Another great adventure.
Unalaska is located on Unalaska Island and neighboring Amaknak Island in the Aleutian Islands off mainland Alaska. Dutch Harbor lies within the city limits of Unalaska and is connected by a bridge. In 1996 our small single engine turboprop Cessna 208 Caravan flew onto the short one runway Airport on the coast of the Bearing Sea. Shoved around by a strong crosswind made for an exciting landing, stopping just short of dropping into the sea.
I was there to engineer a seawater cooled heat exchanger system for a seafood processing plant. While walking around the town, I felt as if I stepped back in time. The Russian architectural influence in the town of 4000 people was evident by the impressive houses and buildings. But what caught my eye was Unalaska’s Holy Ascension Russian Orthodox Cathedral originally built in 1825. I was told it housed religious icons from Catherine the Great.
But what really piqued my interest was learning it was the only part of the continental US that was bombed in 1942 by Japanese Zeros during World War II in the Battle of Dutch Harbor. Remnants of the Armed Forces’ bunkers, Quonset huts, and barracks still exist.
I love history, and how the world is getting smaller.