US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

addition there were mangrove swamps to overcome just outside of Regi
and again on the far side of the Mango River. By great perseverance the
Marines made it only a day late and captured the 3-inch naval gun guarding
Viru Harbor, in mid-afternoon of I July.
Despite a CTF 31 operational priority despatch to hold the 2nd Echelon
of the Viru Occupation Force at the Russells until informed that Viru
Harbor had been captured, the heavy radio traflic of 30 June prevented the
message getting through in time. This mighty force of one APC and four
LCTS chugged along unaware that the port was still in enemy hands.
The LCTS in the 2nd Echelon for Viru Harbor arrived off the harbor
entrance on schedule on 1 July, witnessed one mid-morning six plane air
attack on Japanese-held Tetemara, then proceeded to land their supplies as
soon as the Marine attack ended, with the surviving Japanese escaping toward
Munda.
The Hopkim and C~o~by arrived back at Viru Harbor at an early 0230
on 2 July but it was 0705 before they landed their Army troops, naval base
units, Seabees, and logistic support for the Occupation Group, two days later
than originally scheduled. The usual problems of the amphibians were
present:
Boats deIayed in unloading because of small crowded beach. . . .
*****
Boats reported being fired on by Japanese snipers.”
The llopkin~ after completing its chores, picked up the Marine wounded
and sped them back to the Russells.
Viru Harbor was indicative of what happened to operational time tables
when land movements through the densely wooded areas of New Georgia
were involved.
None of the ships made action reports. None of them kept war diaries.
The logs of the Officers of the Deck and the report of Commander Leith
were the only naval documents located. None of these documents explain
why the Japanese gun positions were not worked over by the three destroyer-
type ships on D-Day, using surface spot. None of them explain how one
lone Japanese 3-inch gun chased away three destroyer-type ships that mounted
a total of twelve 3-inch, albeit the ships were loaded with troops. And
while the despatch instructions were for the troops to be landed at the
Choi River, which would have given the troops a far shorter march, the
‘1(a) Crosby Deck Log, 2 Jul. 1943; (b) COMINERON to CTF 31, 012358 Jul. 1943.