Attack on Fort Stevens

June 21, 1942 - It was on this night that a Japanese sub surfaced at the mouth of the Columbia River and launched an attack on Fort Stevens in Oregon.

Fort Stevens had two massive 10-inch disappearing guns, but the commander ordered his men not to use use them - as they would then give the Japanese a better target.

Without much to aim at, the Japanese attack did not cause much damage. Most of the shells fell in a swampy area near the fort, but one did take out a baseball backstop.

An American B-17 Flying Fortress responded to the attack. It dropped its bombs but the Japanese sub was able to dodge them and slip beneath the surface.

No lives were lost in the Fort Stevens attack but it goes down in history as the only attack on a mainland military installation during World War II.