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Aleutian World War II National Historic Site

Overview
Map & Details

A memorial to the World War II heritage of Unalaska in the Aleutian Island chain

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Aleutian World War II National Historic Site

In 1939 the U.S. military began fortifying Dutch Harbor/Unalaska for a possible attack by the Japanese and it came on June 3-4, 1942. The two-day air attack not only heavily destroyed this Aleutian Island seaport but made it one of the few places in the country to be bombed during World War II. The Japanese continued the campaign by invading and occupying two western Aleutian Islands that year and when the Americans re-took them in 1943 the bloody clash was the first battle on American soil since the War of 1812. This little-known chapter of War World II history eventually became known as the "Forgotten War" and in 1996 the 134-acre Aleutian World War II National Historic Area was established so nobody ever would forget.

Aleutian World War II National Historic Site Map

Facilities
The original air control tower the military built near the airport in 1942 is now the Aleutian World War II Visitor Center, the logical first stop for most visitors to the park. Downstairs is a theater where documentaries about the war effort in Alaska are shown and exhibits that relive the Aleutian campaign, including the bombing of Dutch Harbor by the Japanese and the Battle of Attu and upstairs is the re-created air control tower as it looked in the 1940s.

Most of the park preserves Fort Schwatka on Mt Ballyhoo. Looming nearly 1000 feet above the storm-tossed waters of the Bering Sea, the Army fort was the highest coastal battery ever constructed in the U.S and was built to withstand earthquakes and 100 mph winds. Today the gun mounts are still among the best preserved in the country and include tunnels and bunkers that allowed gunners to cart ammunition from one side of the mountain to the other.

Also part of the national historic area is Bunker Hill, another coastal battery that was fortified with 155 mm guns, ammunition magazines, 22 Quonset huts and a concrete command post at the top, much of which can still be seen today. In a picturesque hillside graveyard along the bay is the USS Northwestern Memorial that includes the ship's propeller. The freight ship was repaired by the military in 1940 and was serving as a floating bunkhouse when it was bombed during the attack on Dutch Harbor and burned for five days.

Fees
The Aleutian World War II National Historic Area is unique because the Alaska Native Ounalashka Corporation, not the National Park Service, owns and manages it. A Land Use Permit is needed to visit the park and can be purchased in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor at the Aleutian World War II Visitor Center (907-581-9944) or at the Ounalashka Corporation Office (907-581-1276; www.ounalashka.com).

Accessibility
The Aleutian World War II National Historic Area (www.nps.gov/aleu) is located in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor on Amaknak and Unalaska Islands in the Aleutian Islands. The cities are accessible by scheduled daily air service from Anchorage and once-a-month Alaska Marine Highway ferry service from May through September.