US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

Tough Toenaiis Paring 569
two miles due south of the entrance to Viru Harbor at about 0610 on 30
June, and inched forward as the dawn brightened between showers.” The
ships were unable to raise the Marine Advance Unit by radio. Nor did they
raise the Japanese until about 15 minutes after sunrise when, at 0703, the
Japanese opened fire with their single 3-inch gun. The Kilty and Crosby
returned the fire with their 3-inch guns and skedaddled out of range. The
Cro~by reported that:
After the 10th round, several stations reported seeing an explosion in the
vicinity of the Japanese gun emplacement.3s
In any case, the enemy ceased fire, and the ships did likewise as they moved
out of range. The Japanese major commanding at Viru reported to his
seniors at Munda that a landing attack had been repulsed, and in fact it
had been.
In mid-morning, CTU 31.3.1 reported to TG 31.3 the lack of contact with
the Advance Unit. He recommended against an assault landing from the
sea because
the entrance to Vim Harbor is through a narrow passage with sheer cliffs
about 100 feet high.ss
By early afternoon, approval had been received for landing designated
units of the Army troops with their light equipment from the Kilty and
Cro~by back at the Choi River to the eastward. At 1630 the Army troops
were put ashore not at the Choi River as ordered, but for some unknown
reason four miles farther from Viru to the eastward, at Segi Point, and
those two ships then returned to base, joining the Hopkins enroute.’”
The Advance Unit of Marines had been delayed at the Choi River by
the Japanese, and had been delayed by the very thick jungle covering the
difficult terrain all the way between Regi and the two towns (Tombe and
Tetemara) guarding the sea approaches to Viru. Part of the Advance Unit
was headed for Tombe and part was headed for Tetemara. That part of the
Advance Unit headed for Tetemara, the village on the west bank of Viru
Harbor entrance, had three more rivers to cross after the Choi River before
reaching the objective. These were the Viru, Tits and Mango rivers. In
= (a) Interview with Rear Admiral Stanley Leith, USN (Ret.), Jan. 1961. Hereafter Leith; (b)
Deck Logs.
= Crosby Deck Log, 30 Jun. 1943.
W(a) Guadalcanal to COMINERON Two. 290805 Jun. 1943; (b) COMINERON Two,
letter, Ser 00121 of 10 Jul. 1943, subj: Viru Occupation; (c) CTF31 to COMSOPACFOR, 010035
Jul. 1943.
a Crosby Deck Log, 30 Jun. 1943.