 "Hinsdale"'s leatherneck passengers swarmed ashore with the first wave of the invasion forces, and she remained in the Iwo Jima area over a week embarking and disembarking troops and valuable cargo.Some of her most important work was as an auxiliary hospital ship, caring for the seriously wounded.Disembarking troops, offloading cargo, and tending the injured all took place under continuous mortar and artillery fire from well-entrenched Japanese shore batteries, but "Hinsdale" had only one close call.