During this time, on 5 January 1942, Rear Admiral Royal E. Ingersoll (one of Augusta's former commanding officers) relieved Admiral King as Commander in Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet.

Augusta stood out of Newport on 12 January, en route to Casco Bay, Maine, via the Cape Cod Canal. She arrived the next day, and after conducting training exercises, returned to Newport on 17 January, Rear Admiral Ingersoll shifted his flag from Augusta to Constellation.

On 19 January, Augusta got underway for Bermuda, arriving two days later and joining Task Group (TG) 2.7. She operated with this unit when it proceeded to Martinique to conduct a "show of force" between 22 February and 4 March, and returned to Shelley Bay, Bermuda, on 5 March.

As part of TG 22.7-consisting of Ranger (CV-4), Savannah (CL-42), Wainwright (DD-419), Lang (DD-399), and Wilson (DD-408)-she stood out on 13 March to patrol the waters of the Caribbean. The destroyers Hambleton (DD-455) and Emmons (DD-457) joined the formation on 15 March, and the following day Augusta was detached and, with Hambleton and Emmons, steamed to New York. While on passage, Augusta sent Hambleton to investigate a dim flashing light abaft her starboard beam during a heavy storm on 18 March. The destroyer rescued six survivors of the stricken Honduran steamer Ciepa, and rejoined Emmons and Augusta after nightfall.

Augusta made landfall at New York on 19 March, and the heavy cruiser underwent repairs and alterations until 7 April, when, along with Wilkes (DD-441) as escort, she sailed for Newport. The next morning, Wilkes was rammed by the steamer Davilla and was forced to proceed on one engine to Boston. Augusta steamed on alone to Casco Bay, arriving on 8 April. On 14 April, in company with destroyers Corry (DD-463) and Aaron Ward (DD-483) as escorts, she conducted experimental firings of turret guns against a drone simulating a torpedo plane approach, and returned to Casco Bay that night.

Two days later, escorted by Macomb (DD-458), she transited the Cape Cod Canal and touched at Newport. Joining Task Force (TF) 36 there, of which Ranger was flagship, the cruiser departed on 22 April for Trinidad. A minor collision between Hambleton and Ellyson (DD-454), and frequent submarine scares, accented the voyage. Oiler Merrimack (AO-37) joined the task force on 28 April and fueled almost all of the ships, with Augusta's scout planes maintaining an air patrol during the dangerous fueling evolution. Ranger launched 68 Army P-40 fighters on 10 May, the planes bound for Accra, on Africa's Gold Coast, where all landed safely.

The formation arrived at Trinidad on 21 May, where Augusta fueled before putting to sea with the task force the next day bound for Newport. On 26 May, Augusta and Corry were detached and proceeded together to Hampton Roads, anchoring there on 28 May. Two days later, Rear Admiral Alexander Sharp hoisted his flag on board Augusta and assumed command of TF 22. With Corry and Forrest (DD-461) as escorts, the heavy cruiser sailed on 31 May for Newport, arriving on 1 June and leaving the next day with Corry for calibration of radio direction finders in waters west of Brenton Reef Lightship. Ranger joined the two ships the same day and all proceeded to Argentia, Newfoundland arriving there on 5 June. With Ellyson and Corry, she formed an antisubmarine screen off Argentia on 17 and 18 June, and two days later joined TF 22 steaming through heavy fogs to Newport, mooring on 22 June.

Augusta sailed south to New York for overhaul, arriving on 24 June. Completing repairs by 29 June, Augusta moved to Newport the following day, and on 1 July sortied with TF 22 for the Gulf of Paria, Trinidad, and arrived on 6 July. The formation departed two days later, Ranger completing her second ferry mission with Army aircraft, launching 72 Army planes off the coast of West Africa. Another reinforcement successfully accomplished, the task force reached Trinidad on 30 July.

The heavy cruiser then proceeded to Norfolk and moored there on 5 August for limited availability. On 18 August, she conducted short range battle practice and night spotting exercises in Chesapeake Bay, and training continued until Augusta sortied with Ranger, Corry, Hobson (DD-464) and Fitch (DD-462) on 23 August, arriving at Newport two days later and returning to Norfolk with Corry on the last day of August. The task group also carried out gunnery training, shore bombardment, and antiaircraft defense exercises off the Virginia capes from 7 to 11 September, and further training between 28 September and 1 October in Chesapeake Bay.

---

OPERATION TORCH - North African Invasion (11/7/42-11/11/42)

• Read the ship's War Diaries for the invasion, and view battle photos, and photos of the crew, including photos of Gen. George S. Patton who was onboard and in command of the invasion forces during Operation Torch.

• View bomb damage to the French battleship Jean Bart and gun splashes from its guns which straddled the Augusta and indirectly resulted in the destruction Gen. Patton's Higgins boat

On 23 October 1942 Rear Admiral H. Kent Hewitt came on board Augusta and broke his flag as Commander, TF 34. Major General George S. Patton and Rear Admiral John L. Hall, Jr. also came on board the same day for passage to North Africa. Augusta stood out on 24 October with TF 34, steaming for French Morocco and her participation Operation "Torch." To assist in locating the invasion beaches the submarine USS Gunnel (SS-253) surfaced off Fedhala, French Morocco and deployed a light to the top of its conning tower which emitted infra-red signals visible only through infra-red binoculars employed by the fleet. Arriving off Fedhala, on 7 November, Augusta went into general quarters at 2200. During the pre-dawn hours of 8 November, the initial landings met with stiff opposition. At 0630, Augusta catapulted two Curtiss SOC scouting planes aloft, and at 0710 opened fire with her 8-inch guns at shore batteries. The nearby light cruiser Brooklyn (CL-40) supported Augusta's barrage, dodging near misses from enemy guns. A brief lull at 0730 permitted Augusta to launch her remaining two SOCs, but 10 minutes later the enemy guns opened up again; several near misses fell within 50 to 100 yards of Augusta the whistle of oncoming shells plainly audible to those on her bridge.

Augusta shortly left at flank speed to intercept an enemy [476] force of two light cruisers and four destroyers north of Casablanca. Closing the range at 0915, Augusta opened fire with her 8-inch battery on one enemy cruiser, barring the Vichy ship's passage and turning it back into Casablanca harbor by 0950. Augusta returned to her station to assist Brooklyn, firing on shore batteries. In the sortie of French ships from Casablanca harbor, the large destroyers Le Brestois and Le Boulonnais attempted a torpedo attack on Augusta and Brooklyn. Augusta's main battery gunfire sank the latter, and forced the other away in a damaged condition, she sank later that day. Other Vichy ships attempting to escape were forced back into the harbor by 1122, and firing ceased for a time. Around noon, Augusta turned back the light cruiser Primaguet's attempt to sortie, scoring an 8-inch hit on the French ship's turret 3. Vichy ships tried to sortie at 1305, only to be blocked and forced to retreat by 1350.

Augusta spent the following day, 9 November, patrolling south and southwest of the transport area off Casablanca, and continued that patrol through 10 November. At 1135 on that day, she opened fire with her 8-inch guns on an enemy destroyer, straddling her and forcing her to retreat. Ten minutes later, Augusta was unexpectedly taken under fire by the French battleship Jean Bart, reportedly "gutted by fire" and harmless. Geysers of water from near-misses erupted about Augusta and drenched the cruiser with yellow-dyed spray (photos of gun splashes), but American carrier planes bombed Jean Bart later in the day and silenced her for the remainder of the campaign.

A cease-fire agreement was signed by Allied forces with the French on 11 November, bringing the operation to an end, and opening Morocco to the Allies. Augusta departed on 20 November with TF 34, her part in the operation over. She touched at Bermuda on 26 November en route to Norfolk, arriving at the latter port four days later. There, Rear Admiral H. K. Hewitt left the ship, and TF 34 was dissolved. Augusta stood out of Norfolk on 9 December for extended overhaul at New York during which time her antiaircraft battery was significantly improved.