During the night, McCawley, having rendezvoused with the tug Pawnee, was mistakenly sunk by American PT boats, being struck by two torpedoes at 20:23 hours.
By this time, Turner had transferred his flag to the destroyer Farenholt.
Meanwhile, the same night, a Japanese naval attempt to attack the American beachheads failed when five Japanese destroyers appeared off the west coast of Rendova but could not attack due to a violent squall.
After the lightly contested landings on June 30, the bulk of the surviving Japanese forces retreated to Munda Point on nearby New Georgia, moving back via canoe.
Troops from the 172nd Infantry Regiment expanded the beachhead on 1 July, with patrols securing half the island, while the 3rd Battalion, 103rd Infantry Regiment landed around the Poco Plantation in Landing Craft Infantry vessels.

In the harbor, the unloading process had been hampered by poor planning and a failure to allocate adequate personnel for beach control and unloading duties.
To clear the beachhead and distribute combat stores, infantrymen were detailed to carry out the work.
When the second transport echelon arrived, many of the boats grounded offshore and had to be unloaded manually by troops wading ashore.
Heavy rain continued to slow the distribution of stores and movement of heavy equipment.
The second echelon also landed heavy artillery from the 192nd Field Artillery Battalion and a battery from the 9th Defense Battalion.
With their arrival, the U.S. forces constructed artillery positions on Rendova and were able to bring 155 mm "Long Tom" guns into action, firing shells across the 15 km-wide Blanche Channel onto the Japanese positions at Lambeti plantation and Munda air field.
The 192nd established their positions on Kokorana Island where strong coral substratum offered natural hard standing for their heavy guns.
Six PT boats under the command of Lieutenant Commander Robert B. Kelly also arrived at Rendova early on 1 July; it was this force that accidentally sunk McCawley during their passage through the Blanche Channel.

On 2 July, the US infantrymen on Rendova commenced preparations to reembark for further operations on New Georgia island.
That afternoon, a Japanese aerial counter-attack consisting of 24 Mitsubishi G4M Betty bombers and 44 fighters bombed the American beachhead from the south.
American fighters planes had been withdrawn at the time of the attack due to poor weather conditions and the Japanese planes were unopposed.
The bombing was accurate and the unsuspecting American troops had no time to react.
As a result of the attack a gelignite dump exploded on a peninsula thereafter known as "Suicide Point," killing 64 soldiers and injuring at least 89 more.
A few hours after this first raid a follow up raid was conducted by 25 Japanese fighter aircraft.
These were intercepted by American fighter aircraft and in the ensuing air battle six Japanese planes and three American planes were shot down.

During the night of 2–3 July the Japanese cruiser Yūbari and nine destroyers attempted a bombardment of the Rendova beachhead but bad weather and the small size of the beachhead caused all their shells to fall harmlessly into the surrounding jungle.
Meanwhile, that same night, small groups of US infantry were transported in LCMs across the Strait to New Georgia's offshore islands in the opening phase of the Drive on Munda Point operation.
A Japanese sortie of 35 Mitsubishi Ki-21 bombers and fighter aircraft attempted to attack positions on Rendova on 3 July, but were intercepted by American fighter planes who reported downing 11 Japanese aircraft with a loss of 3 Allied aircraft.
In the afternoon a large flight of American and New Zealand planes bombed Munda Point and reported causing large amounts of damage.

On 4 July, American Independence Day, Rendova was reported "secure" by American commanders.
Shortly after this, the Japanese launched a heavy air attack on the island.
The US garrison had been heavily reinforced with antiaircraft guns and radars, and a strong fighter screen had been established to protect un
During the night, McCawley, having rendezvoused with the tug Pawnee, was mistakenly sunk by American PT boats, being struck by two torpedoes at 20:23 hours. By this time, Turner had transferred his flag to the destroyer Farenholt. Meanwhile, the same night, a Japanese naval attempt to attack the American beachheads failed when five Japanese destroyers appeared off the west coast of Rendova but could not attack due to a violent squall. After the lightly contested landings on June 30, the bulk of the surviving Japanese forces retreated to Munda Point on nearby New Georgia, moving back via canoe. Troops from the 172nd Infantry Regiment expanded the beachhead on 1 July, with patrols securing half the island, while the 3rd Battalion, 103rd Infantry Regiment landed around the Poco Plantation in Landing Craft Infantry vessels. 
In the harbor, the unloading process had been hampered by poor planning and a failure to allocate adequate personnel for beach control and unloading duties. To clear the beachhead and distribute combat stores, infantrymen were detailed to carry out the work. When the second transport echelon arrived, many of the boats grounded offshore and had to be unloaded manually by troops wading ashore. Heavy rain continued to slow the distribution of stores and movement of heavy equipment. The second echelon also landed heavy artillery from the 192nd Field Artillery Battalion and a battery from the 9th Defense Battalion. With their arrival, the U.S. forces constructed artillery positions on Rendova and were able to bring 155 mm "Long Tom" guns into action, firing shells across the 15 km-wide Blanche Channel onto the Japanese positions at Lambeti plantation and Munda air field. The 192nd established their positions on Kokorana Island where strong coral substratum offered natural hard standing for their heavy guns. Six PT boats under the command of Lieutenant Commander Robert B. Kelly also arrived at Rendova early on 1 July; it was this force that accidentally sunk McCawley during their passage through the Blanche Channel. 
On 2 July, the US infantrymen on Rendova commenced preparations to reembark for further operations on New Georgia island. That afternoon, a Japanese aerial counter-attack consisting of 24 Mitsubishi G4M Betty bombers and 44 fighters bombed the American beachhead from the south. American fighters planes had been withdrawn at the time of the attack due to poor weather conditions and the Japanese planes were unopposed. The bombing was accurate and the unsuspecting American troops had no time to react. As a result of the attack a gelignite dump exploded on a peninsula thereafter known as "Suicide Point," killing 64 soldiers and injuring at least 89 more. A few hours after this first raid a follow up raid was conducted by 25 Japanese fighter aircraft. These were intercepted by American fighter aircraft and in the ensuing air battle six Japanese planes and three American planes were shot down. 
During the night of 2–3 July the Japanese cruiser Yūbari and nine destroyers attempted a bombardment of the Rendova beachhead but bad weather and the small size of the beachhead caused all their shells to fall harmlessly into the surrounding jungle. Meanwhile, that same night, small groups of US infantry were transported in LCMs across the Strait to New Georgia's offshore islands in the opening phase of the Drive on Munda Point operation. A Japanese sortie of 35 Mitsubishi Ki-21 bombers and fighter aircraft attempted to attack positions on Rendova on 3 July, but were intercepted by American fighter planes who reported downing 11 Japanese aircraft with a loss of 3 Allied aircraft. In the afternoon a large flight of American and New Zealand planes bombed Munda Point and reported causing large amounts of damage.
On 4 July, American Independence Day, Rendova was reported "secure" by American commanders. Shortly after this, the Japanese launched a heavy air attack on the island. The US garrison had been heavily reinforced with antiaircraft guns and radars, and a strong fighter screen had been established to protect un
Landings on Rendova