Hinsdale sailed from Hawaii 27 January 1945, pausing at Saipan to join a huge transport flotilla, and arrived off Iwo Jima's rock bound heights at dawn on D-Day, 19 February.

Hinsdale's leatherneck passengers swarmed ashore with the first wave of the invasion forces, and she remained in the Iwo Jima area over a week embarking and disembarking troops and valuable cargo.

Disembarking troops, offloading cargo, and tending the injured all took place under continuous mortar and artillery fire from well-entrenched Japanese shore batteries, but Hinsdale had only one close call.

Hinsdale had only a brief rest at Guam before returning to Saipan 9 March to embark troops for the upcoming invasion of Okinawa, the largest amphibious operation of the Pacific war.

As she steamed toward the transport area through the pre-dawn blackness, marines already on deck and ready to disembark, Hinsdale's lookouts spotted an enemy plane skimming low over the water.

The deck-log (page 215) of the Hinsdale has the following account: "0549 in a position about 12 miles south-southeast of the southern tip of Okinawa the ship was hit amidships on the port side and two explosions at intervals of about one second were felt.

First Class Metalsmith James O. Perry saw the kamikaze plane approaching and cleared the topside of marines and sailors, saving many lives; in reward he was given the Type 94, Nambu pistol (SN 58787) the Japanese pilot was carrying.

Limited power was finally restored through an auxiliary diesel engine; the dangerous list to port of 13 degrees corrected; the ship taken in tow by ATR-80 at an agonizing 5 knots, for Kerama Retto, some 20 miles away.

Her cargo, mainly equipment and stores needed by the Marines was shifted to USS Pitt (APA-223), and then Hinsdale was pressed into service as a receiving ship for survivors of other kamikaze victims.

Departing 21 November, to participate in operation "Magic Carpet," the return of Pacific veterans, she sailed via Pearl Harbor to Sasebo and Nagasaki, embarked over a thousand troops and reached San Francisco 24 January 1946.