Turning to the shipping lanes between Truk and Guadalcanal, Guardfish began her seventh war patrol on 27 December 1943, sinking 10,024 ton oiler Kenyo Maru on 14 January 1944. She then closed Truk and sank the destroyer on 1 February in an attack on a convoy. After serving briefly as lifeguard ship off Truk she arrived at Pearl Harbor 18 February and from there returned to San Francisco for repairs nine days later.
