Rejoining the carriers 14 November, "Hickox" escorted them to further strikes in the Philippines and 11 December support of the Mindanao landings. In the savage typhoon which struck the Philippines 17 December, "Hickox" lost steering control in howling winds estimated at , but regained power and control in time to shepherd a group of tankers to safety at Ulithi 23 December. Rejoining Task Force 58 1 February 1945, "Hickox" screened the carriers 16 February as they launched the first raids against Tokyo since the famed Halsey-Doolittle raid of April 1942. Further strikes against the Japanese home islands and in support of the already-launched Iwo Jima invasion kept "Hickox" at sea well into the spring. On 19 March the carrier was severely damaged by a kamikaze and "Hickox" lowered her whaleboat and steamed in the listing ship's wake to rescue her crew. After rescuing some 70 men from the water, the daring destroyer sailed directly under the flaming carrier's fantail to rescue 18 men from the ship and 3 more from the water. In addition, "Hickox"s effective antiaircraft fire drove off two more kamikaze attacks on the damaged "Franklin". After escorting the carrier to Ulithi 24 March, "Hickox" sailed 5 April to join support forces off Okinawa, where battle had been raging four days as American forces sought to take the Japanese bastion, last obstacle before invasion of the home islands.