Between the two world wars, the class were mainly used in the Far East and they were present during the Japanese invasion of China. In 1937, on the Yangtze river, the Japanese attacked , firing on her from a shore battery. A US gunboat, was also attacked, by Japanese aircraft, and sunk. "Ladybird" sailed the 20 miles to the scene of the sinking, took on board some of the "Panay" survivors and took them to Shanghai. "Scarab" and "Cricket" were off Nanking in 1937 as the Japanese started to bomb the city.