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21-542: The Aleutian World War II National Historic Area is a U.S. National Historic Site on Amaknak Island in the Aleutian Island Chain of Alaska . It offers visitors a glimpse of both natural and cultural history, and traces the historic footprints of the U.S. Army Base, Fort Schwatka, located at the Ulakta Head on Mount Ballyhoo . The fort, 800 miles west of Anchorage , the nearest large urban center,

42-535: A bridge connecting the city of Unalaska to the southern portion of Amaknak Island. During World War II the entirety of Amaknak Island was used by the United States Navy as an operating base, and by the United States Army , which manned coastal defenses on the high ground at the northern and southern parts of the island. The central portion of the island was occupied by the facilities of

63-730: A location in the Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base and Fort Mears, U.S. Army The Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base and Fort Mears were the two military installations built next to each other in Dutch Harbor , on Amaknak Island of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska , by the United States in response to

84-417: Is a 500-foot (152-meter) bridge joining the islands at another close point, where Iliuliuk Harbor connects with Captains Bay . Amaknak's land area is 3.3 sq mi (8.5 km ), which is dwarfed by its neighbor Unalaska Island, which has a land area of 1,051 sq. miles (2,722 km ). The highest point on Amaknak is Mount Ballyhoo . Despite its small size, Amaknak is the most populous of all

105-613: Is owned and operated by the Ounalashka Corporation but as an affiliated area of the National Park Service receives funding and technical assistance for development and preservation. The Unangan or Aleut people (as they came to be called) were once quite plentiful in their native corner of Alaska. But within 45 years after Russian contact, their number plummeted to a mere few thousand—the population had become decimated by warfare, epidemics, starvation and

126-676: The Aleutian Islanders in general were wary of their proximity to this Japanese installation. "Some day they (will) come to Attu," predicted Attuan Michael Hodikoff. On June 7, 1942, Japanese forces invaded the United States by attacking and occupying this small island along with Kiska as part of the Aleutian Islands Campaign , initially a diversion for the Battle of Midway . This changed forever not only

147-645: The Orthodox liturgy in their own Aleut tongue. The Church became a sanctuary, its icons representing a spiritual dimension transcending the often harsh realities of life. The Russian Orthodox faith remains a dominant force in modern Aleut culture. The present day Church of the Holy Ascension , built in 1895, is a National Historic Landmark . In 1996, the World Monuments Watch —a highly selective listing that includes India's Taj Mahal—designated

168-740: The S-boats were withdrawn for use as training submarines. Amaknak Island Amaknak is an islet of the Fox Islands archipelago, a portion of the Aleutian Islands , in the Aleutians West Census Area of southwestern Alaska . Amaknak Island is located within Unalaska Bay , an inlet of the Bering Sea on the northeast side of Unalaska Island . At their closest point—the channel that leads from Unalaska Bay to Iliuliuk Harbor—the two islands are only about 200 feet (61 meters) apart. There

189-654: The bunkers and wooden structures of Fort Schwatka have collapsed, the gun mounts and lookouts are among the most intact in the country. In 1996, the United States Congress designated this a National Historic Area as a way of educating future generations both about the history of the Aleut people , and the role the Aleutian Islands played in the defense of the United States in World War II. It

210-510: The church's 250 religious icons one of the world's 100 most endangered sites. After the purchase of Alaska by the United States in 1867, the Aleut found themselves classified as "Indians" and made wards of the government. Some Aleut worked fox and sheep farms for wages, others became construction workers or longshoremen, but almost all still looked to the sea for sustenance. The Aleuts' hardships lasted for over two centuries, culminating finally in

231-651: The exploitation of Russian fur traders . The Russian monarchy attempted to enforce fair treatment, but it was not until the arrival of the Russian Orthodox Church in the 1800s (decade) that the Aleuts' rights were argued in Russian courts. The Russian Orthodox Church did much to alleviate the ills of colonization. Churches became the most prominent village structure and the focus of community life. Aleuts served as lay readers. They formed choirs, practicing

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252-660: The forced evacuation from their homeland during World War II. This was when the unique geography of the Aleutian Islands—the link between east and west—again played a pivotal role in the area's history. At the outbreak of World War II, the Imperial Japanese Naval Base of Paramushiro lay only 650 miles southwest of Attu Island , the westernmost island in the Aleutian chain. Both the Attuans and

273-660: The growing war threat with Imperial Japan during World War II . In 1938, the Navy Board recommended the construction which began in July 1940. The first United States Army troops arrived in June 1941 and an air base constructed by the United States Navy was finished in September 1941. At the time of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor , these were the only military installations in the Aleutian Islands . On June 3–4, 1942,

294-679: The islands of the Aleutians chain, with 2,524 residents as of the 2000 census . Though located within the boundaries of the City of Unalaska , the inhabitants of Amaknak generally regard themselves as residents of Dutch Harbor , which is the portion of the City of Unalaska located on Amaknak Island. (The remaining 41% of Unalaska's residents live on Unalaska Island.) 53°54′37″N 166°32′12″W  /  53.91028°N 166.53667°W  / 53.91028; -166.53667 This article about

315-549: The lives of the 42 Attuan villagers taken as prisoners-of-war, but the Aleut people as a whole. In response to this Japanese aggression, U.S. authorities evacuated 881 Aleuts from nine villages. They were herded from their homes onto cramped transport ships, most allowed only a single suitcase. Heartbroken, Atka villagers watched as U.S. servicemen set their homes and church afire so they would not fall into Japanese hands. The Aleuts were transported to Southeast Alaska and crowded into "duration villages." Conditions were harsh as there

336-429: The naval base, which included a runway and other aircraft support facilities, munitions storage facilities, barracks, a hospital, and a bomb-proof power plant. South of the naval base was Fort Mears , (named in tribute to Frederick Mears ) which primarily consisted of barracks for the troops manning the coastal defenses. The coastal defenses included batteries placed to the north on Ulakta Head and Mount Ballyhoo , and to

357-428: The same time as the Battle of Midway , it occurred a day earlier due to one-day delay in the sailing of Nagumo's task force. Forty-three Americans and at least ten Japanese died during the attacks, which lasted for two days. The base remained an important part of coastal defenses for the remainder of World War II. Shortly after the end of World War II, the U.S. military abandoned its Dutch Harbor outposts. For decades,

378-562: The south on what the army called Hill 400, but is now known as Bunker Hill for its surviving structures. Other Army coastal defense facilities at and near Dutch Harbor included Fort Schwatka , Fort Learnard, and Fort Brumback. On June 3, 1942, the Japanese Navy attacked Dutch Harbor in the first aerial attack on the continental United States during the American / Pacific theaters of World War II . Originally planned to start at

399-419: The two bases were bombed by Japanese planes operating from two aircraft carriers in a two-day event known as the Battle of Dutch Harbor , marking the first enemy aircraft strike on the American continent in history. Dutch Harbor occupies the central portion of Amaknak Island , a small island in Unalaska Bay which is separated from the larger Unalaska Island by Iliuliuk Bay. The two islands are joined by

420-524: Was no plumbing, electricity or winter clothes. Camp food was poor and the water was tainted. Medical care was inadequate, and pneumonia and tuberculosis were rampant. In mid-1942 through mid-1943 Dutch Harbor was a submarine base , allowing short-ranged S-boats to patrol in Japanese home waters. By mid-1943 many more long-range submarines (such as the Gato -class ) were built. These were based elsewhere, and

441-524: Was one of four coastal defense posts built to protect Dutch Harbor (crucial back door to the United States) during World War II; Fort Schwatka is also the highest coastal battery ever constructed in the United States. The other Army coastal defense facilities were Fort Mears , Fort Learnard, and Fort Brumback. Engineers designed the concrete observation posts and command stations to withstand earthquakes and 100 mph winds. Although today, many of

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