Her next action took her to Morotai, the stepping stone to the Philippines. "Dashiell" patrolled and screened transports during the landings there on 18 and 19 September and the reinforcement landings of 1 October. She joined the Northern Attack Force for the initial landings on Leyte at San Pedro Bay, on 20 October and cleared at once for New Guinea to bring transports north for reinforcement landings from 12 to 16 November. She again convoyed troops and supplies from New Guinea bases to Leyte between 24 November and 9 December. Three days later she sortied from Leyte Gulf screening an amphibious group bound for the assault landings at Mindoro. The second day out a kamikaze crashed the flagship, and the flag was transferred to "Dashiell" for the landings on 15 December. Returning to Leyte, she joined in repelling a Japanese air attack on 20 December. Six of her men were wounded in this action.