 Arriving at New Caledonia on 18 September, the oiler replenished ships out of Nouméa for the next three months.Following overhaul at San Pedro, California, "Lackawanna" resumed operations as a unit of ServRon 8 in the Central Pacific on 16 February 1943.The oiler replenished fighting ships for eight months prior to sailing in support of the Gilbert Islands invasion during November.