One thing is for sure, it is not a USN PT Boat. The PT boat losses are very well recorded and the location of their losses is also well recorded. None are lost at Ranongga.
Air Strike on Buri Village
I only found one major air strike on Ranongga which occurred on June 23, 1943.
Wreck Location
From the photos that Dan took, it looks to me like the position of the wreck is located about mid point on Rannonga's East coast about 2 km North of Pienuna Village. The wreck is near a place called 'Kumbokota'. It is on the mainland opposite a small island called Inijaru. The point in the background is Leva Point.
Possible New Zealand Connection
I found very very little historically on Rannonga, which is not surprising considering it was militarily very unimportant. However, I did find a small mention in Bob Spurdle's autobiography [The Blue Arena]. Bob was in No. 16 Squadron, RNZAF, and flew P-40 Kittyhawks, based at Kukum Field. On afternoon 28 August 1943, he flew an escort mission (Sortie # 445) for B-24 Liberator's to Kahili. On the way back:
"heading towards a patch of smoke on the NE tip of Ganongga [sic] Island, we found two small ships on fire. We tickled them up a bit with the last of our ammo. These boats were the craft Jack Day and his boys had attacked shortly beforehand on shipping recce to Buri village".
Day's attack is recorded in the RNZAF Official history:
"26 August: "…five aircraft, led by Flight Lieutenant Day, strafed a small steamship and a 30-foot launch in an inlet on the North-West tip of Ganongga [sic] island. The steamship was camouflaged with vegetation that had dried to a light brown colour and the launch was hidden in a small creek. The New Zealanders made five strafing runs and left both vessels burning furiously".
Luckily, TF-33 WD 26 Aug 43 also recorded this very minor raid:
"Two Kittyhawks strafed and set on fire one APC and 3 motor-boats near BURI, N. GANNONGGI [sic]. The APC was still burning when observed later that night."
This was all I could find at the moment on strikes at Ranongga. The fact that the leaves had turned brown indicates the "steamship" had been moored there for at least a week, perhaps more. The dates for the entries are as recorded. Spurdle's date of 28 Aug (TWO days) after Day's attack seems a little surprising. I would not have thought such a small vessel would burn that long and they way Bob writes about the Day attack as "shortly beforehand" makes me suspect Spurdle's date a little…
Origins
These vessels were small enough to hide in tiny inlets, bays and coves and in mangrove creeks etc during the day when Allied aircraft swarmed overhead. Camouflaged by vegetation cut from nearby sources, they were extremely difficult to detect. I know that local Coastwatchers would see the vessels during the night, etc, and see where they were hiding and duly report them to KEN on Guadalcanal. However, it appears the air strikes often could not spot them and many of these luggers escaped detection & consequently destruction! It has been stated that there is dangerous live ammunition about the wreck which is Japanese, (I see very little evidence of this in the photos; I suspected this ammo would be pretty insignificant by corrossion!)
Another clue is the referral by the TF-33 scribe as an "APC". This is an American naval designation of a common US Navy vessel often called "Apple carts". They were wooden, 110 feet long, and properly called 'Coastal Transports'. This looks similar to the Ranongga wreck. The Americans used 'Apple carts' in the Solomons quite extensively…APc-35 is wrecked in Blanche Channel and APC-25 I know supplied the Americans at Enogai Harbour, etc and also rescued at night the survivors from the USS John Penn sinking. Have attached a pic of one [see "US Warships of World War II" by Paul H. Silverstone]
This photo is a vessel which I think could be similar. This was captured by New Zealand troops from the 37th Battalion as they came around Tambama [sic] Point on Vella Lavella. The ever-resourceful New Zealanders promptly placed it in service and renamed it Confident. The size & character of this vessel, I think, is comparable to the Ranongga wreck. [see "Pacific War: New Zealand and Japan 1941-45" by Mathew Wright]
The wreck site & future
There is very little of significance of this site other than the fact that it has recently come to light by a significant earthquake uplift on 2 April 2007. It is a unique wreck from that point; not many wrecks are exposed by earthquake uplift! However, it is of very very very very minor historical value.
It is reported the coast around Ranongga lifted by three meters. The effect of this on the wreck site is to shift it to a more vunerable position, where it is almost completely dry and unprotected by being buried in the seafloor. From my experience with old wooden wrecks (pre-1900) on surf beaches in New Zealand, it appears fresh wood is recently been exposed by receding/changing sand levels and this will further accelerate the deterioration of these freshly exposed sections. Submerged saturated wood deteriorates rapidly on exposure to air. Since the wreck is right on the surf line and not protected by depth of water, it will now get heavily mechanically damaged by wave action. The interior will get washed out, along with any artefacts remaining in the there, and be lost and destroyed. Tropical cyclones are frequent in the area with huge associated wave action (often 20 foot waves), so this wreck will not survive much longer in this vunerable position. I am very surprised at how well this wooden vessel has survived so far in this tropical setting; toredo worms are voracious in the Solomons. Prior to the uplift and sand erosion, it may have been well buried.
Suggest further detailed photos taken of construction style, for the record etc, and GPS position taken. Suggest survey of Emu Harbour area for land and underwater evidence of the Japanese staging base there might be interesting. Also, a reportedly good conditioned underwater F4U wreck on Ranongga's coast is also surveyed for earthquake effects."
