The fighting in Shanghai went on for three months before the Japanese controlled the area. Japanese bombing destroyed large portions of the Chinese parts of the city. The Augusta remained in the middle of the crossfire, and was hit numerous times by shrapnel and small arms fire. One sailor was killed by an artillery shell which exploded on the deck. The men of the Augusta formed a fraternal society among themselves known as the Pootung Point Snipers Protective Association (POOPSPASS).
Shanghai Burns After Japanese Attack
On September 19, 1937, the transport USS Chaumont arrived in Shanghai with the Sixth Marine Regiment after a record transit of 21 days. The Fourth and Sixth Marines were formed into the Second Marine Brigade.
Transport Packed with Marines
On December 12, 1937, Japanese aircraft attacked and sank the river gunboat USS Panay on the Yangtze River near Hohsien. Three people were killed and ten injured out of the approximately sixty people on board. The survivors were attached to the Augusta.
Roster of Panay Survivors