By 1914 the Northern Patrol was to be composed of eight old Edgar class cruisers from the reserve fleet, to be augmented with armed merchant cruisers as soon as suitable merchant vessels had been converted. With war between Great Britain and Germany expected to break out any moment the 10th Cruiser Squadron was mobilised on 1 August 1914 under command of Rear-Admiral Dudley de Chair. The first cruisers arrived at their Scapa base on 6 August 1914, two days after Britain declared war on Germany, and operations started on 9 August 1914.