After unloading her cargo at Leyte, she retired to the Admiralties and reached Manus on the 24th. From that island, she moved to Cape Gloucester, New Britain, to take on units of the 40th Infantry Division. The ship carried these troops back to Manus, where she joined TG 79.4. On 16 December the group sailed to Huon Gulf, New Guinea, for a series of amphibious landing exercises. Upon their completion, the ships returned to Manus for final loadout prior to the invasion of Luzon, the largest island of the Philippines.