In early June, "Robin" and Saratoga conducted interoperative exercises off of Noumea using U.S. Navy flight procedures, including cross-decking each other's aircraft. Despite her modifications, the space limitations of Victorious continued to affect the handling of the TBMs. Thus, it was decided to embark Saratoga's VF-3 on Victorious, and Victorious's 832 Squadron with its Avengers on Saratoga. Accordingly, during the time that the two ships operated together, Saratoga would provide naval strike assets (retaining 12 fighters) while Victorious would only embark fighters.
As part of Rear Adm. Forrest P. Sherman's Task Group 36.3, the carriers left Noumea on June 27 to take part in Operation Toenails, the invasion of New Georgia. The Task Group was not involved in the amphibious landings themselves, but instead remained on station for 28 days to provide air cover for the transports and landing force. Victorious's crew's extensive training in U.S. procedures and the mutual exchange of practical experience paid off as U.S. and British sailors kept patrol aircraft in the air for nearly 12 hours per day. Surprisingly, no contacts with the enemy occurred during this period. The task group returned to Noumea on July 25.
On July 31, "Robin" detached to rejoin the British Home Fleet by way of Pearl Harbor and Norfolk, where her U.S. Navy communications, radar, and flight operations gear were removed. On Sept. 27, she arrived in Liverpool for a lengthy refit. Following strikes against the German battleship Tirpitz off Norway and operations with the British Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean, Victorious returned to the Pacific in early 1945. As a component of the British Pacific Fleet, she took part in Operation Iceberg, the invasion of Okinawa, where, on May 9, she was struck by two kamikaze aircraft. Her armored flight deck absorbed the blows and, despite fire damage, she resumed flight operations within hours of the strikes. In contrast, the unarmored Essex-class carriers USS Franklin (CV 13), severely damaged by a kamikaze in March 1945, and USS Hancock (CV 19), hit by a kamikaze during Iceberg, had to withdraw completely from combat operations.
Unlike many of her Royal Navy sisters, Victorious was retained on active service after the war. Extensive reconstruction during most of the 1950s modernized her and added an angled flight deck. She was withdrawn from service after an onboard fire in 1967 and broken up in 1969. Of note: All U.S. Navy carriers in use since World War II have had armored flight decks.