Fort MacArthur

Today in the Pacific: 24 Feb 1942: The Attack on Santa Barbara. America's fear of a Japanese invasion of the mainland was not the comical paranoia of Spielberg'...s "1942" misfire. Following Pearl Harbor, seven Japanese subs cruised the West Coast, sinking merchant ships and skirmishing with the U.S. Navy. Cmdr Kozo Nishino commanded the I-17, which carried 23 torpedos and a deck gun. Nishino was familiar with the southern California coastline; prior to the war, a merchant ship he captained took on oil at the Ellwood Oil Field in Santa Barbara, the same depot that was his target. At about 7:00pm, I-17 surfaces at Ellwood and takes aim at an aviation fuel storage tank on the beach. As the first rounds hit, night-duty workers think a cruiser or destroyer is attacking. Due to the darkness, the shells go wild, striking the pier, a derrick, and a pump house. Nishino fires for twenty minutes as civilians scatter and call authorities. Pursuit fighters are promised but never arrive. The sub then turns south toward Los Angeles, using a light semaphore to signal someone on shore. The I-17 eventually returns to Japan, its raid a success. Southern Californians react to the attack by ordering blackouts and fleeing the area. A week later, the attack is used by the Roosevelt administration as justification for the internment of Japanese-Americans. The attack on Ellwood was not the only time Japan struck mainland America. A few months later, Japanese subs bombarded Ft. Stevens on the Columbia River in Washington and a lighthouse on Vancouver Island, Canada. In addition, they continued sinking merchant vessels and hit shore targets. Incendiary balloons were launched, attempting to start fires in heavily forested Oregon. More at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardment_of_Ellwood

Be on the lookout!

Another successful Air Raid this year!

For anyone in the San Diego area, we have taken items from our collection to be on display at a special event at Fort Rosecrans (Cabrillo National Monument). Come visit us in remembrance of the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor this weekend.

We will be giving a special tour tomorrow at 10AM of the White Point Military Reservation. The tour will highlight exterior features of the Nike Missile site, Battery Bunker, and other military structures on the reservation.

http://www.navyweek.org///Navy%20Week%20LA%20-%20Flier.pdf

A reminder to everyone that this weekend is Old Fort Mac Days! Its our biggest event of the year! http://www.ftmac.org/OFMD2011.htm

On Monday (4th of July) we will have several of our vehicles on display at the Korean friendship bell between 11AM and Noon for the annual rining of the bell for the holiday.

Museum volunteers placed flags at every single grave in the K-9 command cemetary for Memorial day weekend this year.

We are looking foreward to seeing you at the Air Raid event this Saturday!

Another Reminder that the Great Los Angeles Air Raid is next weekend! Tickets are 10 dollars cheaper online.

The Air Raid event is only 3 weeks away! Information and tickets at www.theairraid.com or www.ftmac.org