Underway again on the last day of 1941, George G. Henry departed Surabaya, bound for Australian waters.
Convoyed by USS Boise, Pope and John D. Ford — as well as by two submarines and the destroyer tender Black Hawk — the tanker reached Port Darwin, Australia, on 6 January 1942.
Her first job was to pump 13,900 barrels (2,210 m³) of fuel oil into the depleted bunkers of USS Pecos.

George G. Henry remained at Port Darwin into early February, fueling ships of the Asiatic Fleet and, upon occasion, Australian naval vessels.
Among her American customers were Langley, Tulsa, Lark, Heron, Alden, Barker, Bulmer, John D. Ford, Parrott, Peary, Pope, and William B. Preston.

By the second week of February, George G. Henry's, Balikpapan cargo was largely depleted; she thus departed Port Darwin on 11 February, bound for Fremantle.
Barnacles and seaweed hampered the old tanker's progress, and she crept along at 7 knots, ultimately reaching her destination on 22 February.

George G. Henry, Trinity, and Pecos provided the hard-pressed units of the Asiatic Fleet with the vital fuel oil with which the men-of-war of that fleet battled against heavy odds, as did the dwindling numbers of Dutch, British, and Australian ships pushed before the Japanese tide of conquest.
Ultimately, Japanese force proved too much.
The Battle of the Java Sea on the last two days of February and the fall of Java less than a week later meant that the Japanese had managed to destroy the pre-war Dutch colonial empire and also conquered many British possessions as well.
Within two months, the Philippines, too, would be in Japanese hands.

George G. Henry fueled the four surviving American ships that took part in the Battle of the Java Sea, the destroyers John D. Ford, Alden, Paul Jones, and John D. Edwards, soon after they arrived in Australian waters.
By the end of March, there was less of a need to fuel surface ships of the Asiatic Fleet, so the tanker was dispatched to Melbourne, Australia, turning over hoses and fittings to the government-chartered tanker Erling Brovig, before she set sail for Melbourne on 29 March.

Reaching her destination on 8 April, George G. Henry began fueling Army transports for their return voyages to the United States.
Her first customer at Melbourne was the former luxury liner SS President Coolidge which would embark former Philippine President Manuel Quezon for transportation to the United States.
From her moorings, the men of the George G. Henry saw General Douglas MacArthur escort his friend Quezon on board President Coolidge before she sailed.
Underway again on the last day of 1941, George G. Henry departed Surabaya, bound for Australian waters. Convoyed by USS Boise, Pope and John D. Ford — as well as by two submarines and the destroyer tender Black Hawk — the tanker reached Port Darwin, Australia, on 6 January 1942. Her first job was to pump 13,900 barrels (2,210 m³) of fuel oil into the depleted bunkers of USS Pecos.
George G. Henry remained at Port Darwin into early February, fueling ships of the Asiatic Fleet and, upon occasion, Australian naval vessels. Among her American customers were Langley, Tulsa, Lark, Heron, Alden, Barker, Bulmer, John D. Ford, Parrott, Peary, Pope, and William B. Preston.
By the second week of February, George G. Henry's, Balikpapan cargo was largely depleted; she thus departed Port Darwin on 11 February, bound for Fremantle. Barnacles and seaweed hampered the old tanker's progress, and she crept along at 7 knots, ultimately reaching her destination on 22 February.
George G. Henry, Trinity, and Pecos provided the hard-pressed units of the Asiatic Fleet with the vital fuel oil with which the men-of-war of that fleet battled against heavy odds, as did the dwindling numbers of Dutch, British, and Australian ships pushed before the Japanese tide of conquest. Ultimately, Japanese force proved too much. The Battle of the Java Sea on the last two days of February and the fall of Java less than a week later meant that the Japanese had managed to destroy the pre-war Dutch colonial empire and also conquered many British possessions as well. Within two months, the Philippines, too, would be in Japanese hands.
George G. Henry fueled the four surviving American ships that took part in the Battle of the Java Sea, the destroyers John D. Ford, Alden, Paul Jones, and John D. Edwards, soon after they arrived in Australian waters. By the end of March, there was less of a need to fuel surface ships of the Asiatic Fleet, so the tanker was dispatched to Melbourne, Australia, turning over hoses and fittings to the government-chartered tanker Erling Brovig, before she set sail for Melbourne on 29 March.
Reaching her destination on 8 April, George G. Henry began fueling Army transports for their return voyages to the United States. Her first customer at Melbourne was the former luxury liner SS President Coolidge which would embark former Philippine President Manuel Quezon for transportation to the United States. From her moorings, the men of the George G. Henry saw General Douglas MacArthur escort his friend Quezon on board President Coolidge before she sailed.
USS Victoria (AO-46)