Still patrolling her station 17 minutes into the mid-watch on the 31st, "Bunch" received word of an incoming air raid and reduced speed to 10 knots to hide her wake in the darkness. Not long thereafter, an enemy twin-engined bomber passed along her port side, some 150 yards away. "Bunch" opened fire with her .50-caliber and 40-millimeter batteries and went to general quarters, but no enemy plane attacked her at that time. Finally, her relief arrived at 0550, and "Bunch" proceeded with TG 52.13 to transfer a UDT-21 passenger to . From there, she returned to Kerama Retto with "Crosley" and and anchored there for the night with her engines on half-hour standby and with an armed watch posted against suicide swimmers.