23 Feb 1942
United States
United States
- Just after sunset, shortly after President Franklin Roosevelt began his Fireside Chat radio broadcast, I-17 surfaced and approached the Ellwood oil refinery at Goleta, California. I-17’s deck gun fired 17 rounds, with some falling short into the sea, some firing long into ranchland beyond the refinery, and some landing within the refinery’s boundaries. I-17 then withdrew, steaming on the surface southward through the Santa Barbara Channel. The shelling had caused only superficial damage to the installation. This was Japan’s first naval bombardment of the continental United States in World War II. ww2dbase [Japanese Attacks on the Continental United States | Ellwood, California | TH]
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Change View
Desktop ViewSearch WW2DB
News
- » Wreck of USS Edsall Found (14 Nov 2024)
- » Autumn 2024 Fundraiser (7 Nov 2024)
- » Nobel Peace Prize for the Atomic Bomb Survivors Organization (11 Oct 2024)
- » Wreck of USS Stewart/DD-224 Found (2 Oct 2024)
- » See all news
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,150 biographies
- » 337 events
- » 43,917 timeline entries
- » 1,241 ships
- » 350 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 373 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 260 facilities
- » 470 book reviews
- » 28,537 photos
- » 432 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last."Winston Churchill
