William W . Outerbridge William Woodward Outerbridge ( 14 April 1906 – 20 September 1986 ) was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy . He held the distinction of firing the first shots in defense of the United States during World War II . Biography . Outerbridge was born in Victoria , Hong Kong , and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1927 . He served in various capacities on ships and ashore , including 3½ years on the China Station ( 1937 – 40 ) aboard the heavy cruiser . In 1940 - 41 he was Executive Officer of the destroyer , and on December 5 , 1941 he was appointed as the captain of the destroyer , stationed at Pearl Harbor , Hawaii . December 7 , 1941 . Early in the morning of December 7 , 1941 , the " Ward " , while on patrol near the entrance to Pearl Harbor , was alerted by to the presence of a Japanese midget submarine attempting to infiltrate into the harbor entrance . The " Ward " opened fire with her number three deck gun , then dropped depth charges , and sank the submarine . At the time this fact was discounted by senior officers at naval headquarters . This happened just a few hours before the Japanese naval air forces commenced their attacks on Pearl Harbor . The action by the " Ward ' s " crew was the first naval action by U . S . forces in World War II , and the gun that fired the first shot was installed as a memorial at the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul , Minnesota . This was Outerbridge ' s first patrol of his first command . The midget submarine the " Ward " sank that morning was finally located in August 2002 in of water just outside Pearl Harbor . For this action Outerbridge was subsequently awarded the Navy Cross . World War II . From 1942 Outerbridge worked at the Office of the Chief of Naval Transportation in Washington , D . C . , before being given command of the destroyer in June 1944 . On D - Day the " O ' Brien " stood off the coast of Normandy , and helped protect Allied forces landing on the beaches , by using her guns to attack German defenses near the landing zones . Later the " O ' Brien " performed a similar action off the French port of Cherbourg as Allied ground forces captured the city . Outerbridge and the " O ' Brien " were then reassigned to the Pacific Fleet to participate in the liberation of the Philippines . In a strange twist of fate , on December 7 , 1944 , during the landings at Leyte Gulf , Outerbridge was ordered to use the " O ' Brien ' s " deck guns to sink the " Ward " , which had been severely damaged in a Japanese kamikaze attack . Post - war . After World War II Outerbridge continued in his naval career , serving as the commander of Destroyer Division 42 in 1945 - 46 , before joining the staff of the Naval War College . In 1949 he returned to sea in command of Destroyer Squadron Four , and served as Chief of Staff and Aide to the Commander of Destroyer Flotilla Four in 1950 - 51 . He was on the staff of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 1951 - 52 , and served as Assistant Chief of Staff for Plans , Operations and Intelligence , Naval Forces , Far East in 1952 - 53 . Outerbridge commanded the cruiser from 1953 to 1955 , then served as Head of the Transportation and Petroleum Branch in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations ( Logistics , Plans ) . He retired in 1957 , receiving promotion to Rear Admiral . Outerbridge died at his home in Tifton , Georgia on 20 September 1986 . Outerbridge was portrayed by Jerry Fogel in the 1970 film " Tora ! Tora ! Tora ! " .