And at various points along the south coast twelve coastal destroyers and a dozen old protected cruisers. The Chatham ships were not included in this force, and mustered eight battleships, four armoured cruisers, twelve coastal destroyers, twenty older destroyers, and twenty submarines, besides a number of smaller and older cruisers of doubtful value.
On Tuesday evening the Admiralty ordered the Channel Armoured Cruiser Squadron to put to sea from Milford, proceed north round the coast of Scotland, picking up on its way the two armoured cruisers and torpedo flotilla off Cape Wrath, which had taken up their position at Loch Eriboll, and then to attack the German detachment at Lerwick, and clear the northern entrance to the North Sea. A large number of colliers were to accompany or follow the fleet, which was strictly ordered not to risk an engagement with the main German forces, but to retire if they appeared, falling back on the Irish Sea.
The squadron at 6 p.m. that night, with bunkers full, weighed anchor and proceeded at 18 knots. It passed rapidly up the west coast of Scotland without communicating with the shore, and shortly before midnight on Wednesday joined the Loch Eriboll detachment, which was waiting its arrival, ready to proceed with it. At Loch Eriboll it refilled its bunkers from four colliers that had been sent in advance, and soon after daybreak on Thursday steamed out from that remote Scottish haven for the scene of action, leaving four destroyers to watch the harbour. Two more colliers arrived as it left.
One of the armoured cruisers and eight ocean-going destroyers were instructed to wait till the afternoon, and then move towards the Pentland Firth. Six of the older destroyers were to follow them, and hold the waters of the Firth if the Germans were not in any great force. The other ten armoured cruisers, with four ocean-going destroyers, would make a wide sweep at full speed round the north of the Orkneys, so as to cut off any German vessels in the Pentland Firth. Strict orders were given that if the German battleships or armoured cruisers in any force were encountered a prompt retreat must be beaten, and that until the approach of the British Fleet had been detected by the enemy, wireless signalling was not to be used.
The great expanse of ocean was troubled only by a heavy swell as the ten cruisers passed away from sight of land to the north-east. At 10 a.m. they passed to the north of Westray; at noon they rounded North Ronaldshay. Up to this point not a vessel had been seen, whether foe or friend or neutral. Now they steered south, keeping well out so as to come in upon the Orkneys, where the Germans were believed to have landed men, from the east. They were a little to the south of Fair Island when a large destroyer was seen running away fast to the north.
Two of the four ocean-going destroyers with the cruisers at once started in pursuit, and the armoured cruiser Lincoln followed in support. The rest of the British squadron continued towards the Pentland Skerries, and as it moved, felt the wireless signals of a strange force. Five minutes later a steamer was made out to the south, and, when the British cruisers neared her, was seen to be the Bremen, or one of her class. She fired guns, and stood away to the east.
The Orion at once gave chase to her, while the other eight British cruisers now divided, two making a wide sweep south for Wick, to look for the German cruiser reported off that place, and the remaining six steering for the Pentland Firth, in which, according to local reports, the German torpedo craft were constantly cruising. The Orion was soon lost to view as she went off fast to the east after the German ship.
Three hours after passing North Ronaldshay the six cruisers and their two destroyers drew in towards the Pentland Skerries from the east. The sound of shots from the Firth and from behind Stroma told that the co-operating division of the fleet was already at work. And presently through the Firth came racing, at top speed, two German torpedo boats, with eight British destroyers firing furiously at them, astern of them.
The chase was over in a minute. Finding themselves surrounded and their escape cut off, with the much faster British destroyers astern of them and the Armoured Cruiser Squadron ahead of them, the two German boats turned and ran ashore close under John o’ Groats House, where their crews blew them up and surrendered.
The Firth was cleared, and the co-operating squadron joined hands with the main force. A fresh detachment of two cruisers was sent off to steam direct for Aberdeen, and attack the German cruiser off that place, in case she had not already retired. If she had gone, the two cruisers were to move direct on Lerwick. But the arrival, two hours later, of the two cruisers which had been sent to look after the German ship at Wick, with the news that she had hurriedly left about the time when the Bremen was sighted, no doubt alarmed by the Bremen’s wireless signals, suggested that there was little chance of catching the enemy at Aberdeen.