In October 1942, "Duke of York" was sent to Gibraltar as the new flagship of Force H, and supported the Allied landings in North Africa the following month. During this time "Duke of York" came under air attack by Italian aircraft on several occasions, but the raids were relatively small scale and were swiftly dealt with by the "umbrella" provided by the aircraft from the accompanying carriers "Victorious", and . After this action, "Duke of York" returned to Britain for a refit.