Bombardment of Ellwood facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bombardment of Ellwood
Part of World War II Pacific War and American War
The Ellwood Oil Field and the location of the Japanese attack.
Date February 23, 1942 Location Ellwood, California, Santa Barbara Channel, Pacific Ocean Result United States oil refinery damaged
Belligerents
United States	Japan
Commanders and leaders
N/A	Kozo Nishino
Strength
N/A	1 submarine

The Bombardment of Ellwood was a naval attack during World War II. A Japanese submarine fired shells at targets near Santa Barbara, California. This happened on February 23, 1942.

The damage was small, but the attack caused a lot of fear. Many people on the West Coast worried about an invasion. This event also played a role in the decision to relocate Japanese-Americans to special camps. It was the first time the North American mainland was attacked by an enemy during World War II.

Why Did the Attack Happen?

Japanese Submarines Patrol the Coast

After the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, seven Japanese submarines were sent to patrol the American West Coast. They sank two merchant ships and damaged six others. They also had two small fights with the U.S. Navy.

By the end of December 1941, these submarines went back to their bases. But some of them, like the I-17, returned to American waters. The I-17 was a large submarine. It was about 365 feet long and carried 101 officers and men. It had torpedoes and a large deck gun. Its captain was Commander Kozo Nishino.

A Special Order from Japan

The Japanese government wanted to make a statement. They ordered a submarine to shell the California coast on February 23, 1942. This was the same day President Roosevelt was giving a radio speech.

There's a popular story about Captain Nishino. People said he had visited the Ellwood Oil Field before the war. They thought he knew the area because he had commanded a merchant ship that picked up oil there. However, this story is likely not true. Nishino spent his whole career in submarines. He never commanded a merchant ship.

The Attack on Ellwood

What Happened During the Bombardment?

On February 23, 1942, around 7:00 pm, the I-17 stopped near the Ellwood oil field. Captain Nishino ordered his crew to get the deck gun ready. They aimed at a fuel tank on the beach. About 15 minutes later, they started firing.

The first shells landed near a storage building. Most of the oil field workers had already left for the day. The few workers on duty heard the explosions. At first, they thought it was an accident inside the oil field. But then, one worker saw the I-17 off the coast. A worker named G. Brown later said the submarine looked huge. He thought it might be a cruiser or a destroyer until he realized only one gun was firing.

Damage and Fear Spread

Nishino then ordered his crew to aim at a second storage tank. The workers called the police as the shells kept falling.

It was dark, and the submarine was moving in the waves. So, some shells missed their targets. One shell flew over Wheeler's Inn. The owner, Laurence Wheeler, quickly called the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office. A deputy told him that warplanes were on their way, but none arrived.

The Japanese shells destroyed an oil derrick and a pump house. The Ellwood Pier and a catwalk also had minor damage. After 20 minutes, the gunners stopped firing. The submarine then sailed away. People estimated that 12 to 25 explosive shells were fired.

Even though the damage was light, Captain Nishino had achieved his goal. He had spread fear along the American West Coast. The next day, false reports of enemy aircraft led to the "Battle of Los Angeles." American artillery fired into the sky for hours because people mistakenly believed the Japanese were invading.

A local Reverend, Arthur Basham, called the police. He claimed he saw the I-17 from his home. He said the submarine turned south towards Los Angeles. He also thought it was flashing signal lights to someone on shore. In reality, the I-17 sailed west and safely returned to Japan.

What Happened After the Attack?

Historical Significance

The Bombardment of Ellwood was a very important event. It was the first time a foreign power had attacked the United States mainland by sea since the War of 1812. That earlier attack was the Battle of Baltimore in 1814 by the British.

The Ellwood attack was also the furthest direct land attack made by the Japanese Empire during World War II. It was about 5,100 miles east of Japan. This was hundreds of miles further than their attacks on Sydney Harbor, Australia, and Fort Stevens, Oregon, in June 1942.

Fear and Relocation of Japanese-Americans

News of Nishino's attack caused many people to flee inland. They feared that the attack was just the beginning of a full-scale invasion of the West Coast of the United States.

Because some people claimed to have seen "signal lights" from the submarine, a blackout was ordered for the rest of the night. These claims of signals were used as a reason for the relocation of Japanese-Americans to special camps. This relocation began just one week after the Ellwood attack.

The night after the Ellwood attack, the "Battle of Los Angeles" occurred. People reported seeing "enemy aircraft." Anti-aircraft guns fired all over the city, causing panic among residents.

Other Submarine Attacks

Japanese submarines continued to attack Allied ships off the U.S. coast during the war. They were sent to target warships. However, they only managed to sink a few merchant ships. They also carried out a few small attacks on land targets.

These attacks included a bombardment of Fort Stevens on the Columbia River. There was also an attack on a Canadian lighthouse on Vancouver Island. Finally, there were two air raids launched from a submarine. These raids tried to start forest fires in southwest Oregon.