1943
Sigsbee completed outfitting three weeks later and sailed to Casco Bay, Maine, for 10 days of gunnery and torpedo practice before sailing to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to complete her shakedown. She returned to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York, for post-shakedown overhaul. Upon completion, the destroyer escorted Birmingham (CL-62) to Norfolk. On 4 April, she escorted two tankers to Casco Bay and returned. Next was an escort trip with Independence (CV-22) and Guest (DD-472) to Trinidad, B.W.I., where the aircraft carrier trained her air group. Upon her return to Norfolk, Sigsbee refueled and with Guest and Earle (DD-635) escorted Lexington (CV-16) to Trinidad arriving on 16 May.
On 8 June, the destroyer was detached from the group and proceeded independently to New York. Sigsbee operated between New York, Casco Bay, and Norfolk until 22 July. On that date, the destroyer, with Harrison (DD-573), Daly (DD-519), and Lexington, stood out of Norfolk en route to Pearl Harbor via the Panama Canal. The canal was transited on 27 July, and Sigsbee arrived at Pearl Harbor on 9 August.
In mid-August, Sigsbee joined the task group built around carriers Yorktown (CV-10), Essex (CV-9), and Independence (CVL-22) commanded by Rear Admiral Charles Alan Pownall for raids against Marcus Island in which considerable damage was done to enemy installations. Sigsbee returned to Pearl Harbor on 8 September 1943.
Sigsbee was off Wake Island three weeks later and participated in the bombardment of that island on 5 October.
On 21 October, the destroyer stood out of Pearl Harbor en route to Efate, New Hebrides. She arrived on 5 November and spent the next two weeks in training with transports. On 13 November, Sigsbee sortied with Task Unit 53.1.4 (TU 53.1.4) for the Gilbert Islands. On 22 and 23 November, she bombarded Betio, at Tarawa Atoll. She then returned to Pearl Harbor on 14 December for a yard availability period.
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