safely conducted Franklin out of danger, Twining set her course for Nansei Shoto. On 27 March, Twining screened destroyer —which had taken an aerial torpedo through her bow above the water—until that ship had completed temporary repairs. The next day, Twining headed north in search of the Japanese fleet, then returned to Okinawan waters on the 31st, and resumed duty as a picket for carrier operations. On the first day in April, the carriers resumed strikes on Okinawa in support of the landings there. On the 6th, the group came under attack from massed kamikazes as Japan vainly tried to repulse the Allied assault. During a two-hour period, Twinings group splashed five kamikazes; but the destroyer was on the opposite side of the formation and had no opportunity for a clear shot. The following day, she screened the carriers as they steamed north to intercept Japanese warships approaching Okinawa. A 380-plane strike located the Japanese ships in the East China Sea, near Amami Ōshima, and sank superbattleship , light cruiser , and four destroyers. Enemy air activity was frequent; and, on 13 April, Twining chased off an aerial intruder which had approached her picket post. A few days later, she retired to Ulithi for repairs. On 4 May, she again got underway from Ulithi, this time with Task Group 58.1, bound for strikes on Kyūshū in support of operations on Okinawa. As the formation approached the Japanese islands, enemy pilots became bolder; and Twining fired on a number of planes. Throughout the remainder of May and into June, she continued to protect the carrier force as it operated off Okinawa. On 4 June, the barometer reading began to drop; and winds picked up. Winds reached 70 knots (130 km/h) by 06:00, and Twining again faced the might of a typhoon but emerged undamaged and resumed her picket duties late in the day. Following strikes on Kyūshū, she detached from the group on 10 June to escort to Leyte. After upkeep and availability in San Pedro Bay, she screened in Leyte Gulf as the carrier exercised a newly assigned air group. Early in July, Twining joined Task Force 38, with Admiral W.F. Halsey embarked in , for seven days of intensive training exercises in preparation for the long-awaited assault on the Japanese homeland. On 10 July, the task force arrived off Tokyo and, four days later, began launching strikes. On the