Shelling of Johnston and Palmyra Johnston and Palmyra are two American controlled atolls located in the Pacific Ocean . Johnston had been claimed for the US in 1858 , Palmyra in 1859 ; both under the Guano Islands act . Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor , Japanese navy forces attacked Allied possessions across the Pacific , including Johnston and Palmyra . Background . Both islands had been obtained through the Guano Islands Act of 1856 , although Palmyra was void of Guano . The lack of guano caused Palmyra to pass through the ownership of many different groups throughout the 19th and 20th centuries . Johnston and Palmyra were placed under US Navy control in 1934 by President Franklin Roosevelt . Both islands were garrisoned and Johnston served as a refueling station for passing US Navy ships . Although an airfield was under construction on Johnston , the only aircraft present on the island were Navy PBY patrol planes , usually anchored offshore . Johnston became noticeable to the Japanese command because of its location . Although it was too close to Hawaii to be amphibiously assaulted , it was near the major Japanese air base in the Marshall Islands . The executive officer of the 1st Marine Defense Battalion , Major Francis B . Loomis , had arrived on Johnston on December 7 , 1941 . He had been returning by air from an inspection of the American outposts in the Pacific when Pearl Harbor had been attacked . He then took control of the island ' s garrison . Following news of the Attack on Pearl Harbor , the civilian contractors already present on Johnston began to building more emplacements for the Marines ' guns and positions . Six US Navy ships were also on Johnston , practicing their use of the Higgins Boat on Johnston ' s shore . For the next few days , there was very little activity around both islands . The Attacks . The first attack on the islands came on December 12 , 1941 . A Japanese submarine , 8 , 000 yards offshore , broke the surface and fired star shells clusters over Johnston . The Marine 5 - inch guns tried to find the enemy submarine with its own star shell clusters , scaring the submarine off . Another attack came on the night of 15th . The US Navy supply ship , " Burrows " , had arrived at dusk to drop off supplies meant for the Marines stranded on Wake , and to retrieve some civilian contractors to return to Pearl Harbor . The Navy ship and the Marines on Johnston spotted a flash at sea . The first enemy shells hit Johnston and its powerhouse , setting off a large fire that engulfed the building . The Marines and Japanese returned fire for ten minutes before the Japanese ceased fire . The final attacks came on the nights of December 21 , and 22nd . The December 21st shelling was almost a repeat of the attack on December 12 . The final attack came on the 22nd . A Japanese submarine fired a star shell cluster and six shells at Johnston , knocking down a homing tower , and wounding a Marine . The Marines dueled with the Japanese submarine , and forced it to submerge . The sole attack on Palmyra ( located 900 miles southeast of Johnston ) came near dawn on December 24 , 1941 . A Japanese submarine fired on Palmyra and the US Navy dredge , " Sacramento " , which sat in the atoll ' s lagoon . The Japanese shells did minor damage to the ship before it was driven back under by Marine 5 - inch coastal guns . Aftermath . Following the Japanese naval attacks on Johnston and Palmyra , both were heavily reinforced . Johnston was given more heavy guns , machine guns , and an infantry company . Similar precautions were taken with Palmyra . Although they were isolated , the Marine , Navy , and civilian garrisons became the front line of Pearl Harbor ' s defense while it recuperated . Both islands continued to be garrisoned by Marines throughout the war . References . Books