Fort Mears

Fort Mears (1941-1945) - A World War II U.S. Army Coastal Fort first established in 1941 in Dutch Harbor, Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska. Named Fort Mears on 10 Sep 1941 after Colonel Frederick Mears, who helped develop the Alaska Railroad system. Abandoned in 1945. Fort Mears Garrison #1 Cantonment Area at Margaret Bay after Abandonment. World War II (1941-1945) Part of the Harbor Defense of Dutch Harbor. Dutch Harbor was a protected harbor in Unalaska Bay on Amaknak Island in the Aleutian Islands. Unalaska Bay was formed at the northern end of the much larger Unalaska Island. The Harbor Defenses of Dutch Harbor concentrated their large caliber guns on the entrance to Unalaska Bay. AMTB Batteries protected the Dutch Harbor entrance. Construction on Fort Mears began in Dutch Harbor in 1940 and was completed in 1941 with the first U.S. Army troops arriving in June 1941. The Army facilities were colocated with the Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base and as the mission grew each expanded to fill the limited available space. Fort Mears served as the headquarters and garrison for the coastal defenses of Dutch Harbor and they established a number of garrisons to support the Army functions around the island and to place it's personnel closer to the coastal gun batteries under construction. The Navy section was concerned with port operation facilities and an air operation mission that included seaplanes and later a small airstrip. Fort Mears World War II Battery (edit list) Battery Click on Battery links below No. Caliber Type Mount Service Years Battery Cost Notes Battery 155 - Hill 400 4 155mm Panama Mounts 1942-1943-1943-1944 $ ? Tac 2 Hill 400 Source: CDSG In June of 1942 Dutch Harbor was attacked by Japanese forces in a battle that lasted for two days. The battle began on 3 Jun 1942 with air attacks on Dutch Harbor. U.S. casualties included 43 killed. On 11 Aug 1942, the Army decided to turn Fort Mears over to the Navy and the Navy agreed to have the Seabees construct new facilities for the Army further south on Unalaska Island. Construction took some time, and the last of the army personnel did not leave Amaknak Island until March 1944. The new location retained the Fort Mears name. Sometime after the relocation of Fort Mears to the south started, the Army batteries and garrisons on the northern end of Amaknak Island became physically isolated from Fort Mears and those facilities were organized into what became Fort Schwatka‎ Fort Mears was abandoned at the end of the war. Fort Mears Commanders List (edit list) Assumed Relieved Rank Name Cullum Notes 1941-05-08 1941-10-03 Lt Colonel Hallowell, Henry P. N/A 1941-10-04 1943-07-03 Brig General Colladay, Edgar B. N/A 1943-07-04 1943-07-10 Colonel Robertson, E. C. N/A 1943-07-11 1943-10-08 Brig General Colladay, Edgar B. N/A 1943-10-09 1943-11-29 Colonel Robertson, E. C. N/A 1943-11-30 1944-04-17 Brig General Longino, Olin H. N/A 1944-04-18 1944-04-30 Colonel Snell, Verne C. N/A 1944-05-01 Colonel Parmalee, A.L. N/A Dates are formatted in yyyy-mm-dd to sort correctly. The Cullum Number is the graduation order from the United States Military Academy by year and class rank and links to a page for the officer on the website version of the Cullum Register. Listings without a Cullum Number indicate that the person was not a graduate of the United States Military Academy. Current Status Some remains in Dutch Harbor, Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska. Fort Mears Stockade Fort Mears Stockade Guard Tower Fort Mears Joint Naval Command Yard Arm Mt. Ballyhoo Barracks Mt. Ballyhoo Barracks Mt. Ballyhoo Barracks Air Operations Building Bachelor Officers Quarters Power Station Interior of Power Station {"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"} Location: Dutch Harbor, Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska. Maps & Images Lat: 53.88750 Long: -166.54167 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 52' GPS Locations: 53.88750, -166.54167 Fort Mears 53.87573, -166.55771 Battery 155 - Hill 400 See Also: Fort Schwatka‎ Battery 155 - Hill 400 Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 23-24 U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project Harbor Defenses of Dutch Harbor, (SRHDDH), 1944, CDSG CDSG USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 2365029 Links: North American Forts - Fort Mears Wikipedia - Fort Mears The attack on Fort Mears as told in The Navy's Air War (by the Navy's Aviation History Unit) Visited: No