Exploration of Alaska’s World War II Submerged Heritage: The Kotahira Maru and SS Dellwood Wreck Sites off Attu Island

In June 1942, imperial Japan captured the Aleutian Islands of Attu and Kiska, marking the first and only time since the War of 1812 that United States territory in North America was occupied by a foreign power. The following year saw the imprisonment of Attu’s indigenous Saskinax̂ population, the United States’ effort to expel the invading forces, and the eventual recapture of the two islands. Over eight decades later, however, the story of Attu, and by extension the entire North Pacific theatre of World War II, remains an oft-forgotten chapter of history. In an effort to rectify this situation, the first systematic survey of Attu’s underwater cultural heritage was conducted using a combination of synthetic aperture sonar and underwater video. Among the most significant findings were the discovery of two wartime shipwreck sites, the Japanese army transport Kotohira Maru and the American cable-layer SS Dellwood. The documentation of these sunken vessels not only sheds light on their final moments, but it can also be used to bring renewed awareness of Alaska’s World War II history and inform cultural resource managers on Attu’s submerged heritage.