On the 16th, the ship set her course for the Hawaiian Islands and arrived at Pearl Harbor on the 22nd. After loading cargo, she departed on 2 October, escorted by the destroyer and bound for the Ellice Islands. On the 8th, the attack cargo ship arrived at Funafuti to discharge her cargo; then continued on to anchor at Wellington Bay, New Zealand, on the 19th. There, she embarked elements of the 2nd Marine Division and participated in exercises in preparation for the coming assault on Tarawa. On 1 November, she got underway and on the 8th arrived at Efate, where, for two days, she conducted landing craft exercises in Meli Bay. On the 13th, she departed the New Hebrides to take part in "Operation Galvanic" – the conquest of the Gilbert Islands.