The Sinking of the SS Montebello

The Central Coast Veterans Memorial Museum is pleased to welcome back author Stuart McDowell for a compelling presentation on one of the most dramatic and little-known events of World War II along California’s coast.

Just 16 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, an I-15–type Japanese submarine launched a single torpedo that struck and sank the oil tanker SS Montebello off the coast of Cambria. This remarkable story is featured in a special display at the entrance to our museum, preserving the history of an attack that brought the war to the Central Coast.

Drawing from his acclaimed book, The Sinking of the SS Montebello, Stuart McDowell will recount the gripping events leading up to the attack, the launch of the torpedo, the devastating explosion, and the crew’s desperate struggle to escape and survive.

Don’t miss this fascinating presentation exploring a forgotten chapter of California’s wartime history, whose silent centerpiece still rests beneath the waters off our Central Coast.

Free to the public.