For the next three months, Sonoma supported General Douglas MacArthur's “leapfrog” operation up the back of the New Guinea bird. On 15 May 1944, Sonoma was redesignated ATO-12 and, later that month, she moved to the Hollandia area in the vicinity of Biak Island, where she did salvage, fire fighting, and towing duty for the landing craft which had been bombed and strafed by the Japanese. She spent the month of June in Humboldt Bay, New Guinea, then lent her support to the Noemfoor attack during the first week in July. By 15 July, she was back at Milne Bay for repair and upkeep.
