"Attacker", along with "Hunter" and "Stalker", set sail for the United Kingdom, on 31 October 1944, having been picked for service with the East Indies Fleet. After a brief stopover at Malta, on 3 November, the three carriers reached Plymouth, 10 November, for a short period of defect rectifications at the Devonport Naval Dockyard and the opportunity for their crews to go on home leave. On 29 November, the three set out for the Mediterranean, to undergo refits in transit to the Pacific. They arrived in Gibraltar, on 3 December, where "Stalker" was refit with "Hunter" proceeding to Malta, and "Attacker" proceeding to Taranto, Italy, their refits.