After returning to the UK in early 1940, Cedardale was despatched to Trinidad, and then to Freetown, where in July 1940 she was attached to Force R. She was based at Freetown until August 1942, during which time she refuelled several Royal Navy ships. Cedardale was at New Orleans in September and October 1942, undergoing repairs, refit and docking. She then sailed to the Seychelles, via Curaçao, Simonstown and Mauritius, remaining based in the Indian Ocean, operating between Mombasa, Addu Atoll, Trincomalee and Bombay until April 1943. She then returned to the Mediterranean for service with the allied forces gathering for Operation Husky, the allied invasion of Sicily. Attached as part of Force R, she provided refuelling support to the destroyers involved in the operation. The rest of 1943 was spent in the Mediterranean, with port calls at Port Said, Haifa, Alexandria, Malta and Tripoli.
