From May to December, 1941 "Delhi" was refitted as an anti-aircraft cruiser at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. This refit included 5-inch/38 calibre guns originally intended for the US destroyer , and were hand-picked by "Edison"s commanding officer, but were transferred to "Delhi" on the direct instructions President Roosevelt. With her new dual purpose main armament, she provided shore bombardment and AA support for a number of Allied landings in the Mediterranean, (Algiers, Sicily, Salerno and the Anzio Landings). On 20 November 1942 "Delhi" was damaged by enemy action in Algiers Bay when her stern was blown open by a bomb dropped by Italian aircraft. Two crewmen were killed in the attack. She returned to Britain and was under repair until April 1943.