In mid-March, Task Force 58 departed Ulithi to conduct strikes on the airfields near Kyūshū on the 18th. The next day, as the group was en route to Kobe, carrier suffered extensive damage when hit by two bombs. "Twining" helped to protect the damaged vessel as she withdrew. On the 20th, a Japanese plane attempted to finish off the battered carrier only to be chased off by a hail of fire from the escorting ships. On the 22d, having safely conducted "Franklin" out of danger, "Twining" set her course for Nansei Shoto. On 27 March, "Twining" screened destroyer —which had taken an aerial torpedo through her bow above the water—until that ship had completed temporary repairs. The next day, "Twining" headed north in search of the Japanese fleet, then returned to Okinawan waters on the 31st, and resumed duty as a picket for carrier operations.