Cleveland ya tashi zuwa Pacific a ranar 5 ga Disamba, 1942, kuma ya isa tsibirin Efate a ranar 16 ga Janairu. Ta farko a cikin ƙarfafawa na tsibirin Solomon Islands ya kasance tare da Task Force 18 (TF 18) don kare rundunar sojoji zuwa Guadalcanal daga 27 zuwa 31 ga Janairu, wanda aka harbe a kan abokan gaba yayin da ta zo a ƙarƙashin mummunan harin iska a cikin Battle of Rennell Island a ranar 29 ga Janairu.
5 ga watan Disamba