14 November 1942, Blackfish received word that her duty with Task Force 34 had concluded, and she headed for her primary patrol sector in the vicinity of Dakar. She continued her patrol with nothing of import occurring for the remainder of her time there. She eventually headed north, and on 26 November 1942 she rendezvoused with the Royal Navy Hunt-class destroyer off The Lizard on the southwest coast of England and then steered toward Scotland. She moored to the dock at Rosneath, Scotland, on 27 November 1942 and began a refit. During her first war patrol, she traveled and expended of fuel oil. Second war patrol Following her refit, Blackfish put back to sea, arriving in her patrol area in the Atlantic Ocean north of Spain off Punta de Estaca de Bares for her second war patrol on 27 December 1942. Over the course of about three weeks, she scoured the area in search of enemy activity. She encountered British forces, numerous fishing trawlers, and an occasional Spanish merchant ship, but no enemy forces in the course of her patrol. She returned to Rosneath, mooring there on 18 January 1943, thus ending her second war patrol with little to show for it other an account of a minor episode of laryngitis among her crew, a few photographs, and some intelligence on merchant ships and fishing vessels. Blackfish remained at Rosneath in upkeep status for the rest of January 1943. She underwent minor repairs and established two shore leave periods, which afforded her crew at least five days of leave. Third war patrol On 1 February 1943, Blackfish got underway for her third war patrol, bound for a patrol area in the Bay of Biscay near Bilbao, Spain. She departed Rosneath in company with the Royal Navy destroyer and the U.S. submarine . Shikari and Barb parted company with Blackfish on the morning of the 2 February. Over the course of the next several weeks while patrolling in her assigned area, she encountered a daily flurry of Spanish fishing and cargo vessels. On several occasions, she received notification of the passage of the Vichy French ships Winnetou, Livadia, and Nordfels steaming from Bilbao to Bordeaux, France. She was unable to engage any of them owing to an apparent effort by those ships to travel on days of low visibility and exceptionally bad weather conditions. At 10:50 on 18 February 1943, Blackfish