6 Oct 1942

United States
  • After sunset off Cape Sebastian, Oregon, Japanese submarine I-25 made a torpedo attack on the 7,000-ton Richfield Oil tanker SS Larry Doheny en route from Long Beach, California to Portland, Oregon with 66,000 barrels of oil. I-25 fired one torpedo but missed. The submarine surfaced and began a stern chase in the darkness. I-25 briefly lost sight of the darkened ship and when the ship reappeared, I-25 was right on top of the tanker. Another torpedo was fired that ran for only 18 second before exploding against the ship opening a 14-foot hole in the hull. With I-25 so close, the explosion also shook the submarine and showered her decks with fragments. Six men aboard Larry Doheny were killed and a massive fire raged on board. The 40 remaining crew abandoned ship before it sank. I-25 withdrew and headed north. The survivors of Larry Doheny’s crew were rescued the following morning. ww2dbase [Japanese Attacks on the Continental United States | Cape Sebastian, Oregon | DS]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds

Search WW2DB
Famous WW2 Quote
"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us... they can't get away this time."

Lt. Gen. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, at Guadalcanal


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!