While Augusta underwent her annual overhaul at Cavite and Olongapo, Admiral Murfin flew his flag in Isabel from 14 December 1935 to 27 February 1936. Soon thereafter, the heavy cruiser again having CinCAF on board, sailed for a succession of Philippine ports and places: Catbalogan, Cebu, Tacloban, Davao, Dumanquilas, Zamboanga, Tutu Bay, Jolo, and Tawi Tawi, before the ship returned to Manila on 29 March.

Underway on the last day of March for Chinese waters Augusta cleared Manila on that day and arrived at Hong Kong on 2 April, remaining there until the 11th. During this time Admiral Murfin embarked in Isabel for the trip up the Pearl River to Canton (6 to 8 April), returning on the latter date to re-embark in his flagship to resume his voyage up the China coast. Visiting Amoy on 12 and 13 April, Augusta then paused briefly at Woosung on 16 April before proceeding up the Yangtze reaching Nanking on the following day. While Augusta dropped back down the Yangtze to the Whangpoo River, and Shanghai Admiral Murfin continued up the Yangtze to Hankow in Isabel thence to Ichang by commercial airliner, thence in the river gunboat Panay (PR-5) to Crossing 22, and finally back to Hankow and Shanghai in Isabel, where he rejoined Augusta on 4 May.

Augusta sailed for Japan on 21 May, for her third visit to that country, arriving at Yokohama on the 25th. The Asiatic Fleet flagship remained at that port until 5 June, on which day she sailed for Kobe, arriving there the following day. She remained in Japanese waters until 13 June, when she got underway for Tsingtao, arriving on the 16th.

Augusta remained at Tsingtao, operating thence on exercises and training, for two months, before she sailed for another North China port, Chefoo, on 17 August. Arriving later the same day the ship departed Chefoo on the 21st, and returned to Tsingtao remaining there into mid-September.

Underway for Chinwangtao, the port at the foot of the fabled Great Wall of China, on 14 September, Augusta reached her destination on the 15th, where Admiral Murfin disembarked to visit the old imperial city of Peiping (Peking). Following his inspection of the Marine Corps legation guard at that city CinCAF returned to Chinwangtao by train and re-embarked m his flagship on 25 September. Underway from Chinwangtao on the 28th, Augusta visited Chefoo (28 September) before returning to Tsingtao on the following day, 29 September 1936.

Augusta stood out of Tsingtao on the same day she arrived, however, and reached Shanghai on 1 October. At the end of that month, on 30 October, Admiral Murfin was relieved as CinCAF by his Naval Academy classmate, Admiral Harry E. Yarnell. Shortly thereafter, with her new CinCAF embarked, Augusta stood down the Whangpoo River on 3 November 1936 on her annual southern cruise.

Augusta again visited a succession of ports: Hong Kong (5 to 12 November), Singapore (16 to 23 November), Batavia (25 November to 1 December), Bali (4 to 7 December), Makassar (8 to 12 December), Tawi Tawi and Tutu Bay (14 December), Dumanquilas Bay (15 December), Zamboanga (15 to 16 December), and Cebu (17 December) before she returned to Manila 19 December.

• USS Panay (PR-5) - Sister ship of U.S.S. Oahu. River gunboat, built under the same circumstances as the USS Guam from material sent from the United States and assembled by Kiangnan Dock & Engineering Works, Shanghai, 1928. 450 tons. 15 knots. 191’ x 28’ x 6.5’. Crew 65. Two 3"/50 AA behind shields, eight .30 caliber machine guns. Two triple expansion engines, total 1,900 HP, twin shafts in tunnels, triple rudders. Sunk December 12, 1937 by Japanese aircraft between Nanking and Wuhu. Roster of USS Panay survivors attached to USS Augusta

• For a brief chronology of the US Navy in Chinese waters during this period of time see the Yangtze Patrol & South China Patrol website