September and returned to Seeadler Harbor on 29 September to prepare for the invasion of the Philippines. The invasion fleet arrived at Leyte Gulf on 20 October, Hutchins was part of the pre-invasion bombardment, and screed the fleet, after the initial assault. As the Japanese fleet moved toward the Philippines in a large three-pronged attempt to stop the invasion, Hutchins joined Admiral Jesse Oldendorf's surface forces waiting in Surigao Strait for Admiral Shoji Nishimura's Southern Force. In this phase of the larger Battle for Leyte Gulf referred to as the Battle of Surigao Strait, Hutchins, flagship of Captain K.M. McManes' Destroyer Squadron 24 (DesRon 24), was stationed on the right flank of the force Oldendorf had assembled. As Nishimura steamed up the strait early 25 October his ships were harassed by PT boats and then attacked by destroyers. Hutchins' group steamed south, launched torpedoes at about 03:30 and turned to close the range. As the large Japanese ships began to slow and scatter, the destroyers fired a second spread of torpedoes. The was struck by a torpedo fired by and then finished off by gunfire from Hutchins at position . After exchanging gunfire with the Japanese heavy ships, McManes brought the squadron out of range so that the bigger guns of the waiting fleet could engage. After the actions of Leyte Gulf, Hutchins returned to screening. She ran onto an uncharted hulk on 26 October and after helping to repel air attacks until 29 October, sailed for San Francisco via Pearl Harbor, arriving on 25 November 1944 for repairs. 1945 Training exercises were carried out until 3 February, when she steamed toward Saipan to join a carrier force for the Iwo Jima operation. Her carrier group arrived three days before the landings to shell Japanese positions and support the operation during February and March 1945. After the island was captured, Hutchins returned to Ulithi before sailing on 27 March for the operation to capture Okinawa, the last step on the island-hopping campaign towards Japan. She screened a transport group during the first four days of April, helped repel air attacks before being assigned to gunfire support on 4 April. Hutchins spent the following daytime hours close to the beaches and her nights, screening the fleet. She claimed several aircraft shot down during a large air attack on 6 April and assisted the damaged destroyer . Fate While on close support