Rear Admiral William W. Outerbridge

Middleport native William Outerbridge (1906-1986) initiated the first shots of American involvement in World War II at 6:37 a.m. prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Outerbridge was commander of the destroyer USS Ward, which engaged and attacked a Japanese midget submarine as it attempted to slip into Pearl Harbor at Hawaii. He reported the action and the sinking of the submarine before the attack by Japan. In 2005, the submarine was found and the shell holes in the coning tower confirmed Outerbridge’s report. During WWII he went on to command the USS O’Brien, which served in support of the Normandy D-Day Landings on the beaches and at the port of Cherbourg. He then served in the Pacific theater until the end of the war supporting American efforts to take back islands from the Japanese. He later commanded the cruiser USS Los Angeles.

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