Lighthouse Lecture Series – Stuart McDowell

Stuart McDowell will present “The Sinking of the SS Montebello” as part of the Lighthouse Lecture Series on Saturday, June 21, at 5 p.m.

In December 1941, only ten days after the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor—enemy submarines appeared off the West Coast of the United States and began attacking merchant vessels. On the evening of December 23rd, the Imperial Navy submarine I-21 fired one torpedo at a Union Oil tanker carrying over 3 million gallons of explosive fuel, sinking her in the waters off Cambria, California. The Sinking of the SS Montebello describes the dramatic events leading to the night of the attack, the firing of the torpedo, the explosion, and the crew’s desperate efforts to escape and survive.

Stuart will guide the audience back to that blustery night in 1941—from the Montebello’s midnight departure from Port San Luis to the moment the 23-foot torpedo blasts into the ship’s starboard side and the vessel begins her plunge into the icy waters. The author will also provide a blow-by-blow account of the attack’s aftermath and the attempts to rescue the Montebello’s 38 crew members. Join us for the evening’s fascinating—and accurate—telling of this little-known attack whose centerpiece lies ghost-like in the waters off California’s Central Coast.

Stuart McDowell is the author of two books, The Sinking of the SS Montebello and The Last Lighthouse Keeper. His writing has also appeared in the Epoch Times. A retired educational psychologist, he completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Oregon and San Diego State University. He earned his post-graduate degree at California State University, Long Beach. McDowell has pursued a lifelong interest in American history, especially as related to the California coast, including World War II submarine attacks, lighthouses, and their keepers. He lives in Pacific Grove with his wife, Caren.