SS "Hobart Baker" joined one hundred ship convoy, TG 77.11, that was under the command of Captain J. B. McLean, The convoy was screened and protected by nine destroyers. The convoy headed to Mindoro an island in Luzon of the Philippines to support the Battle of Mindoro. The convoy arrived in the Philippines on December 28. As soon as the convoy arrived it was under almost continuous attack. The PT tender USS Orestes was the first kamikaze hit. Liberty ship SS "William Sharon" was hit, she had a large fire on her superstructure, 11 crew killed, but stayed afloat and was repaired. LST-750 sank later in the day. On December 30 the convoy arrived Mangarin Bay in the morning. The goal was to unload and depart the same day. Unload was smooth till 3:40 pm, when five Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) Aichi D3A started suicide attacks. The destroyers USS "Gansevoort" (DD-608) and USS "Pringle" (DD-477), and "USS Porcupine" were hit. The SS "Francisco Morozan" was damaged when a kamikaze plane exploded over the ship after it is shot down by US Navy plane. SS "James H. Breasted" sank with no lose of crew.