at Nouméa 22 April, and put in at Townsville, Australia, 8 May, making two round trip escort voyages thence to Brisbane 13 May-22 June 1943. Escort and patrolling from Australia to New Guinea continued until 4 September 1943, when Gilmer participated in the Allied assault on the Huon Peninsula near Lae, New Guinea, and patrolled off Buna, New Guinea. She supported American and Australian forces in the New Guinea campaign, and made frequent escort voyages thence to Australia and return. On 26 December 1943, she landed troops of the 1st Marine Division at Cape Gloucester, New Britain, and stood by to support landings at Finschhafen 3 days later. On 2 January 1944, elements of the 126th Infantry were landed at Saidon. Gilmer engaged in patrols of Buna, Cape Sudest, and Australia and bombarded Humboldt Bay, New Guinea, 22 April 1944 when Army forces began the assault. On 12 May the ship sailed from Hollandia to embark underwater demolition teams (UDT) at Pearl Harbor and debarked them 14 June 1944 at the initial assault on Saipan. Two days later she discovered and sank four Japanese cargo ships, taking 24 prisoners, escaping serious damage. Tinian Town was bombarded 23 June and UDT operations off that island continued until 14 July when Gilmer, along with , formed an offensive antisubmarine warfare group and sank in . DANFS listed this submarine as I-6, but I-6 is believed to have been lost to friendly fire at the end of June 1944. Gilmer sailed from Tinian 12 August for Pearl Harbor and until January 1945 conducted demolition and reconnaissance training with UDT teams in Hawaiian waters. She sailed 10 January as flagship for rehearsal exercises at Ulithi, and on 16 February closed Iwo Jima for the initial amphibious assaults. UDT teams were landed on the eastern and western beaches, and Gilmer screened as the big ship bombarded Japanese defenses on Iwo Jima. Patrolling and screening activities continued through 24 February, when Gilmer sailed for Leyte, arriving four days later. After touching Ulithi, she took part in the Okinawa operation, closing that island 25 March 1945 as flagship of the UDT's. The next day, a kamikaze hit her galley deckhouse, killing one and wounding three crewmen. Gilmer supported the invasion until 9 April when she sailed for repairs at Pearl Harbor, but returned to Okinawa 4 July to recommence patrolling duties. Following antisubmarine screening assignments for convoys