Taylor received a new command, of the destroyer , which was commissioned on 9 February 1943, with the rank of captain from 20 May 1943. "Bennett" sailed to the South Pacific, where she supported the landings at Cape Torokina in November 1944 and on Green Islands in February 1944, and bombarded the Japanese base at Kavieng on New Ireland on 18 February 1944 and at Rabaul on New Britain 29 February. He was awarded the Bronze Star. His citation read: