On May 11, 1943, American troops invaded Japanese-occupied Attu Island, now part of Alaska. Fearing a Russian invasion, the FBI and OSI went on to train island residents.
On May 11, 1943, American troops invaded Japanese-occupied Attu Island, now part of Alaska. Fearing a Russian invasion, the FBI and OSI went on to train island residents.
Researchers at East Carolina University have received more than $700,000 in grant funding to explore the site of the only World War II battle fought on North American soil.
“Exploring Attu’s Underwater Battlefield and Offshore Environment” will be led by Dominic Bush, a doctoral student in the coastal resource management program, and Assistant Professor of Maritime Studies Jason Raupp. The project, which will take place along the Alaskan island of Attu, is funded by a $707,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.
The project will survey the seabed surrounding the island to document underwater cultural heritage associated with the World War II battle that took on May 11-30, 1943.
“Being both the westernmost part of North America and the largest uninhabited island in the U.S., Attu presents an exciting but logistically challenging opportunity for research,” Raupp said. “Despite the battlefield’s recent incorporation into the Aleutian Islands WWII National Monument, it remains relatively unknown to the American public and is referred to as the ‘Forgotten Battle.’”
Field research for the project will take place next summer. It will utilize advanced marine survey technologies to document the cold-water marine environment and locate and record the remains of ships, aircraft and other military vehicles lost during the battle.
Bush’s interest in the Aleutians stems from the fact that she is part Native Aleut.
“My maternal grandmother is the daughter of a full-blooded Chugach woman and a Danish sailor,” Bush said. “I’ve been aware of my Aleutian heritage my entire life but was never told much about it. As the pandemic shut down everything, I decided to completely dedicate myself to learning everything I possibly could about the main WWII conflict in the Aleutians: the Battle of Attu.”
While some of the battle’s remains on the island have been documented, researchers say Attu’s underwater battlefield has been completely ignored. The new project seeks to bring together indigenous Alaskan history experts, maritime archaeologists, marine biologists and innovators in remote sensing technology to better understand the cultural and natural landscape of the waters around Attu.
