Leyte Gulf Operations
Velocity departed Manus on 10 October with the remainder of her division, Mine Division (MinDiv) 14. Arriving off Leyte Gulf on the 17th, the minecraft and her sisters commenced sweeping the area in the path of the invasion slated to begin on the 20th. On the 19th, a Japanese "Val" dive bomber dropped a bomb near the ship and attempted to strafe her, but was driven off by brisk anti-aircraft fire. That evening, Velocity and MinDiv 14 swept ahead of the battleships of Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf — the same ships which a few nights hence would win the Battle of Surigao Strait. Velocity operated as mine-disposal vessel for the division and ended up with a tally of 24 mines sunk and 15 destroyed.
Read more about this topic: USS Velocity (AM-128)
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