a trawler on patrol on the night of the 7th–8th had sighted strange lights, but without identifying the vessel carrying them, and it became apparent that a German surface mine-laying vessel had been at work. The night had been somewhat misty. Directions were at once sent by wireless to the 4th Light Cruiser Squadron, still at sea, to proceed at full speed towards the Horn Reef to endeavour to intercept the returning mine-layer, and the 1st and 2nd Light Cruiser Squadrons, from Rosyth, were also sent out for the purpose; the Admiralty was also informed, and as a result the Harwich force was sent on the same mission.
As the other squadrons proceeded, the 4th Light Cruiser Squadron was directed to the Skagerrak in case the mine-layer endeavoured to return by that route, whilst the remaining light cruiser squadrons made for the Horn Reef. All the mine-sweepers and the destroyers engaged in the anti-submarine operation mentioned earlier were recalled to fuel with all despatch, and sweeping by the Fleet mine-sweepers, trawlers and destroyers, organised on a large scale, was begun on the 9th and continued until clear routes for the ships at Cromarty and for merchant-ships, gradually extending to 10 miles in width, had been swept on both the northern and southern shores of the Moray Firth. These sweeping operations were greatly delayed by persistent fog, although a clear channel sufficiently wide to admit of the exit of the squadrons at Cromarty was quickly swept. The Campania was sent to Cromarty, so that her sea-planes might assist to locate the mines, but in the rather thick waters of the Moray Firth they were of no use for this purpose.