On 17 August, "Anderson" sortied from Pearl Harbor with TF 17, en route to the Solomons area, where she sighted and joined TF 61 on 29 August. "Anderson" was assigned as screen for "Hornet" in TG 61.2. The Battle of the Eastern Solomons, which had taken place on 24 August, had turned back a major Japanese attempt to recapture Guadalcanal. Enemy submarines, however, still lurked in the waters east of Guadalcanal. On 31 August, , in TG 61.1, was torpedoed and damaged, and forced to retire to Tongatapu. On 14 September, six transports carrying reinforcements and supplies for Guadalcanal departed Espiritu Santo, with the task groups formed around and "Hornet" in support.