After a brief respite at Pearl Harbor, "Astoria" returned to sea on 19 January with TF 11 – the carrier "Lexington", escorted by heavy cruisers and , and nine destroyers – to "conduct an offensive patrol northeast of the Kingman Reef-Christmas Island line." On the afternoon of the 21st, however, TF 11 received orders to rendezvous with "Neches", and then to conduct an air raid on Wake Island, followed by a surface bombardment "if practicable." Dispatches intercepted on the 23rd, however, revealed that "Neches" had fallen victim to a Japanese submarine, identified later as . Without the oiler's precious cargo of fuel, TF 11 could not execute the planned strike. Ordered back to Oahu, the task force reentered Pearl Harbor on the morning of 24 January.