Hawaii on 22 January 1944, bound for the west coast, and reported to the Fleet Operational Training Command in San Francisco on 3 February. Her duties included serving as a training ship in engineering, ordnance, and deck duties. The highlight of her service during this assignment was her rescue on 11 April of 16 crewmen from a downed United States Navy PBM Mariner flying boat. The warship was relieved on 18 May and reported to the Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, San Francisco, for repairs. At the end of this work, she sailed once again for Pearl Harbor and arrived there on 27 June. After a series of training exercises, Aulick got underway on 9 July in the screen of 12 transports bound for the invasion of Guam. They arrived off that island on 22 July, and the destroyer remained in the area, patrolling and screening units of the 5th Fleet, until 6 August. After a resupply stop at Eniwetok, Aulick rendezvoused with Task Group 32.4 (TG 32.4) on 21 August and continued on to Guadalcanal where she spent the next three weeks preparing for upcoming operations against the Palaus. The destroyer sailed for that group of islands with TG 32.7 on 8 September, reached her destination on 15 September, and supported the forces landing on Peleliu and on Anguar. On 30 September, the ship headed for Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, to join the 7th Fleet. She got underway for the Philippines on 12 October and arrived off Leyte on 18 October. The next day, Aulick was assigned to the northern fire support group for shore bombardment, night harassing fire, and close fire support. She entered San Pedro Bay at 0655 and opened fire at 1115. At approximately 1212, Japanese shells scored direct hits on the destroyer, killing one crewman by flying shrapnel. At 1328, she ceased fire and retired for the night. Aulick again rendered fire support on 20 and 21 October. From 22 to 24 October, she stood by but did not fire her guns. Meanwhile, the Japanese high command had activated its plan to defend the Philippines with the Combined Fleet. Japan's warships were organized into four groups. The northern force was built around the Combined Fleet's remaining aircraft carriers, now bereft of their warplanes, and was to wait as a decoy north of Luzon. Japan hoped to lure the American Fast Carrier Task Force to a point far