The repairs were completed on 12 June and, a week later, she escorted the battlecruiser and the aircraft carrier , together with her sisters and and the destroyer , from Scapa Flow to Gibraltar where they would form Force H. In early July, "Faulknor" screened the larger British ships during the attack on the Vichy French fleet at Mers-el-Kébir, French Algeria. During Operation MA 5, a planned carrier attack on Italian airfields in Sardinia, the destroyer was torpedoed by the on 11 July after the attack had been cancelled due to lack of surprise. The torpedo blew a large hole in the ship, but the British tried to salvage her. Despite their efforts, she foundered later that morning after the destroyer and "Faulknor" took off the survivors. A month later the ship was one of the escorts for Force H during Operation Hurry, a mission to fly off fighter aircraft for Malta and conduct an airstrike on Cagliari on 2 August. On 13 September, Force H rendezvoused with a convoy that was carrying troops intended to capture Dakar from the Vichy French. Ten days later, they attacked Dakar, but were driven off by the Vichy French defences. In early October, "Faulknor" escorted a troop convoy from Freetown, Sierra Leone, to French Cameroon. She then returned to Gibraltar and escorted the aircraft carriers and "Ark Royal" during Operations Coat and White in November. On 21 November, "Faulknor", together with the light cruiser and "Forester", intercepted the Vichy French blockade runner and escorted her to Gibraltar. The ship escorted Force F to Malta during Operation Collar later in the month and participated in the inconclusive Battle of Cape Spartivento on 27 November. The following month "Faulknor" covered another convoy to Malta and went to the assistance of Convoy WS 5A after it had attacked by the German heavy cruiser .