Fort Mears (Dutch Harbor, Unalaska, Alaska)

Dutch Harbor, Unalaska · Alaska · World War II

Quick BriefFort Mears, built in 1940–1941 on Amaknak Island near Unalaska, was an Army installation that endured the first aerial bombardment of the American continent when Japanese carrier aircraft attacked on June 3–4, 1942, killing 43 American servicemen. The fort protected coastal approaches to Dutch Harbor and housed nearly 10,000 troops at peak strength before being abandoned after the war.

Coastal defense

History & Significance

Fort Mears served as the western anchor of U.S. Army coastal defenses in the Aleutian Islands during World War II. Construction began in July 1940 and was completed by September 1941 under the direction of the Siems-Drake-Puget Sound Construction Company.

The installation housed barracks, supply facilities, and artillery positions on Margaret Bay and the surrounding terrain of Amaknak Island. When Japanese carrier aircraft under Rear Admiral Kakuji Kakuta attacked Dutch Harbor on June 3–4, 1942, Fort Mears absorbed significant damage from bombing and strafing.

The assault killed 43 American service members and wounded approximately 50 others, making it the opening action of the Aleutian Islands Campaign. At its operational peak in 1943, the fort anchored a complex of four Army forts (Mears, Schwatka, Brumback, and Learnard) with more than 10,000 soldiers and airmen.

After the war, the fort was decommissioned in 1947 and declared surplus in 1952. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985, recognizing its significance to American military history on the home front.