"Almaack" sailed from San Diego on the morning of 13 January 1944, bound for Lahaina Roads, off the island of Maui. From there, she sailed for the Marshall Islands, and the first of her six amphibious operations of the Pacific war, departing Lahaina—the final staging area for Operation "Flintlock"—on the afternoon of 22 January, with elements of the 4th Marine Division embarked. Sailing as part of Task Force (TF) 53, "Almaack" reached the transport area for the initial assault on "Jacob" and "Ivan"— islands in Kwajalein Atoll—at 0500 on 31 January. That evening, "Almaack" hoisted out her boats and discharged cargoes of ammunition in response to a request for three units of fire to "Ivan".