dutch harbor
history
Dutch harbor was discovered by Russian commander Druzhinin. It is located on Amaknak Island in the Aleutian Chain of Alaska and is a natural port for harboring ships from the Bering Sea. From 1799 through the mid-1800s, the Russian-American Company operated a trade port for fur and transportation of goods. After Russian sold Alaska to the United States in 1867, the Hutchinson, Kohl, and Company took control of the port in 1867. They sold it to the Alaska Commercial Company in 1867. Potential prospectors entered the harbor in 1897 in search for gold. During Wold War II, Dutch Harbor served as a supply station and base fo the U.S Army and Navy. The first army troops arrived in June 1941 and the navy finished its air base in September 1941. In 1942, intelligence officers warned Dutch Harbor that an attack was possible and on June 3, 1942, 20 Japanese planes bombed Dutch Harbor, targeting the radio stations and petroleum storage tanks. The base was decommissioned in 1947 when the last units of the U.S Navy left the harbor. During the mid-1982, the U.S. government funded a cleanup and the air base was scrapped. The area was then turned over for commercial use. As of 2005, Dutch Harbor has become known for the show Deadliest Catch airing on the discovery channel.