After spending the night with the fire support night retirement unit, "Bunch" went to general quarters for the dawn alert at 0555 on 28 March. From her ringside seat, the fast transport observed splash two Aichi D3A "Val" carrier dive bombers and watched a suicide plane attempt to crash the nearby . "Bunch" secured from general quarters at 0655 and, after being detached from the night retirement group's screen, moved to cover the fire support units off the main invasion beaches. That assignment occupied her through the afternoon watch and into the first dog watch. At about 1635, the warship left the fire support units for Kerama Retto where she assumed patrol station R-16 off Mae Shima.