Early in February, the attack transport voyaged from Leyte to the southern Solomons to prepare for the last major amphibious assault of the war, the invasion of Okinawa.
After voyage repairs in San Francisco, the attack transport embarked men and equipment of 1022nd Construction Battalion and departed the west coast on 18 May for a round-trip voyage to Guiuan on Samar Island in the Philippines. She concluded that mission at San Francisco on 20 July by disembarking soldiers returning for discharge. On 2 August she returned to sea carrying replacements to the Fleet. On the day she crossed the International Dateline,14/15 August, 1945 the Japanese capitulated; and hostilities formally ended. Adair dropped off her passengers at Eniwetok on 5 September and continued on to the Philippines. She made stops at Tacloban on Luzon, Guiuan on Samar, and at Panay Island before clearing the archipelago on 14 September with occupation troops embarked for Korea. She returned to the Philippines late in September and loaded additional occupation troops.  After carrying those men to Jinsen, Korea, early in October, she shaped a course for Okinawa on the 16th.

The amphibious assault on Leyte took place on October 20, 1944 with four divisions of the U.S. Sixth Army going in abreast. The invading force included the XXIV Corps from the Central Pacific.  Initial opposition was light, but the Japanese who had expected to make their main stand on Luzon decided to shift their remaining air and naval might against the U.S. forces in Leyte. They were also successful for a time in sending large numbers of ground reinforcements to Leyte, and the Sixth Army found itself engaged in a major struggle.  As had been anticipated, the attack on Leyte presented the Japanese navy with a challenge it could not ignore. Gathering together its remaining strength, the Japanese Combined Fleet converged on Leyte Gulf in three columns, and for a time seriously threatened the success of the whole Leyte operation. Actually, the sea battle was a series of engagements lasting from 23 to 26 October. In the end, Japan's fleet was almost completely destroyed, and for the rest of the war Allied naval forces were in virtual control of the surface of the Pacific.  Two months of heavy ground fighting took place in Leyte before American troops had secured parts of the island necessary for air and logistical bases, before the Army Air Forces had gained air superiority, and before naval and air forces had stopped Japanese reinforcing operations. Late in December General MacArthur announced that thereafter the U.S. Eighth Army would assume combat responsibility for the Leyte-Samar area. WWII History Franks DD- 554 On 1 October 1944, Franks sailed from Manus, beginning a month and a half of operations in the Philippines screening escort carriers. She took part in the preinvasion strikes on Leyte and the landings there, then fought gallantly to protect the escort carriers in the Battle off Samar phase of the Battle for Leyte Gulf, coming under the pounding fire of Japanese battleships 25 October. After replenishing at Manus, she returned to Leyte late in November, and in December joined the fast carrier task force to cover the landings on Mindoro, and to conduct strikes in preparation for the Luzon assault of January 1945.

Leyte Capital Building - ADAIR Photo   Leyte Mud - ADAIR Photo   Samar Church - ADAIR Photo

Leading another resupply group to Mindoro, the BUSH's fire fought off plane attacks during the entire run from Leyte. One day out of Leyte, December 28, two merchantmen and an LST were sunk by suicide planes. The arrival in Mindoro offered no peace for Jap planes kept on sweeping in, plummeting into any available target. Four other ships were damaged while at Mindoro. The trip back to Leyte was equally harassing but enemy damage was kept to a minimum due to added aid from the CAP. During this short run, the ships of the convoy sent 16 planes into the sea, two of which went down after being hit by the BUSH gunners. 

The beginning of 1945 brought no rest for the veteran destroyer. January 4 to 9 the BUSH screened the amphibious assault in Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippine Islands, and then remained in the area to patrol the Gulf entrance against submarines. On the 9th, an enemy suicide plane crashed through anti-aircraft fire and appeared headed for her stern but missed and crashed into the sea 25 feet off the fantall. During the next day, another Jap attempted to succeed in the task where his late comrade failed, but his luck was even worse. The Jap was never able to pull himself out of his initial dive, he dove headlong into the sea with the BUSH's anti-aircraft fire following him from the peak of his dive to the final splash. 

This marked the second straight time that the BUSH was singled out of a group of destroyers as the object of a suicide attack. The next day, ** her crew got busy repainting her sides to conform with the colors worn by the other "tin cans". 

During the remainder of January, the BUSH set a trio of Jap luggers aflame as she swept the northeast corner of San Fernando Harbor for Nip shipping. After bombarding the western part of Rosario and starting four large fires there, the BUSH retired to prepare for the Iwo Jima landings. 

The assault on Iwo started February 19 and lasted until March 6. During this time, the BUSH was employed as an inner and outer transport area screening ship and had several opportunities to train her guns at Jap installations in support of the American land advance. This was her final mission prior to the fatal Okinawa operation. Bush's luck ended on April 6.1945.

A week after her arrival in Leyte Gulf, the COLORADO was struck by one of the myriad of suicide aircraft that roamed the skies over the Philippines; incurred heavy casualties and moderate damage. Through the efforts of her repair crews, the COLORADO was able to remain operational, her 5-inch guns roaring out in challenge to other planes hovering above. Determined aerial attacks characterized this period in Leyte Gulf. See Album Page 2