Vice Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr., and carrying the Doolittle raiders, was charged with launching the first American offensive against the Japanese homeland. Returning safely to Pearl Harbor on 25 April after the successful mission, she escorted an Army tug to Canton Island and returned to San Francisco for needed repairs. The destroyer made two voyages along the west coast and escorted three convoys to Pearl Harbor before 12 November when she joined TF 11 for duty in the Solomon Islands. The rest of the year was spent in convoy and patrol among the islands. 1943 In January 1943 she deployed with TF 11 against the Japanese on Guadalcanal. From 20 to 25 February she assisted TF 64 in supporting an occupation force on the Russell Islands, participated in exercises and patrol, and steamed with TG 36.3 to afford protection to troops occupying Munda Island. In September she escorted a transport convoy from Noumea to Guadalcanal. Late in the month she got underway with Case (DD-370), McCall (DD-400), and Craven (DD-382) for San Francisco and a period of overhaul. She completed the year in patrol and in training and exercise operations off the Aleutian Islands. 1944 On 19 January 1944 Fanning sailed with TG-58.4 for operations in the Marshalls where planes from Saratoga (CV-3) struck at Wotje, Taroa, Utirik, and Rongelap with a 4-day uninterrupted bombardment of Eniwetok which precursed a later all-out attack. For the remainder of the month Fanning and other units of the escort group shuttled between Kwajalein and Eniwetok, making 25 strikes in 19 days, and providing support for the amphibious landings on the latter island. In March 1944 Fanning, Saratoga, Dunlap (DD-384), and Cummings (DD-365) were ordered to report to the British Eastern Fleet, primarily British units reinforced with Australian, Dutch and French warships. The planned joint operations were intended to transfer operational expertise to the Fleet Air Arm aircrews, divert Japanese attention from American activities elsewhere and cripple Japanese mobility in the south east Asia region. and Saratoga launched air strikes against Sabang, Sumatra, (19 April) to destroy refineries, storage and transportation facilities. On 17 May this powerful force hit Soerabaja, Java, where harbor facilities and refineries presented the chief targets. Detached from the Eastern Fleet late in May, Fanning set course for San Francisco with calls at Fremantle and Sydney, Australia, and Noumea in passage. On 17 July she stood out for San