 She spent the remainder of December 1944 and the first few days of January 1945 anchored off Leyte in the San Juanico Strait tending Patrol Bomber Squadron 25 (VPB-25), consisting of 15 Martin PBM-3D Mariner flying boats, whose mission was to conduct daylight searches north and east of Luzon.Shifting to San Pedro Bay, Leyte, on 5 January 1945, "Barataria" got underway on 6 January 1945 as a screen for the seaplane tender USS "Currituck" (AV-7) and rendezvoused with Task Force 79 carrying the San Fabian assault forces.Two aircraft rescue boats (ARBs) had been assigned to "Barataria", but one of these began taking on water and had to be abandoned and sunk on 8 January 1945.