On Easter Sunday, 1 April 1945, "Santee" provided direct support to the American ground forces landing on Okinawa and she continued this duty until 8 April, when she turned to aid British carriers in denying the use of Sakishima Gunto airfields to the enemy. For 42 consecutive dawns, "Santee"s aircraft winged over target sectors in the East China Sea, with daily returns to Okinawa itself for routine ground support. On 16 June, "Santee" launched a fighter bomber mission against specified targets on Kyūshū, Japan.