Fort Schwatka (Unalaska, Alaska)

Unalaska · Alaska · World War II

History & Significance

Fort Schwatka was constructed in 1940 to protect the Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base from a seaborne invasion fleet. Named for Lt. Frederick Schwatka, who conducted several military surveys in Alaska in the 1880s, the fort was one of four coastal defense posts built in 1942 and 1943 to protect the Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base.

Following the Japanese attack on Dutch Harbor in June 1942, the fort underwent a major upgrade completed by early 1944, eventually containing over 100 structures supporting two coast artillery units manning cannons and antiaircraft guns. An estimated 250 soldiers were stationed on the mountain, served by barracks, storehouses, a recreation center, officers club, Quonset huts, latrines, and administration buildings.

Battery 402 served as the centerpiece of the "iron ring" defense of Dutch Harbor, supplemented by Fort Learnard, Battery 298, installations on Amaknak Island, and Fort Brumback in Summer Bay. Engineers designed the concrete observation posts and command stations to withstand earthquakes and 100 mph winds.

Though many wooden structures have since collapsed, the gun mounts and lookouts remain among the most intact in the nation; the fort was largely abandoned by 1948. In 1996, Congress designated the Aleutian World War II National Historic Area to interpret and educate about the history of the Unangax̂ people and the Aleutian Islands in the defense of the United States in World War II.

Map

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Sources

• https://www.nps.gov/places/fort-schwatka.htm
• https://www.nps.gov/aleu/index.htm
• https://theclio.com/entry/110911
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleutian_World_War_II_National_Historic_Area

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