On S-3 day (6 January 1945), the convoy to which "Almaack" was attached, steaming through the Mindanao Sea, encountered its first enemy aircraft, a Japanese reconnaissance plane which was being hotly pursued by four F4U Corsairs. The "Corsairs" splashed the enemy about off "Almaack's" port beam. "Almaack" had a close call as the convoy neared its objective on S-1 day (8 January), when two "Betties" (Mitsubishi G4M Type 1 land attack plane) made a glide-bombing run on the ship, straddling her with three bombs released at . The enemy ordnance missed by , and inflicted no damage.