The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum features this display on the 1942 Japanese submarine attack on the Ellwood Oil Field near Goleta.
SANTA BARBARA — The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum will present a free webinar to commemorate the 1942 attack in which a Japanese submarine shelled the Ellwood Oil Field near Goleta.
The free event, “They Came, They Saw, They Shelled,” will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 17 on Zoom.
The event will be hosted by local personality and Santa Barbara historian Neal Graffy.
On Feb. 23, 1942, just over two months after the attack at Pearl Harbor, a Japanese submarine surfaced in the Santa Barbara Channel and shelled the oil facilities. The physical damage was insignificant, but the incident sparked panic throughout the California coast.
As the 80th anniversary approaches, Mr. Graffy will share the story of the repercussions of the 1942 event, as well as the rich history of Ellwood.
Registration is required. To register, go to sbmm.org/santa-barbara-event.
While the program is free, donations are welcome.
— Forrest McFarland
