Preparations For The Invasion of The Philippines
Reaching Eniwetok on 25 September for replenishment, Almaack took on fuel and supplies there and pushed on for Manus, in the Admiralties, reaching that place—the staging area for the assault on Leyte—on 3 October. Now assigned to the 7th Fleet for the Leyte operation, Almaack remained at Seeadler Harbor, Manus, from 3 to 13 October, provisioning, fueling, and exercising troops. On the latter date, the ship transferred three wave guide officers, 21 men and six LCVPs to various tank landing ships for the operation, receiving in their place six boat officers, 36 men and six LCSs, for transportation to Leyte.
Almaack entered Surigao Strait, en route to Leyte Gulf, early on the morning of 20 October 1944, going to general quarters soon thereafter, anchoring in transport area number two, five miles (8 km) east of San Jose, Leyte, at 0841, having hoisted out her embarked landing craft.
Soon after she anchored, Almaack—assigned the task of unloading 13 light tanks in the seventh wave of Orange Beach 2—commenced working her priority cargo, sending her first wave toward the line of departure at 0940 and the second, five minutes later, having unloaded her baker's dozen tanks into her own LCMs, augmented by six from four other amphibious ships. An hour later, the ship commenced unloading cargo. Late that morning, the ship's no. 13 LCVP took a direct hit, damaging it beyond repair and wounding one man. Later that afternoon, Almaack got underway for transport area number three, and went to general quarters within a half hour of her getting underway; en route she witnessed the torpedoing of the light cruiser USS Honolulu (CL-48).
Over the next two days, frequently blanketed by an almost impenetrable smoke screen to shield the ship from Japanese air attacks, Almaack worked her cargo. On 21 October, Almaack thrice went to general quarters in the course of the day, and fueled two ships, the fast transport USS Sands (APD-13) and the fast minesweeper USS Hamilton (DMS-18), in addition to continuing her unloading cargo. On the day following, A + 2, she again conducted cargo operations, and provided fuel and stores to the landing craft, LCI-472, in addition to disembarking the last of her embarked troops. All boats on board by 1753 on 22 October, Almaack sailed for Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea.
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