in the convoy screen combined to splash three of the attacking aircraft. On 19 December, Young departed Leyte with 10 other destroyers in the screen of the first Mindoro resupply echelon. The unit came under enemy air attack early in the morning of the 21st but encountered no concerted air opposition until near dusk. At about 17:18, a raid of five kamikazes broke through the combat air patrol, and three of the suicide planes succeeded in their missions, hitting LST-460, LST-479, and the Liberty ship SS Juan de Fuca. Both LSTs had to be abandoned, but Juan de Fuca continued on and reached Mindoro safely with the convoy on 22 December. During the return voyage, enemy planes returned to harass the convoy but failed to inflict damage. During the approach to and the retirement from Mindoro, Young claimed a total of five unassisted splashes and two assists. 1945 USS Youngs first amphibious assault came during the invasion of Luzon in January 1945. During the main landing on 9 January, she served as a unit of the screen for the landing craft of Attack Group "Baker" and covered part of the landings at Lingayen Gulf itself. The assault went off practically unopposed, in an example of the new Japanese tactics of fighting an amphibious force inland with conventional infantry tactics rather than trying to smash the landing at the beach. Since the American troops encountered no real resistance until they had advanced inland well beyond the range of destroyer guns, Young and her accompanying warships had little to do at Lingayen Gulf. That pattern repeated itself at Zambales later in the month when Young, in reconnoitering the landing area, encountered a small boat embarking a Filipino guerrilla lieutenant who informed the destroyer that the area had already been secured by his forces. The Zambales landing went off without a shot being fired. During operations around Subic and Manila Bays, the warship joined in destroying two Japanese suicide boats sent in from Corregidor to break up the Mariveles occupation force on 14 February. Two days later, she participated in the reduction and capture of the source of those boats—Corregidor. She bombarded "The Rock" before the assault and then helped silence enemy batteries on Caballo Island when they opened up on the landing craft. Later that morning, she threaded her way through mine-infested waters to provide gunfire support for the troops taking the