Features: Exploring Attu’s Underwater Battlefield and Offshore Environment: NOAA Ocean Exploration

In this expedition feature, assistant professor of archaeology Bobbi Hornbeck describes her expedition experience.

Reflections from a Liminal Space: In Transit to the Fieldsite

October 25, 2024

In this expedition feature, assistant professor of archaeology Bobbi Hornbeck describes her expedition experience during the Exploring Attu’s Underwater Battlefield and Offshore Environment expedition this summer.

In this expedition feature, Sean Mack describes his expedition experience as a Cultural Liason.

A Unangan Perspective: Reflections from Sean Mack

October 25, 2024

In this expedition feature, Sean Mack describes his expedition experience as a cultural liaison during the Exploring Attu’s Underwater Battlefield and Offshore Environment expedition this summer.

In this expedition feature, Wolfgang Tutiakoff describes her expedition experience as a Cultural Liason. She was particularly interested in this project and the opportunity to observe and learn from researchers at East Carolina University due to her deep roots in the islands, innate appreciation for nature, and curiosity regarding yet-to-be documented history.

A Unangan Perspective: Reflections from Wolfgang Tutiakoff

October 24, 2024

In this expedition feature, Wolfgang Tutiakoff describes her expedition experience as a cultural liaison during the Exploring Attu’s Underwater Battlefield and Offshore Environment expedition this summer.

On June 7, 1942, in conjunction with the naval advance on Midway Island, the Japanese military landed on Attu (Atux̂) and quickly imprisoned the indigenous Unangax̂ population. The Aleutian natives were later sent to Otaru, Japan as prisoners of war (POWs), where they would remain for the duration of World War II.

Attu’s Wartime History

October 16, 2024

On June 7, 1942, in conjunction with the naval advance on Midway Island, the Japanese military landed on Attu (Atux̂) and quickly imprisoned the indigenous Unangax̂ population. The Aleutian natives were later sent to Otaru, Japan as prisoners of war (POWs), where they would remain for the duration of World War II.

The maritime history of Atux̂ (indigenous endonym for Attu) is not limited to World War II, as 3,000 years before the battle, ancestral Sasignan, likely from the Rat Islands to the east, came to the island via boats. They brought with them a several thousand year history of maritime focus and knowledge of seascapes that shaped individual and community identities for all Unangax̂ (indigenous endonym for Aleut) past and present in the Aleutian Islands.

Pre-War Attu (Atux̂)

October 14, 2024

The maritime history of Atux̂ (indigenous endonym for Attu) is not limited to World War II, as 3,000 years before the battle, ancestral Sasignan, likely from the Rat Islands to the east, came to the island via boats. They brought with them a several thousand year history of maritime focus and knowledge of seascapes that shaped individual and community identities for all Unangax̂ (indigenous endonym for Aleut) past and present in the Aleutian Islands.

In the offshore environment of the Aleutian Islands, where there can often be a paucity of hard bottom substrate for settling larvae, shipwrecks often become areas of high biological diversity. The artificial substrate these shipwrecks provide can be home to many species of fish and mobile fauna, but also to deep-sea or cold-water corals.

Wreck Ecology

October 10, 2024

In the offshore environment of the Aleutian Islands, where there can often be a paucity of hard bottom substrate for settling larvae, shipwrecks often become areas of high biological diversity. The artificial substrate these shipwrecks provide can be home to many species of fish and mobile fauna, but also to deep-sea or cold-water corals.

The destructive images of shipwrecks and the nearly frozen-in-time Massacre Bay seafloor bring a physical realness to Attu’s wartime past that may help bring awareness to this oft-forgotten chapter of history.

What's Next?

October 4, 2024

The destructive images of shipwrecks and the nearly frozen-in-time Massacre Bay seafloor bring a physical realness to Attu’s wartime past that may help bring awareness to this oft-forgotten chapter of history.

This project seeks to bring attention to the World War II Battle of Attu (1943) through ocean research and exploration. Surveys of the seafloor will be executed using synthetic aperture sonar (SAS), an emergent form of marine remote sensing technology.

Mission Plan

September 26, 2024

This project seeks to bring attention to the World War II Battle of Attu (1943) through ocean research and exploration. Surveys of the seafloor will be executed using synthetic aperture sonar (SAS), an emergent form of marine remote sensing technology.