On 5 August, "Pilot" stood out en route to the Mediterranean again. She arrived at Casablanca, French Morocco, 23 August and Mers-el-Kebir, Algeria, 29 August where several more vessels joined her convoy. She sailed again on 1 September for Salerno, Italy. On 8 September "Pilot" was detached from escort duty and assigned mine-sweeping duties with seven other minesweepers, sweeping a channel off the Salerno beachhead. After the beachhead had been established, "Pilot" patrolled the area. On 18 September her alert gunners shot down a German Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter aircraft.