GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – The first underwater archaeology investigation in the waters off Attu Island was successfully completed by East Carolina University faculty and alumni from the maritime studies program.
The project took place from July 17th – 27th and was led by Dr. Dominic Bush, a recent alumnus of ECU’s coastal resources management program.
Attu is the ancestral home of the Saskinax̂ people which is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The island was the backdrop for the only World War II battle fought on North American soil.
U.S. and Japanese researchers searched the seafloor using a combination of synthetic aperture sonar along with a remotely operated vehicle from World Scan Project to detect and identify any remains of aircraft, ships or other submerged features.
The project resulted in three shipwrecks being found and identified. This marked the first time in eight decades three WWII-era vessels have been seen.
According to Bush and Raupp, the exceedingly high-resolution sonar enabled the identification of many smaller targets, most of which they said would be impossible to see using more traditional forms of remote sensing. They said the seafloor around Attu was littered with vestiges of World War II, including dozens of anchors, chains, mooring blocks and sunken buoys, as well as examples of materials used in base construction, such as timbers, piping and cable.
“Overall, the project marks the beginning of what is sure to be an increased focus on the oft-forgotten Aleutian Island campaign and by extension Alaska’s World War II history,” said Raupp.
The research team members will continue working to ensure the findings are properly shared with the public. The project was funded through grants from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration Ocean Exploration and the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program.