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| Location of Ellwood Oil Fields |
Little did they know was that the Japanese was about launch a small scale attack on the coast.
A sneak attack
I-17 submarine commander Kozo Nishino was ordered to attack the coast of the United States to coincide with the American President's address. Ellwood had one of the largest oil fields in California. Unlike San Francisco or Los Angeles, it had minimal military presence, making it an safe target for the Japanese Navy.
Nishino ordered his men to fire the deck gun at 7:15 pm, their first rounds landing close to one of the storage facilities. Thankfully, most of the oil workers had gone home for the night, but the few on duty heard the impact.
Initially, the oilers suspected an internal explosion, but a worker spotted the I-17. They immediately called the police, but by this time Nishino’s men had fired several more rounds. The I-17 then changed the target to another storage tank. One of the rounds missed and landed into a nearby ranch.
After 20 minutes, the gunners ceased fire and the submarine sailed away. While light damaged was achieved, the greater goal of frightening the American public was achieved.
The bombing of Ellwood was the first naval bombardment of the United States by a foreign power since the 1814 (by the British during the War of 1812).
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| The minor damage to the Ellwood Oil Fields |
Legacy
The immediate aftermath was chaos and panic. Phone lines were jammed as concerned citizens tried to find out what had happened. Information to the public was controlled and by 8pm, a blackout was enforced.
A day later, the paranoia would lead to a mass hysteria the next day in the "Battle of Los Angeles" where fearful citizens thought the Japanese would attack again,
Two days after the attack, the Japanese celebrated their attack with a postcard showing Ellwood on fire.
A week later, the bombing of Ellwood would be used as one of the reasons to intern Japanese-American citizens.
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