"California at War" Story of the S.S. Montebello sunk by the Japanese submarine I-21 off Cambria, CA

SS Montebello, The Sinking SS Montebello: When World War II Came to the Central Coast of California by Stuart Edward McDowell
Available from Amazon
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Today, few people know about the Imperial Japanese Navy submarines attacking merchant ships right off the California coast during WWII. I’ve had the privilege to learn first-hand by exploring the shipwreck remains of the Union Oil of California tanker S.S. Montebello torpedoed right off Cambria, California by the Imperial Japanese navy submarine I-21 in 1941, just a couple of weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The rediscovery of the shipwreck led me to meet my good friend Richard Quincy, the last known living survivor that will share his first-person accounts.
Montebello’s archaeological remains is based on two manned-submersible surveys conducted by Central Coast Maritime Museum Association funded by NOAA West Coast National Undersea Research Center in 1996 and NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries 2003, as well as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) survey by the U.S. Coast Guard in 2011. The archaeological data gathered by the NOAA science teams and the U.S. Coast Guard along with a multibeam sonar survey by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute utilizing an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), funded by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, recorded the vessel’s dimensions and observed site characteristics that were compared to the ship’s construction plans, historic photographs, and reported sinking location. The combine information conclusively indicates that the shipwreck site is the wreck of the American tanker Montebello.
The shipwreck lies in 885 feet of water and the remains consist of its hull which sits upright on its keel. Based on manned-submersible observations, it was determined that during the sinking, Montebello hit the ocean floor with enough force to drive the bow deep into the bottom sediment, separating at the torpedo impact zone. The aft 90 percent of the hull then recoiled back and settled squarely on its keel. More importantly the investigations concluded that the torpedo had not penetrated the region of the tanker’s oil cargo storage holds as reported by Montebello’s crew, but actually struck forward in the pump room and dry storage cargo hold.

[@11desertmermaid]

I have never heard of this until now. What an incredible story. Thank you for your explorations. Your videos are put together so well.

[@extraordinarymoments]

Thank you, this one took many weeks :)

[@paulpetraitis2130]

Knew an old guy who told me after school he use to go down to the shipyards and box for extra change from the shipbuilders. LA harbir and San Pedro had a lot of history building ships, thanks for the video on this.

[@extraordinarymoments]

Yes the Port of LA/San Pedro has an amazing history, I have mostly been documenting the current shipping industry

[@miapdx503]

It's hard for those of us born post WW2 to comprehend our world at war, to know what it is to be afraid of attack...that's why these stories are so important. Our grandfathers and grandmothers knew. And we need to listen. I'm in Portland Oregon and this is the first time I've learned that two ships were sunk off our coast! We have the best, most well trained and armed military in the world! Well done. Now can we do the same with education? We're failing, badly. Our military is protecting some very ignorant people.

[@extraordinarymoments]

Well stated, I have photograph of my mom reading the newspaper when the war ended, my dad built ships during WWII. I explored another shipwreck the SS Coast Trader that was torpedoed on the Washington/Canada border. The I-25 shelled Fort Stevens in Oregon was equipped with an aircraft hangar that housed a seaplane the dropped incendiary firebombs in the Oregon forest.

[@miapdx503]

@@extraordinarymoments Incredible. I could probably ask any Oregonian about this and I'd bet money they've never heard of it. A big THANK YOU for educating us. We really need to know, and it isn't being taught in school. Thank you for the work you put in, greatly appreciated. 🌹

[@cindyshaw9325]

fascinating story told so well. Thank you

[@extraordinarymoments]

Thank you for watching!

[@MM_in_Havasu]

Very interesting story you posted, Robert! My dad served in the USMC in the Pacific theatre until July '45, and was a DI until Feb. '46 at Camp Pendleton. We will be going to Morro Bay this Thursday for our yearly get-together with the bike crew. Wasn't aware that the Japanese were doing this during the war off our coast!

[@extraordinarymoments]

@@MM_in_Havasu thanks Mark as always, really glad you’re keeping up the tradition

[@extraordinarymoments]

@@MM_in_Havasu I will send you information on book you might be interested in for the Morro Bay region during WWII

[@extraordinarymoments]

War Comes to the Middle Kingdom, 1939-1942. California's Central Coast Enters World War II. by Liz Krieger (Author), Dan Krieger (Author), Stan Harth (Author). I picked it up at the Coalesce Bookstore in Morro Bay

[@Ro6entX]

Now I’ve known of a ship that had been sunk by the Japanese in WW2 off our coast but didn’t know the name of it until couple of years ago when I visit the maritime museum in Morro Bay. It’s pretty amazing that the torpedo didn’t manage to set off more catastrophic damage given how deadly they were, let alone that everyone had survived.

[@extraordinarymoments]

@@Ro6entX yes truly amazing luck for the crew that the torpedo struck in the section of ship that either the cargo of oil or crew quarters were located

[@TommyBombon]

Very interesting story. Thank you for your video!

[@extraordinarymoments]

Thank you

[@richmelillo9637]

Its story is at the MORRO BAY MARITIME MUSEUM IF YOU WISH THE WHOLE STORY>

[@extraordinarymoments]

Thank you, I'm aware of their exhibits

[@richmelillo9637]

@@extraordinarymoments Yes, I built the models for their startup Museum a few years ago now. Very interesting people there and well versed in all info. I resaearched the ship back to its build and the era it lived in. It was a fun project.

[@extraordinarymoments]

@@richmelillo9637 congratulations on your model building skills, I researched Montebello’s early history, the shipyard history and Union Oil Co. of Ca tanker fleet as part of National Register of Historic Places nomination I authored, not to mention I conducted the most submersible dives, ROV surveys, so I pretty much have seen every foot of the shipwreck’s exterior. I enjoyed learning about her early voyages including Russia from Richard Quincy. Maybe a future KZbin video I will share

[@richmelillo9637]

@@extraordinarymoments Yes, one thing I thought the crew did was incredulous., they carried oil to HAWAII then steam cleaned the tanks and carried food grade liquid back to the States. What an incredible type of work.

[@extraordinarymoments]

@@richmelillo9637 and they had to do with a hose going offshore, not at the dock, similar of their runs to South America with an offshore hose, but just crude oil on those runs, I will have to share Quincy story steam cleaning the tanks in San Pedro, of course the discharge went in the harbor, send me your email address if interested

[@moniqueklemm6757]

Thank you for sharing such a captivating story. Every element draws you in, and your way of telling it makes it even more engaging. 🛟⚓️💛

[@extraordinarymoments]

@@moniqueklemm6757 Thank you 😊