Following 2 weeks at Pearl Harbor, "Lewis Hancock" joined TF 38. Attacks on airstrips in the Philippines, Okinawa, and Formosa followed in rapid succession. On 13 September, during her first raid against the Philippines, "Lewis Hancock" splashed her first enemy plane. These airstrikes helped to neutralize Japan’s airpower and soften up her defenses for General Douglas MacArthur’s long-awaited return to the Philippines. The U.S. troops landed on the beaches of Leyte, and Japan struck back with her full fleet in effort to stem the American advance. In the ensuing Battle of Leyte Gulf, while acting as a picket ship, "Lewis Hancock" assisted in sinking an enemy destroyer.