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7A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2017 Fort Stevens: ‘We’ll never know the true story. It’s kind of a mystery’ Continued from Page 1A David Lindstrom, a Friends of Old Fort Stevens member, has researched and analyzed the attack for nearly 30 years. For him, the intrigue comes more from the attack’s mysteri- ousness rather than its place in history. “I began to realize there were some serious discrepan- cies in the story,” Lindstrom said. Firing line The3-mile firing line of 5 1/2-inch shells began hitting the southern edge of Fort Ste- vens at about 11:30 p.m. on June 21, 1942, and gradually shifted north. “First a flash of light; then a distinct explosion was followed Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian by an echo across the waters,” Several of the reinforced-concrete bunkers of the Battery Russell site at Fort Stevens Lindstrom wrote in a book State Park remain intact 75 years after an attack by the Japanese Navy. about the attack, “instantly there was the whistle of incom- from a devastating loss in the submarine was out of at the fort, agrees. ing shells spinning through the the Battle of Midway, likely range and firing on the invader “It was fight or surrender. air, followed by a larger explo- wanted to send a message to would have revealed the loca- We were reminded constantly sion and a bright flash of light as their enemies and possibly take tions of battery guns. But Lind- of why we were fighting,” she the shells detonated on impact.” out a tower that could track strom believes the explanation said. “The government did not While many in the area submarines off the coast, Lind- was intended to keep the pub- really want the people to know heard the commotion, only strom said. lic from knowing how close how unprepared we were.” The answer to that ques- those situated along some of “I don’t think they were enemy submarines could actu- tion, along with a host of oth- the southern beaches of Clatsop expecting much out of it,” he ally get to the coast. County could view the action said. “I think that’s foolishness,” ers, continues to occupy those due to the natural layout of the The submarine, for still Lindstrom said. “They knew who lived through the attack or North Coast. unknown reasons, remained there was not an armada, and have studied it. Lindstrom will be at Battery Gloria Linkey saw the scene stuck underwater a for four everyone knew where the guns firsthand from her childhood hours after the attack. It had were. Those are just face-sav- Russell, where a large num- ber of the shells landed, from home on the Prom in Seaside. run aground either during its ing excuses.” retreat or in the final Lindstrom believes based noon to 4 p.m. today to offer Just 12 years old at moments of the on his research that the subma- his interpretation of the attack the time, Linkey, ‘These shelling. While the rine was roughly 3 miles off the and exhibit some of his find- her sister and her commander of the coast, and many of the guns at ings. But firsthand memories friends were telling men Japanese subma- Fort Stevens had a range of 8 have largely faded into history. ghost stories during rine later told a U.S. miles. Furthermore, Japanese Large memorial events, such as a slumber party. were newspaper reporter intelligence — through maps the 50th anniversary attended Upon hearing the noises from the trained that it was caught in and civilian photographs — by hundreds of American and the sand during the of the West Coast was strong Japanese veterans of the attack ocean, Linkey and for shelling, Lindstrom enough that the commander and their families, are no longer her friends opened speculates that may likely had a good understand- held, a result of the declining a blackout cur- tain and glimpsed years to have been the least ing of the fort’s layout, Lind- number of World War II veter- ans still alive. of the strom said. at the lights sailing protect embarrassing “A lot of people don’t know two explanations. Lindstrom spoke to several through the night Finally at about 4 veterans, none of whom are still about it,” said Mike Phillips, a sky. Though a cur- the a.m., the submarine alive, who said they were livid Vietnam War veteran with Clat- few prohibited res- coast, resumed its retreat about the decision not to return sop Post 12 American Legion. idents from being from the area. fire. More than 20 men went “It’s one of a lot of things peo- on the Prom after and Linkey’s father absent without leave after the ple have forgotten about.” 8:30 p.m., the girls But the attack’s place in his- eventually ushered incident, and the military did decided to go out- they the girls back into not press charges against them. tory is an interesting footnote side to see the show. the house. He called “These men were trained compared to the real intrigue, While outside, a were the next morning for years to protect the coast, Lindstrom said. military patrol in a angry.’ from his job site in and they were angry,” Lind- “We’ll never know the full Jeep drove by them. story,” he said. “It’s kind of a Vancouver, Wash- strom said. “Get back in David mystery.” ington, to confirm the house! Get that it indeed was Precise facts unknown back!” one of the Lindstrom soldiers yelled. historian, speaking a Japanese attack. The precise facts and moti- “We’re under attack about the veterans The news allowed vations for various deci- and their feelings the girls to under- sions made during the Japa- from a Japanese about not stand the serious- nese attack likely will never be submarine!” returning fire ness of what they known. Lindstrom at one point This surprised had just witnessed. hired a private investigator to the girls, who fig- “We were talking about track down the Army’s offi- ured the commotion likely came from U.S. soldiers train- it, and it wasn’t too smart,” cial report, but he was unable Linkey said. “For all we knew, to find it. ing at the fort. The Japanese attack on “Never in our wildest they could have been landing Pearl Harbor had taken place imagination did we think it troops outside our house.” six months earlier in Hawaii, could be a Japanese subma- and battery guns at coastal rine,” Linkey said. “It was just ‘Face-saving excuses’ inconceivable.” As confounded onlookers forts near the Columbia River Estimates soon after the viewed the light show from a had not been updated since the attack had the total number of few miles south, soldiers at the beginning of that century. As exploded shells at nine. More fort assumed their positions at a result, the U.S. government shells that didn’t explode have Fort Stevens’ four different bat- likely did not want to engage in The American been found since — includ- teries and waited for the order a large battle that would worry Cancer Society ing one in the backyard of a to fire upon the submarine. But people and highlight the coast’s defense weaknesses, Lindstrom home. The total number is now that order never came. Relay For Life The commander at the fort said. believed to be 17. movement is the Linkey, though noting she The Imperial Japanese and others in the U.S. Army world’s largest Navy, just two weeks removed insisted after the attack that admires the restraint of soldiers About the Relay For Life Movement Gillnetters: Fishermen haven’t found an adequate replacement for gillnets Continued from Page 1A Gillnets were, back in 2013, likely to be phased out of legal use on the lower main stem of the Columbia by entities other than tribes. The bill followed an agreement with Washington state brokered by former Gov. John Kitzhaber. But new regulations adopted by the Fish and Wild- life Commission in March dif- fer from Washington’s. Oregon will allow commercial fisher- men to harvest a greater share of fall Chinook than Washing- ton, for example. Cameron Smith, acting dep- uty director for administration at the Department of Fish and Wildlife, says an accounting error at the agency meant the first installment of $500,000 for the transition fund was reverted back to the general fund after the 2013-15 budget biennium, which ended in June 2015. But that issue wasn’t discovered until recently. Fish and Wildlife was sup- posed to move the money to the Columbia River Fisheries Tran- sition Fund, but failed to do so in time, Smith said, leading it to get automatically reverted to the general fund after the bien- nium was over. After the agency caught the error earlier this year, Smith said analysts from the Leg- islative Fiscal Office and the Department of Administrative Services told Fish and Wild- life the $500,000 couldn’t be returned because the sum had already been included in fund-balance projections. “It was our mistake, and we had to pay for it, I guess,” Smith said of the issue. “But, also, they knew that none of the funds were being used, so that, I think, was the real big driver. The funds weren’t being used, hadn’t been used and at that time there was no indication that they would be used.” No replacement Matt Markee, a lobbyist for Salmon For All, an associ- ation of gillnetters, processors and fish buyers, said that the $500,000 that did make it to the fund in 2015-17 wasn’t yet spent because fishermen hadn’t found an adequate replacement for gillnets. Fishermen also have to go through individual counties to apply for funds. And commer- cial fishing equipment comes with a hefty price tag. “Nobody applied for any money, because what would they spend that money on if there’s no new gear?” Markee said. However, he added it was possible that there were fisher- men and counties who might apply for some of the $500,000 that remains in the fund in the near future. The 2013 legislation also created an extra fee for sports- men angling for Chinook, steel- head and salmon in the Colum- bia Basin. Money collected through that fee was intended to help pay for the transition. It went to an “enhance- ment fund,” which was set up for administrative expenses associated with the transition, separate from the fund that was intended to make pay- ments to commercial fishermen through counties, according to Smith. fundraising event to end cancer, uniting four million people around the world to celebrate survivorship, remember lives lost, and fight back against this disease. Teams camp out and participate by taking turns walking around a track or path. Symbolizing the battle waged around the clock by those facing cancer, the event empowers communities and individuals to take a stand against the disease and take action by supporting the Society’s lifesaving mission. Historian David Lindstrom points out the site near Fort Stevens State Park where a shell launched from a Japa- nese submarine during World War II landed. A monument now stands near the site where, during World War II, a shell launched from a Japanese submarine landed near where Fort Stevens State Park now sits. Historian David Lindstrom explains some of the history of Battery Russell and the attack that took place here 75 years ago to the day. Battery Russell was the site of several explosions from incoming fire launched by a Japanese submarine during World War II. More photos online at DailyAstorian.com Join us for the Relay For Life of Clatsop County! Saturday, July 8 th , 2017 Astoria High School Track 10:00 am - 12:00 am Register your team today! RelayForLife.org/ClatsopcountyOR Learn about American Cancer Society programs and services. Join others in fighting back against cancer! For more information, contact: nancy.hillis@cancer.org 361.676.6378 RelayForLife.org | 800.227.2345