 "Gazelle" sailed from Wilmington on 9 January 1944 for Pearl Harbor, where she was assigned to Rear Admiral Turner's Southern Attack Force for the imminent assault on Kwajalein.Underway with the task force 28 January, she entered Kwajalein Lagoon on 2 February 1944 and began fueling operations in the midst of the furious fighting.For two weeks she fueled combatant ships, including battleships
"New Mexico" (BB-40),
"Mississippi" (BB-23),
"Idaho" (BB-42),
many cruisers, escort carriers, and smaller warships.