Japanese submarines surfaced in 1942 to shell the California coastline
World War II reached American soil in 1942 when a Japanese submarine surfaced near Santa Barbara to launch an artillery attack on an oil refinery and the California coastline.
On February 23, 1942, the Japanese submarine I-17 surfaced off the coast of Goleta, California, and fired over a dozen shells at the Ellwood Oil Field. While the physical damage was minimal, the psychological impact was profound, marking the first time a foreign power had shelled the contiguous United States since the War of 1812.
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