"Shōkaku"s repairs continued until March 1943 and "Zuikaku", together with the recently repaired "Zuihō", sailed for Truk on 17 January to support the impending evacuation of Japanese ground forces from Guadalcanal (Operation Ke). On 29 January, the two carriers flew off 47 Zeros to Rabaul and Kahili Airfield, contributing some of their own aircraft and pilots. "Zuihō" was then used to cover the evacuation, while "Zuikaku" remained at Truk, together with the two "Yamato"-class battleships, acting as a fleet in being threatening to sortie at any time.