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, ya harbe abokan gaba yayin da ta zo karkashin mummunan harin iska a yakin Rennell Island a ranar 29 ga Janairu. Ta shiga TF 68, Cleveland ya shiga cikin "Black Slot" a ranar 6 ga Maris 1943 don harbe-harbe a kan Vila Kolombangara, ya shiga cikin Faransanci na Morocco a ranar 8 ga Nuwamba, kuma ya kasance a kan sintiri har zuwa 12 ga Nuwamba, ya koma Norfolk a ranar 24 ga Nuwamba. Lokacin da ya tashi zuwa Pacific a ranar 5 ga Disamba, 1942, ya isa tsibirin Efate a ranar 16 ga Janairu.
16 ga watan Yuli