"Dortch" saw action in the 5th Fleet raids on the Bonins on 4 and 5 August 1944, then returned to cover the landings on Peleliu, Palau Islands, on 15 September. She remained with the fast carriers while they pounded airfields and installations in the Nansei Shoto, Formosa, Luzon, and on the Chinese coast to neutralize Japanese bases in preparation for the invasion of the Philippines. She continued to protect the carriers as they launched strikes against the Japanese fleet in the Battle for Leyte Gulf 24–25 October.