With VP-101 and assigned crash rescue boats, "San Pablo" formed Task Group 73.1 and established a seaplane base by charting the bay, setting out mooring and marker buoys, and constructing quarters for squadron personnel at nearby Honey Hollow. They also built an advanced base at Samarai in Papua New Guinea. For the next several months, the "Black Cats" operated from these bases, attacking on Japanese shipping along the coasts of New Guinea, New Britain, and New Ireland, and in the Bismarck Sea. They inflicted great losses on Japanese inter-island barge traffic as well as to heavy shipping, harassed Japanese troops with night bombing and strafing missions; conducted photographic intelligence operations, provided at-sea search-and-rescue support for downed United States Army Air Forces fliers and sailors of sunken vessels, and carried high-ranking officers, Allied coast watchers, and native guerrilla units. While continuously on the alert for enemy air attack, "San Pablo" sailors worked around the clock to fuel, repair, arm, and control the seaplanes and to feed and care for their crews. On 9 October 1943, "San Pablo" was relieved at Nouméa by seaplane tender and sailed to Brisbane for long-needed repair, replenishment, and shore leave.