Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base and Fort Mears, U.S. Army
Amaknak Island, Unalaska, AKWhen Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the naval air station at Dutch Harbor and the adjacent army post, Fort Mears, both on Amaknak Island, Unalaska, were the only defenses the United States possessed in the entire Aleutian Chain. On June 3 and 4, 1942, Japanese carrier aircraft made a two-day attack on Amaknak Island, the most serious air attack on North American territory during the war. These strikes were coordinated with the enemy's attack on Midway and his occupation of the western Aleutians. Dutch Harbor continued to have important missions throughout the war. The naval air station expanded into a naval operating base, Unalaska Bay being one of the best anchorages in the Aleutians. Among its many tasks was that of controlling the steady stream of Soviet shipping that passed through Dutch Harbor and adjacent Akutan Pass en route to and from Siberia and the United States.
Local significance of the district:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.