Prior to entering the protective rain squall, ST LO also came under intense gunfire from the battleships. Upon exiting the rain squall on the task unit's run to the south, she was nearest the Japanese until a new course change placed her on the unengaged starboard side, furthest from the enemy heavy cruisers and battleships. Her new position within the task unit enabled her to survive the surface action with relatively little damage. However, about ninety minutes after the surface action had concluded, Taffy III was set upon by kamikaze aircraft. ST LO was chosen as a primary target and a bomb-lain "Zeke 52" suicide plane crashed through her flight deck with catastrophic results. Powerful internal explosions followed and about 30 minutes later, ST LO sank into the Philippine Trench, the second CVE of Taffy III to be lost that day.
