- Northern Pacific Wanderings 2024 — here we go!
- Enjoying a few days in Hong Kong
- A day in Kaohsiung and Tainan, Taiwan
- A quick trip to the Penghu Islands
- Two Days in Taipei, Taiwan
- Naha, Okinawa
- Two days in Beijing
- Two days in Incheon and Seoul, South Korea
- Jeju Island, Korea
- Busan, Korea in a day!
- Nagasaki, Japan
- Arita, Japan
- Miyajima and Hiroshima, Japan
- Kyoto’s Bamboo Forest and Rock Garden
- Matsushima, Japan
- Hakadote, Japan
- Kushiro, Japan
- Dutch Harbor….er, Unalaska, Alaska
- Kodiak, AK
- Homer, AK
- Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, AK
- Sitka, AK
- Klawock and Craig, AK
- A Nanaimo, BC, Canada drive by
- Vancouver BC, end of trip, and final thoughts
It’s been seven days since we left Japan, traveling across the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea, and today we arrived in Dutch Harbor. No, that’s not the name of the town that you may have learned watching “Deadliest Catch” — it’s actually Unalaska (Dutch Harbor is just the harbor’s name). Well, to be totally accurate, it is a combination of Unalaska and Amaknak Islands, that are connected by a bridge. This is the largest population center (just over 4,200) and the only deepwater port in the Aleutians. And, as you probably remember from the Discovery Channel, it’s the top commercial fishing port in the US. Because of that fact, Unalaska can be pretty hopping during the various fishing seasons, but other than a little Spring King Salmon trolling, the real season doesn’t start opening up until a few weeks from now. Consequently, the town was pretty much closed up. Luckily, the ship was able to contact the port authority to see if they could get a few things opened up for us and they were happy to do so. We were the only cruise ship in town.
Probably the most interesting thing we wanted to see was the Aleutian World War II National Historic Area that is dedicated to the “Forgotten War.” “Forgotten War?” Did you know that the Japanese bombed Dutch Harbor in the Battle of Dutch Harbor in June 1942 where we lost 43 servicemen and a number of aircraft, buildings, etc.? Did you know that they also occupied two other Aleutian Islands (Kiska and Attu) and took the residents back to Japan as POWs? Neither did I. First it was the Pig War on San Juan Island and now the Forgotten War — I think they skipped over a few things in school! Luckily, the US had been sufficiently concerned about Japan’s intentions in the region, that they started building military installations here in 1940. In fact, construction was completed just three months before Pearl Harbor. It was these attacks that raised the concern about a potential Japanese attack on the west coast of the “Lower 48.” Anyway, it was both enlightening and sobering to see what occurred here as part of the war with the Japanese. There are still a number of military artifacts that we could visit, including Bunker Hill, a coastal battery that was fortified with 155 mm guns, ammo magazines, water tanks, Quonset huts, and a command post. While only a mile walk each way, the wind and the cold made the journey pretty exciting! I have to admit, though, the views were fantastic.
The other prominent landmark we visited was the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Ascension of Christ. It is the oldest cruciform-style cathedral in North America and the oldest Russian-built church still standing in Alaska. In addition to the traditional onion-shaped domes on the church, there are nearly 700 pieces of art, ranging from icons and books to the largest collection of 19th-century paintings in Alaska. The graveyard was badly maintained, but some of the dates on the markers address how long this church has been here. While certainly not the only one, seeing a bald eagle relaxing on top of the church steeple was pretty impressive. We also drove to the nearby memorial park to see the graves that dot the hills above the harbor.
As we were driving around the island, we couldn’t help notice boats of the fishing fleet that were making preparations for the crab and fishing seasons to start. There is an interesting combination of boats here — some are home-ported in Dutch Harbor and crews fly up to man them for the season and other boats make the trip up from as far away as Seattle, catching different types of fish, crabs, etc. as the season allows. Seeing the stacks upon stacks of crab traps and fishing nets really gave a sense for just how big the industry is here.
This was a very interesting stop. Now we are off to Kodiak, AK!
This entry was posted in Alaska, Cruising, Travel, United States
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
