practice off Kossol Roads, Palau, throughout February. On 12 March, Captain Burford relieved Commander D. E. Brown as CTU 94.6.21. Thus, Woodworth became the station ship for the Ulithi Surface Patrol and Escort Group and participated in search and rescue operations for the remainder of March. Woodworth next underwent tender availability and took patrol station off Mugai Channel at the entrance to Ulithi Harbor on 25 April. She took part in escort and gunnery exercises with Enterprise and until 5 May. Woodworth patrolled the transport anchorage area southwest of Okinawa on 9 May; the following day, she escorted the carrier to Kerama Retto harbor and there joined a task unit consisting of six CVEs and nine escorts. From 10 May through 28 May, Woodworth took part in daily air strikes on Okinawa. On 28 May, she and escorted the carrier to Kerama Retto, Okinawa Shima, where Woodworth underwent repairs until 6 June. The following day, while conducting air strikes on Miyako Retto of Sakishimo Gunto, two undetected enemy planes closed the formation and made suicide dives on the escort carriers. One crashed into Natoma Bay and the other into the sea. Woodworth supported air strikes on Okinawa; Kyūshū, Japan; and various islands of the Ryukyus from 8 June until 21 June when she rescued a crashed pilot from the carrier . She spent 22 and 23 June on radar picket duty off Okinawa and departed the Ryukyus on 24 June, bound for Leyte Gulf. She underwent tender availability from 1 to 10 July when she turned her attention to screening the fueling and replenishing of TF 38 (Fast Carrier Force) and devoted the remainder of July to assisting logistic operations for the Fast Carrier Force during strikes on the main islands of Japan. On 2 August, Woodworth escorted the oiler via Guam to Ulithi. On 12 August, Woodworth joined in an attempt to rescue a downed pilot, but he was dead when help arrived. On 14 August, Woodworth was ordered to proceed independently to Iwo Jima to pick up mail and passengers for the Fast Carrier Force. She joined in the refueling and replenishment of the flattops on 18 August. On 22 August, she was then assigned to a task unit organized around Rear Admiral Thomas L. Sprague in the carrier which was charged with providing air coverage for the first occupation force to go to the Japanese homeland. On