Task Group 77.6 and headed for Leyte Gulf. From there, the task group moved on to Luzon and the Lingayen assault. 1945 Southard began minesweeping operations in Lingayen Gulf on 6 January 1945. Late that afternoon she was attacked by Japanese kamikaze aircraft, and one of them crashed into Southard abaft her stacks. The plane's engine embedded itself in the ship while its fuselage ricocheted off her starboard side, tearing a trough wide in her deck as it went. Southard quickly cut loose her sweep gear and retired to make emergency repairs. Within 14 hours, she was back in action sweeping mines. She continued operations for five more days before departing the Lingayen area. She returned to San Pedro Bay between Leyte and Samar on 14 January 1945 for further repairs. On 4 February 1945, Southard headed east toward Hawaii. She stopped at Ulithi Atoll on 6 February 1945 and at Guam on 8 February 1945. She departed the Mariana Islands on 13 February 1945 and continued to Pearl Harbor, where she underwent extensive repairs. She did not leave Hawaiian waters until 4 May 1945. She stopped at Eniwetok on the 12 May 1945, then, in company with the attack transports and , continued on to the Marianas. On 21 May 1945, she steamed from Guam to Saipan and, on 23 May 1945, got underway for Okinawa, where the Battle of Okinawa had been raging since 1 April 1945. On the day of her arrival at Nakagusuku Bay (also known as Buckner Bay) at Okinawa, Southard almost suffered another suicide crash as an attacking kamikaze hit the sea about ahead of her. For the next three months, she swept mines, screened transports, and delivered mail to the fire support units around Okinawa. On 15 August 1945, hostilities between the United States and the Japanese Empire ceased. Post-World War II Southard remained in the Ryukyu Islands for the rest of August 1945, undergoing inspection and survey. By 15 September 1945, the survey team determined that she should be moved to the rear area for further inspection and repair. However, on 17 September 1945, while maneuvering at anchor during Typhoon Ida, her screws were fouled by a drifting antisubmarine net, and she grounded on a pinnacle reef off Tsuken Shima, an island a few miles east of southern Okinawa. She was floated clear of the reef, and her propellers were cleared by