On 14 November, "Indiana" was assigned as the flagship for Task Group (TG) 2.6, which included the light cruiser and the destroyers and . The four ships then proceeded to Tonga, arriving on the afternoon of 28 November. After refueling, "Indiana" transferred to TG 66.6 two days later and continued on to Nouméa, arriving on 2 December. There, she took part in exercises with ships from Task Force (TF) 64. The ship served as a replacement for her sister , which had been badly damaged during the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal; while operating off Guadalcanal, "Indiana" provided gunfire support to American forces ashore.