when she was detached to provide close support for underwater demolition teams (UDTs) clearing beach obstructions. On 15 September, Edwards provided illumination fire at night and knocked out an ammunition dump. She encountered a group of barges with reinforcements shortly after midnight 23 September and after illuminating them with star shell engaged with her main guns. By dawn, she claimed 14 of the barges, aided by landing craft and helped prevent the landing of Japanese troops. Philippines Heywood L. Edwards proceeded to Manus Island, Admiralty Islands arriving 1 October. There she joined with Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf's fire support and bombardment group for the return to the Philippines, departing for Leyte 12 October 1944. She conducted pre-invasion bombardment 18–20 October and provided gunfire support for the landings on 20 October. This work continued for 4 days and under frequent air attack. Edwards joined once more with Rear Admiral Oldendorf's force for the Battle of Surigao Strait. As Oldendorf's deployed forces waited at the end of Surigao Strait, Heywood L. Edwards headed section 3 of Destroyer Squadron 56 (DesRon 56), screening the left flank of the cruiser line. Torpedo boats and destroyers made the initial attacks, farther down the strait and just after 03:00 25 October Edwards and her unit was ordered to attack. In company with and , the destroyers steamed down the port side of the enemy column and launched torpedoes. Two hits were obtained on Japanese battleship with the destroyer damaged. After this attack, the Japanese steamed into Oldendorf's main forces. As the destroyers retired, the heavy units shelled the enemy ships, with only the cruiser (later sunk by aircraft) and destroyer escaping. The following morning, Heywood L. Edwards took station on the port bow of the cruisers in search of any remaining enemy vessels, patrolled the eastern entrance to the strait for a day, then returned to take up station in Leyte Gulf. With the Allied victory complete at sea, Heywood L. Edwards remained in the invasion area until 25 November, patrolling and protecting the shipping building up in the gulf. She arrived at Manus for a rest and repair period on 29 November, sailing on 15 December for training exercises in the Palau Islands. She departed on 1 January with Oldendorf's group for the second phase of the Philippine invasion, at Lingayen Gulf. Engaging kamikaze suicide aircraft as they sailed, the ships arrived Lingayen Gulf