After "Franklin" and "Enterprise" launched a fighter sweep on the 31st, the cruisers closed and bombarded Chichi Jima. During that evolution, the warships were approached by a Japanese "Betty" but they drove the bomber off with anti-aircraft fire. The next day, the warships closed Iwo Jima and fired at targets ashore. During this operation, "Biloxi"s crew saw friendly aircraft strafing an enemy patrol craft. The destroyer then closed the target and sank it with gunfire. At 15:00 that afternoon, a damaged Army B-24D Liberator four-engined bomber appeared over the task group and eleven crew members bailed out. Ten were rescued in the water and, despite extensive searches, the warships did not find the eleventh man. The task group then sailed east and moored at Saipan anchorage on 4 September.