On 20 November, the force arrived off Makin. "San Francisco" participated in the pre-invasion bombardment of Betio, then patrolled outside the transport area to the west of Makin. On the 26th, she was detached and assigned to TG 50.1, joining , , , five cruisers, and six destroyers. With that force, she steamed toward the Marshall Islands to strike Japanese shipping and installations in the Kwajalein area. On 4 December, the carriers launched their planes against the targets. Shortly after noon, enemy aerial activity increased, and at 1250, "San Francisco" came under attack. Three torpedo bombers closed her on the port bow. Her guns "splashed" two. The third was shot down by "Yorktown". But during the attack, the cruiser had been strafed several times. One man had been killed, and 22 were wounded. After dark, the Japanese returned, and on that night, "Lexington" was torpedoed. The force moved north and west. Shortly after 0130 on 5 December, enemy planes faded from the radar screens. The next day, the ships headed back to Pearl Harbor.