[foldspace]

WWII. Question: During WWII, a japanese sub surfaced off the coast california, and was
"met by artillery starbursts, which were the only ordinance was had available".
My father, a 2nd Lt at the time, was an eyewitness to this, a favorite story his as to US preparedness.
Please find a recounting of this history.

WWII Japanese Submarine Attack on California
Event:	Bombardment of Ellwood (February 23, 1942)
Location:	Ellwood Oil Field, near Santa Barbara, California (Today: Sandpiper Golf Course & Haskell's Beach, Goleta)
Attacker:	Imperial Japanese Navy Submarine I-17 Type B1 cruiser submarine Commander: Kozo Nishino
Time:	Surfaced ~7:00 p.m. PST Shelling lasted ~20 minutes
Weapon:	5.5-inch (140 mm) deck gun Fired 12–25 high-explosive shells
Damage:	Minor only:   • Hit pump house and oil derrick   • Damaged catwalk and pier   • Craters in ranchland No casualties, no fires, no oil spills
U.S. Response (at Ellwood):	None during attack   • No coastal artillery in place   • Defenses had been moved days prior   • Only civilian spotters present I-17 escaped unharmed
"Starbursts" Explained:	Not U.S. fire — these were:   • Muzzle flashes from Japanese deck gun   • Shell bursts in air and on impact Visible for miles in the dark
The Next Night: "Battle of Los Angeles" (Feb 24–25, 1942)
Trigger:	Panic from Ellwood attack + false radar contacts
U.S. Action:	Over 1,400 anti-aircraft shells fired   • 3-inch AA guns   • .50-caliber machine gun tracers Illumination ("star") shells used heavily
Result:	No enemy aircraft present   • Sky lit with "starbursts" of exploding shells   • Photos show searchlights + bursts   • 5 civilian deaths (heart attacks, accidents)   • Shrapnel damage to homes
Historical Significance
First direct Axis attack on U.S. mainland in WWII (First foreign shelling since War of 1812) Fueled West Coast invasion hysteria Accelerated Japanese-American internment
Event you described = Ellwood shelling + L.A. anti-aircraft "starbursts" the next night

[BBB333]

Thanks, good history.

[thinden]

First direct Axis attack on U.S. mainland in WWII
(First foreign shelling since War of 1812)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

warfare has changed since ‘42

thanx for recounting your father’s witness to this attack

[Porkchop]

The incidents mentioned were part of the inspiration for the Steven Spielberg movie “1941.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_PeQCPq8QA (”oil refinery” shelling) (3 minutes)

🐷