Kammala wannan jumla: Shakedown cikakke, "Catoctin" ya share Norfolk 5 Maris 1944 don Algiers, inda ta ba da rahoto a ranar 19 ga Maris a matsayin kwamandan kwamandan, 8th Fleet. Ta kasance a Algiers kuma daga baya Oran har zuwa 8 ga Yuli, lokacin da ta tashi zuwa Naples, Italiya. A ranar 24 ga Yuli, a Naples, Sarki George VI na Burtaniya ya ziyarci jirgin. Domin da dama watanni, "Catoctin" ya kasance hedkwatar domin shiryawa na
A ranar 13 ga watan Agusta, ya tashi daga Naples don kai hari, yana dauke da Sakataren Navy James Forrestal, da kwamandojin rundunar soja ta 7, VI Corps, 12th Air Force, da kuma Sojojin Naval na Faransa.