1945年1月12日清晨六點許，美軍對金蘭灣附近的船艦發動空襲。然而，並沒有如威廉海賽爾預測的發現任何重型武裝日艦。照片時間為1945年1月12日，數架TBM-1C格魯曼復仇者式轟炸機從艾塞克斯號航母起飛，正要往西貢海岸丟擲魚雷。 

操作Astoria號艦載防空砲火的管制士Jim Thomson帶有懊惱地在他的日記上說： 

No heavy ships had been sighted. The Japanese Combined Fleet was not in Cam Ranh Bay, nor anywhere else that had been scouted. Frustrated, Halsey ordered the surface strike unit to turn back and the task groups were reconstituted. The focus for the day turned to making the most of the aerial raids taking place against smaller Japanese surface vessels, merchant shipping, and port facilities. 

在搜尋不到重武力艦隊的情況下，快速航母艦隊將轟炸焦點轉向對小型日本水面船隻、商船和港口設施進行空襲。一個小時後，艦載F6F地獄貓、SB2C地獄俯衝者二式、TBF復仇者式魚雷轟炸機的艾塞克斯號航母，將空襲的範圍由歸仁南進到神靖丸停泊的西貢沿岸附近。