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Aleutian Islands
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In 1985, as part of the World War II Pacific Theme Study, the Secretary of the Interior designated both Attu Battlefield & Airfields and Kiska Island National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) to commemorate the Allied-Japanese campaigns of 1942-43.
The original NHL studies needed further documentation, particularly the underwater sites, and in 1989 the SRC (then SCRU) in cooperation with the US Navy, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and other governmental agencies conducted a three-week underwater archeological survey of Kiska Harbor and a terrestrial survey of land-based WWII artifacts. Diving and land survey operations were conducted from the USS Safeguard (ARS-50) which was assigned to the project by the Pacific Fleet along with a contingent of divers from Mobile Diving Salvage Unit One in Pearl Harbor.
Project objectives were to systematically survey, locate and nondestructively evaluate submerged WWII remains in the Aleutians (those not addressed in the original NHL designation studies) and to conduct additional inventory and documentation of terrestrial sites within the two NHLs.
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| The first site investigated was the Nissan Maru, a 427-foot, 6,800-ton merchant vessel that was carrying fuel and other supplies when sunk by US bombers on June 19, 1942. The ship is important because it is the only vessel representative of the original Japanese occupying force remaining in Kisa Harbor. The vessel was sunk by high-altitude bombers, its loss confirmed by the first US photographic reconnaissance of the Japanese occupation on June 21. Although the vessel burned after being hit amidships, evidence of its cargo still remained. |
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One of the more interesting finds was a medium size Japanese submarine. Field measurements indicated it was most probably RO-65, likely sunk by an American bomber September 28, 1942. Contemporary Japanese accounts claimed the sub was lost by accident while diving to escape the air strike. The forward torpedo-loading hatch was open and when a SRC archeologist entered to video the sub's interior, a 21-inch torpedo was discovered, still in place.
In addition to sunken sites, there were exposed vessels along the shore. A two-man, Type A midget submarine remains on its launching blocks in the sub pens. This is the same type of midget sub involved in the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The sub is well preserved considering internal demolition charges and fifty years of exposure to weather and souvenir hunters.
During the course of the project, 25 side-scan targets were located. Fewer than half were dived upon. Additional sites located included landing craft, likely both Japanese and US; dump sites containing numerous 3-inch shells and other debris; and aircraft wreckage, one of which may be a B-17. Additional survey and documentation work was strongly recommended by SRC to complete underwater archeological commemoration of the forgotten war of the Aleutian Campaign.
- 1989Survey of underwater components of WWII sites in Kiska Harbor in the Aleutian Islands, conducted in association with USFWS, US Navy and included terrestrial survey personnel. Daniel Lenihan was project director, Larry Murphy operations officer and Susan Morton was NPS coordinator of terrestrial team. Mike Boylan was liaison for the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
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References:
- Lenihan, Daniel, 2002, Chapter 18 in Submerged: Adventures of Americas Most Elite Underwater Archeology Team. Newmarket Press, New York.
- Murphy, Larry and Daniel Lenihan, 1995, Recent Archeological Investigations of WWII Materials in Kiska Harbor, Aleutian Islands in Alaska at War 1941-1945: The Forgotten War Remembered edited by Fern Chandonnet
- Daniel J Lenihan, 1992, Aleutian Affair in Natural History Vol.101, No.6, June 1992.
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Related Links
Alaska at War 1941-1945: The Forgotten war Remembered
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