encountered the first carrier-based aircraft of the battle when five Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers peeled off to attack the two picket destroyers. Yarnalls fire shot one down, and the remaining four flew off to attack the larger ships of the American fleet. Word of the approach of the second raid arrived at 11:10; and, 35 minutes later, about 20 enemy planes broke through the F6F Hellcats vectored out to intercept them. Yarnall fired at seven of those planes, shooting down one, the last combat of the day. Though the Japanese mounted two more raids, they approached Task Force 58 (TF 58) from directions which did not bring them close to Yarnall. On the 20th, no enemy planes attacked TF 58. Instead, the Japanese began their withdrawal toward Japan. American carrier search planes found the enemy late in the day, and TF 58 launched air strikes from extreme range. After darkness fell that evening, Yarnall'''s searchlights helped to guide the returning airmen to their carriers. The following day, the destroyer returned to the coast of Saipan to resume call fire missions supporting the troops fighting ashore. She continued her labors in the Marianas until 8 July, when the warship left in the screen of a convoy bound for the Marshalls. After arriving at Eniwetok on the 12th, she took on ammunition, provisions, and fuel and headed back to the Marianas on the 15th. There, she resumed patrol and antisubmarine screening duties and kept at such tasks until the 25th when she moved inshore to provide gunfire support for the troops occupying Tinian. The warship alternated screening and bombardment missions in the Marianas until 16 August when she again sailed for the Marshalls. Yarnall remained at Eniwetok from 20 to 29 August. On 29 August she left the anchorage in company with TG 38.2 for an aerial sweep of the Philippine Islands in preparation for the invasion of the archipelago at Leyte. Following those raids, the carriers and their escorts rested at Ulithi Atoll from 1 to 6 October. Philippines campaign On the latter day, Yarnall sortied with the entire Fast Carrier Task Force for a three-day aerial sweep of Japanese air bases on Formosa. During that operation, Yarnall provided aircrew rescue services and performed antiaircraft and antisubmarine screening duties. During the first day of that attack, the destroyer fired on 15 enemy planes and splashed two of them. The following