Detached from the main body on 24 October, "Benham" escorted "Bunker Hill" to Manus Island in the Admiralties for repairs. She therefore missed the series of major engagements in and around the Philippines on 24 and 25 October known as the Battle for Leyte Gulf. Meanwhile, after a brief refit at Manus, the destroyer steamed to Saipan where she rejoined the carrier task force for operations in early November. Arriving off Luzon on 11 November, "Benham" helped screen the carriers as they provided air support for Leyte ground operations. These continued until 22 November, when the fast carriers returned to Ulithi.