crew enjoyed liberty in the fabled Far Eastern city. Underway for Okinawa on 16 October, she returned to Buckner Bay on the 18th. In the next few days, Bunch assisted in the salvage of ships grounded by a succession of typhoons over the past weeks and loaded cargo for her return to Shanghai. Her LCPRs came in handy in the salvage operations despite the effort required to remove and then replace their specialized minesweeping gear. After nearly a week engaged in salvage duty, Bunch got underway for Shanghai on 26 October. She reached her destination on the 28th and spent the rest of October and the first week of November undergoing voyage repairs alongside . On 8 November 1945, Bunch departed Shanghai for Hangchow Bay, where she led a small minesweeping and mine disposal unit of three motor minesweepers and two submarine chasers in clearing Japanese mines from a channel twelve miles long and a mile wide. After completing this mission, she departed Hangchow Bay on 15 November and set course for Okinawa, arriving at Buckner Bay on the 20th. Though she reported to the Commander, Minecraft, Okinawa, Bunch did not remain there for long. After loading cargo, she set out for Formosa on the 26th. The warship reached Kiirun, Formosa, the next day and remained there through the end of the month. Returning to sea on 1 December, Bunch escorted YMS-72 to Shanghai for hull repairs. The ships encountered gale force winds and heavy seas en route but succeeded in weathering the passage. Bunch remained at Shanghai until early on 6 December when she headed back to Kiirun with six motor minesweepers and an LCS. After making her destination on the 9th, she moved to the naval port of Takao, Formosa, on the 11th. There, she discharged cargo until the 12th, when she shifted back to Kiirun. She spent several days there supporting the motor minesweepers actually carrying out the sweep. Her prime function was to provide navigational assistance to the motor minesweepers by lying to about 20 miles north of the harbor entrance and directing them by radar and voice radio. Completing that task on 18 December, the high-speed transport sailed for Shanghai on the 19th in company with , , YMS-259, LCS(L)-58 and two other landing vessels – LC(FF)-45 and LCS(L)-22 – under tow by the larger minesweepers. Bunch served as convoy guide for the passage, which