Which U.S. Navy commander ordered the destroyer USS Ward to fire at a submarine near Pearl Harbor?

William W. Outerbridge ordered USS Ward to fire at a suspected Japanese midget submarine near Pearl Harbor.

Outerbridge was the commanding officer of Ward on December 7, 1941. Before the air attack began, Ward's crew reported seeing a small submarine near the harbor entrance. Outerbridge ordered an engagement, and Ward used gunfire and depth charges against it.

The action is commonly described as the first American shots fired in the Pacific War. Ward sent a report to the naval district, although the report did not immediately produce a full-scale alert. Japanese aircraft then attacked Pearl Harbor less than an hour later.

Outerbridge later commanded other Navy vessels and retired as a rear admiral. The submarine Ward attacked was one of the Japanese midget submarines assigned to the Pearl Harbor operation.