sailed on 4 October for San Francisco, discharged and loaded cargo, then headed for Pearl Harbor, arriving on 20 October. Loading badly needed aircraft for the United States Army, she steamed to Palmyra Atoll, arriving on 30 October. There, under hazardous conditions, she embarked more aircraft, cargo and passengers. Sailing on 2 November, she arrived Dumbea Bay, Nouméa on 10 November, where she picked up men from the air group of the fleet carrier after their carrier had been sunk at the battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Arriving at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides on 13 November, she discharged army aviators and aircraft. Kitty Hawk sailed from Espiritu Santo on 22 November for home with 359 passengers, arriving San Diego on 7 December. 1943–1944 Carrying men and equipment of Marine Air Group 12, she got underway on 4 January 1943, for the New Hebrides, arriving at Espiritu Santo on 22 January; but, as enemy air raids prevented unloading, she sailed on to Pallikulo Bay, a safer place; then departed for Undine Bay, Efate, where she finished unloading men, munitions and aircraft of Marine Air Group 12. Kitty Hawk returned to San Diego on 20 February. From 20 February 1943 – 25 June 1944, Kitty Hawk made seven voyages to Hawaii and seven to the Southwest Pacific carrying vital aircraft, fighting men and munitions to be used in pressing forward toward Japan. The ship was reclassified AKV-1 on 15 September 1943. She returned to the West Coast and arrived at San Francisco for overhaul on 5 August 1944. Kitty Hawk loaded passengers, aircraft, and cargo at San Diego and sailed 29 August for Finschhafen, New Guinea; Seeadler Harbor, Manus, Admiralty Islands; Guadalcanal; and Espiritu Santo, returning San Diego on 12 October 1944. Kitty Hawk sailed directly from San Francisco to Manus, arriving on 12 November. From Manus, she steamed to the Solomon Islands to pick up men of a radio control drone unit: called at Guadalcanal on 26 November, Espiritu Santo on 30 November: then sailed for Pearl Harbor, arriving on 9 December. Two days later, she sailed to Maui Island, where she debarked the radar control unit. 1945–1946 After minor repairs at San Diego, Kitty Hawk sailed on 7 January 1945, to various ports in the South Pacific; returned to San Francisco on 17 February; made a quick turn about; and steamed back to the forward area, returning to the