During that bombardment, British battleships of the British Pacific Fleet contributed their heavy shellfire. Mines and shellfire sank or damaged 11 minesweepers. Their speed and agility enabled some ships to dodge shellfire completely before launching torpedoes. After initial success, the fresh regiment suffered heavy casualties from shellfire. Five hundred civilians and seventeen of Kong Le's paratroopers were killed by the shellfire. It utilized caterpillar tracks to cross ground broken up by shellfire and trenches. One Churchill was trapped in its LCT by shellfire. The next day, she sank an enemy barge with shellfire near Green Island. At Snipe, mortar and shellfire was constant all day long. However, many makeshift burial sites were damaged and destroyed by shellfire. Howell was killed by shellfire in September. The carriers of Taffy 3 turned south and retreated through the shellfire. They launched their aircraft and maneuvered to avoid shellfire for over an hour. In 1915 the Lion Brewery was damaged by German shellfire. The gun crew fought back with shellfire and shot down five German planes.