Army Regimental Combat Team (RCT). Two weeks later, she loaded 145 men of that regiment and sortied with TG 77.3, the Fire Support Group, for the assault on Aitape. On 22 April, Talbot landed her troops; shelled Tumleo Island; and returned to Cape Cretin. She escorted resupply echelons to the landing area until 10 May when the transports were released by the 7th Fleet. Talbot joined the 5th Fleet at Guadalcanal on 13 May and began training with underwater demolition teams. On 4 June, she joined a convoy to the Marshalls and arrived at Kwajalein on 8 June. Two days later, the high-speed transport joined TG 53.15 of the Southern Attack Force and got underway for the Marianas. However, she collided with the battleship during an emergency turn; and the resulting flooding of several of her compartments forced her to return for repairs. Talbot got underway two days later, rejoined the group southeast of Saipan, and was off the beaches there on 15 June, D-Day. During the first days of the operation, she screened the bombardment group. On 17 June, she captured a survivor of a wrecked Japanese boat. The ship developed engine trouble and anchored in the transport area where an enemy plane dropped a stick of bombs off her port bow, but caused no damage. She transferred her underwater demolition team to and joined a convoy for Hawaii. She was then routed back to San Francisco for an overhaul that lasted from 11 July to 28 August. Talbot returned to Pearl Harbor early in September and steamed onward to Eniwetok and Manus. She embarked Underwater Demolition Team No. 3 on 12 October and sortied with TG 77.6, the Bombardment and Fire Support Group, for Leyte. On 18 October, her swimmers made a daylight reconnaissance of the waters between San Jose and Dulag. Although opposed by enemy machine-gun and mortar fire, the team reembarked with no casualties. The transport departed with a convoy and arrived at Seeadler Harbor on 27 October, where she transferred the demolition team to on the last day of the month. Talbot headed toward Oro Bay, joined , escorted her to Cape Gloucester, and returned to Seeadler Harbor on the 8th. Two days later, she was anchored there, only some from , when that ammunition ship suddenly exploded and showered her with over of metal and debris. The transport was holed in several places and