Following quick repairs, she operated with the task force off Leyte supporting the occupation of Mindoro 14to 16December 1944. She rode out Typhoon Cobra and made a special search for survivors afterward. With TG38.3, she participated in the Lingayen Gulf operations, launched strikes against Formosa, Sakishima, Okinawa, and Luzon. Entering the South China Sea in search of enemy surface forces, the task force pounded shipping and conducted strikes on Formosa, the China coast, Hainan, and Hong Kong. "Essex" withstood the onslaught of the third typhoon in four months on 20and 21January 1945 before striking again at Formosa, Miyako-jima, and Okinawa on 26and 27January.