Fort Schwatka

Fort Schwatka, named for Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka, stands at 897 feet elevation on Mount Ballyhoo's Ulakta Head—the highest coastal battery ever constructed in the United States. One of four coastal defense posts built in 1942–1943 to protect the Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base, the fort was urgently upgraded following the June 1942 attack on Dutch Harbor, completing construction by early 1944. At full development, the fort supported over 100 structures and approximately 250 soldiers. Congress designated the site as the Aleutian World War II National Historic Area in 1996 to preserve the history of this remote Pacific theater installation.