With her refit completed, "Duke of York" resumed her status as flagship from 14 May 1943 pending the departure of "King George V" and "Howe" for Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily. Operation Gearbox in June 1943 involved a sweep by "Duke of York" and , in company with the US battleships and , to provide distant cover for minor operations in Spitsbergen and the Kola Inlet, while the following month diversionary operations, code-named "Camera" and "Governor of Norway," were carried out in order to draw the Germans' attention away from Operation Husky. On 4 October, "Duke of York" and "Anson" covered a force of Allied cruisers and destroyers and the American carrier under Operation Leader, which raided German shipping off Norway. The attack resulted in the sinking of four German merchant ships and damage to seven others, which forced many of them to be grounded.