View source for Attu Island

{{Short description|Uninhabited island in Alaska}}
{{merge from|Cooper Islands|date=October 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{more citations needed|date = March 2018}}
{{Infobox islands
|name             =Attu
|image_name       =Attu sat.jpg
|image_caption    =Attu Island
|image_size       =250px
| map_image       = AKMap-doton-AttuStation.PNG
|native_name      =''Atan''
|native_name_link =Aleut language
|nickname         =
|location         =
|coordinates      ={{coord|52|54|09|N|172|54|34|E|scale:1000000|display=inline,title}}
|archipelago      =[[Near Islands]] group of the [[Aleutian Islands]]
|total_islands    =
|major_islands    =
|area_sqmi        = 344.7
|length_mi        = 35
|width_mi         = 20
|highest_mount    = Attu Mountain
|elevation_ft     = 2946
|country          =United States
|country_admin_divisions_title     =State
|country_admin_divisions           =[[Alaska]]
|country_admin_divisions_title_1   =Census Area
|country_admin_divisions_1         =[[Aleutians West Census Area]]
|country_admin_divisions_title_2   =
|country_admin_divisions_2         =
|country_largest_city              =
|country_largest_city_population   =
|population       = 0
|population_as_of = 2011
|density_km2      =
|ethnic_groups    =
|additional_info  =
}}
'''Attu''' ({{langx|ale|Atan}},<ref name="Bergsland">{{cite book|title=Aleut Dictionary|last=Bergsland|first=Knut|publisher=Alaska Native Language Center|year=1994|isbn=1-5550-0047-9|location=Fairbanks|author-link=Knut Bergsland}}</ref> {{langx|ru|Атту|link=no}}) is an island in the [[Near Islands]] (part of the [[Aleutian Islands]] chain).  It is one of the westernmost points of the U.S. state of [[Alaska]]. The island became uninhabited in 2010, making it the largest uninhabited island that is part of the United States politically.<ref name="publicbroadcasting.net">{{cite news |url=http://archive.kucb.org/news/article/alaska-coast-guard-says-goodbye-to-its-last-loran-station// |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625091725/http://archive.kucb.org/news/article/alaska-coast-guard-says-goodbye-to-its-last-loran-station// |url-status=dead|archive-date=June 25, 2017|title=Alaska Coast Guard says goodbye to its last LORAN station|publisher=Unalaska Community Broadcasting |work=KUCB News|date=August 27, 2010}} (archived June 25, 2017)</ref>

In the chain of the Aleutians, the islands immediately to the west of Attu are the Russian [[Commander Islands]], {{convert|208|mi|nmi km}} away (and on the other side of the International Date Line). Attu is nearly {{convert|1100|mi|nmi km}} from the Alaskan mainland and {{convert|750|mi|nmi km}} northeast of the northernmost of the [[Kuril Islands]] of Russia, as well as being {{convert|1500|mi|nmi km}} from [[Anchorage]], {{convert|2000|mi|nmi km}} from Alaska's capital of [[Juneau]], and {{convert|4845|mi|nmi km}} from [[New York City]]. Attu is about {{convert|20|by|35|mi}} in size with a land area of {{convert|344.7|sqmi}}, making it [[List of islands of the United States by area|#23 on the list of largest islands in the United States]].

[[Attu Station]], a former Coast Guard [[LORAN]] station, is located at {{coord|52|51|N|173|11|E|display=inline}}, making it one of the [[List of extreme points of the United States|westernmost points of the United States]] relative to the rest of the country. (Technically it is in the Eastern Hemisphere, being on the opposite side of the [[180th meridian|180° longitude line]] from the contiguous 48 states, and thus can also be considered one of the easternmost points of the country; a second Aleutian Island, [[Semisopochnoi Island]] at 179°46{{prime}}E, is the easternmost location in the United States by this definition. For purposes of calendar date, the [[International Date Line]], however, passes to the west of Attu Island, making it the westernmost place in the United States with the same date.)

Although Attu Island is the westernmost body of land east of the International Date Line, its [[Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone|time zone]] is the same as other western Aleutian Islands, UTC−10, which means that locations to the south-southeast (such as the uninhabited [[Baker Island]] and [[Howland Island]] in UTC−12 and [[Niue]], [[Midway Atoll]] and [[American Samoa]] in UTC −11) have earlier clocks.

The population in the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]] was 20 people, all at the Attu Station, though all inhabitants left the island later that year when the station closed. It then became the largest uninhabited island in the United States.

The [[Battle of Attu]] was the only [[World War II]] land battle fought in territory that is now part of a U.S. state.<ref name="DDG">{{cite web|url=https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-aleutian-islands|title=Battle of the Aleutian Islands |website=history.com |date=November 17, 2009 |access-date=2021-11-12|archive-date=2021-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211112043635/https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-aleutian-islands|url-status=live}}</ref> The battlefield site is a U.S. [[National Historic Landmark]]. In 1982, the only significant trees on the island were those planted by American soldiers at a chapel constructed after the 1943 battle when the Japanese occupation was over;<ref name="nrhpinv2"/> they have since gone.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://davidtewes.com/1944/01/01/attu-alaska |title=Google satellite imagery; for the location of the Hogback, see |date=January 21, 2020 |access-date=2021-04-18 |archive-date=2021-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420051701/https://davidtewes.com/1944/01/01/attu-alaska/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== History ==
The name ''Attu'' is the [[Aleut language|Unangan language]] (Aleut) name for the island. Research of the large number of archaeological sites on the island suggests an estimated [[precontact]] population ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 [[Unangan]] (Aleut).<ref>{{Cite book|title=Human Impacts on Ancient Marine Ecosystems: A Global Perspective|last1=Corbett|first1=Debra G.|last2=Causey|first2=Douglas|last3=Clementz|first3=Mark|last4=Koch|first4=Paul L.|last5=Doroff|first5=Angela|last6=Lefèvre|first6=Christine|last7=West|first7=Dixie|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|year=2008|isbn=978-0-5202-5343-8|editor-last=Rick|editor-first=Torben C.|chapter=Aleut Hunters, Sea Otters, and Sea Cows: THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF INTERACTIONS IN THE WESTERN ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA|display-authors=1|editor-last2=Erlandson|editor-first2=John M.}}</ref>

Attu, being the nearest of the Aleutian Islands to [[Kamchatka]], was the first of the islands exploited by [[Russians|Russian]] traders. Russian explorer [[Aleksei Chirikov]] called the island Saint Theodore in 1742.<ref>{{Cite GNIS|1416084|Attu Island}}</ref> Russians stayed on the island several years at a stretch to hunt [[sea otter]]s. The Russians often clashed with the local [[Aleut|Unangan people]]. After the initial wave of traders, European ships largely overlooked Attu.

===World War II===
{{see also|Battle of Attu|Aleutian Islands campaign}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name                 = Attu Battlefield and U.S. Army and Navy Airfields on Attu
| nrhp_type            = nhl
| image                =
| caption              =
| location             = Eastern part of Attu Island
| coordinates          = {{coord|52|53|26|N|173|04|29|E|display=inline}}
| locmapin             = Alaska
| area                 = {{convert|7000|acre|ha}}
| built                = 1942
| architect            =
| architecture         =
| designated_nrhp_type = February 4, 1985<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1909&ResourceType=Site|title=Attu Battlefield and U.S. Army and Navy Airfields on Attu|access-date=2008-01-08|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service|archive-date=2007-07-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070728062919/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1909&ResourceType=Site|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| added                = February 4, 1985
| refnum               = 85002729<ref name="nris">{{NRISref |refnum=85002729|2007a}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Attu village 1937.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Attu village in June 1937]]

The [[Aleut]]s were the primary inhabitants of the island prior to [[World War II]]. On June 7, 1942, six months after the Japanese [[attack on Pearl Harbor]], the 301st Independent Infantry Battalion of the Japanese Northern Army landed on the island without opposition, one day after landing on nearby [[Kiska]] to the east, which made Attu the second of the only two invasion sites on territory belonging to the United States soil during the war.<ref name="DDG"/>

American authorities had previously evacuated about 880 Aleuts from villages elsewhere in the Aleutian Islands to the [[Alaska Panhandle]],{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} where about 75 of them died of various infectious diseases over two years.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} Attu Village had not yet been evacuated when the Japanese invaded. At the time, the population consisted of 45 native Aleuts and two white Americans, [[Charles Foster Jones]] (1879–1942), a radio technician, originally from [[St. Paris, Ohio]], and his wife Etta (1879–1965), a schoolteacher, originally from [[Vineland, New Jersey]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Last Letters from Attu: The True Story of Etta Jones, Alaska Pioneer and Japanese POW|last=Breu|first=Mary|publisher=[[Alaska Northwest Books]]|year=2009|isbn=978-0-8824-0810-1}}</ref> The village consisted of several houses around [[Chichagof Harbor]]. The 41 Attu inhabitants who survived the Japanese invasion were taken to a prison camp near [[Otaru]], [[Hokkaidō]]. Twenty-two<ref>[https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/descendant-of-last-native-leader-of-alaska-island-demands-japanese-reparations-for-1942-invasion/ar-AA1vAJjA?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=46baf9dd3cd64751f1f3f873fb4dd42b&ei=15 Descendant of last native leader of Alaska island demands Japanese reparations for 1942 invasion December 12,2024]</ref><ref name=":0" /> of them died while they were imprisoned. Mr. Jones, 63, was killed by the Japanese forces almost immediately after the invasion. Mrs. Jones, 63, was subsequently taken to the Bund Hotel in [[Yokohama]], Japan, which also housed Australian prisoners of war from the [[Battle of Rabaul (1942)|1942 Battle of Rabaul]] in [[Papua New Guinea]].  Later, Mrs. Jones and the Australian prisoners were held at the Yokohama Yacht Club from 1942 to 1944, and then at the [[Totsuka-ku, Yokohama|Totsuka]] prisoner of war camp until their release in August 1945. Mrs. Jones died in December 1965 at age 86 in [[Bradenton, Florida]].<ref name=":0" />

Before the Attu villagers were returned to the U.S., the American government stated publicly that it was not aware of their status.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1943/08/08/page/13/article/attu-mystery-what-happened-to-45-indians|title=Attu Mystery: What Happened to 45 Indians?|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=1943-08-08|page=13|access-date=2017-03-11|archive-date=2017-03-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313043114/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1943/08/08/page/13/article/attu-mystery-what-happened-to-45-indians/|url-status=live}} – [http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1943/08/08/page/13/large.jpg Page view] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170311200737/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1943/08/08/page/13/large.jpg |date=2017-03-11 }}</ref>

According to Gen. [[Kiichiro Higuchi]], the Commander of the Japanese Northern Army, the invasion of Kiska and Attu was part of a threefold objective:<ref name="Mitchell_p2_3">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gz7GsH3Cai4C&q=080329557X&pg=PA88|title=The Capture of Attu: A World War II Battle As Told by the Men Who Fought There|last1=Mitchell|first1=Robert J.|last2=Tyng|first2=Sewell Tappan|last3=Drummond| first3=Nelson L. Jr. |last4=Urwin|first4=Gregory J. W.|date=April 2000|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|isbn=0-8032-9557-X|pages=2–3|access-date=2020-11-24|archive-date=2022-02-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220222201429/https://books.google.com/books?id=Gz7GsH3Cai4C&q=080329557X&pg=PA88|url-status=live}}</ref>
* To break up any offensives against Japan by way of the Aleutians.
* To place a barrier between the U.S. and Russia in case Russia decided to join the war against Japan.
* To make preparation for air bases for future offensive action.

In late September 1942, the Japanese garrison on Attu was transferred to Kiska, essentially leaving Attu unoccupied, but American forces made no attempt to reoccupy it at the time. On October 29, 1942, the Japanese reestablished a base on Attu at [[Holtz Bay]] under the command of Lt. Col. Hiroshi Yanekawa. Initially, the garrison was about 500 troops, but through reinforcements, that number reached about 2,300 by March 10, 1943. No more reinforcements arrived after that time, owing mainly to the efforts of the U.S. naval force under [[Rear Admiral]] [[Charles McMorris|Charles "Soc" McMorris]], and [[United States Navy]] submarines. McMorris had been assigned to interdict the Japanese supply and reinforcement convoys. After the sizable naval [[Battle of the Komandorski Islands]], the Japanese abandoned their attempts to resupply its Aleutian garrisons by surface ships. From then on, only submarines were used for the resupply runs.<ref name="Mitchell_p2_3"/>

[[File:US troops at the Battle of Attu.jpg|thumb|left|U.S. troops navigate snow and ice during the [[Battle of Attu]] in May 1943]]

On May 11, 1943, the American operation to recapture Attu began. A shortage of landing craft, unsuitable beaches, and equipment that failed to operate in the harsh weather caused great difficulties in projecting any force against the Japanese. Many soldiers suffered from frostbite because essential supplies could not be landed, or having been landed, could not be moved to where they were needed. Army vehicles would not work on the tundra. The Japanese defenders under Colonel [[Yasuyo Yamasaki]] did not contest the landings, but dug in on high ground away from the shore. This led to bloody fighting: there were 3,929 U.S. casualties: 549 were killed, 1,148 were injured, 1,200 had severe cold injuries, 614 succumbed to infectious diseases, and 318 died of miscellaneous causes – largely from Japanese booby traps and from [[friendly fire]]. The Japanese were defeated in Massacre Valley. The death count for the Japanese was 2,035. The Americans then built "Navy Town" near [[Massacre Bay (Alaska)|Massacre Bay]].

On May 29, the last of the Japanese forces suddenly attacked near Massacre Bay in one of the largest [[banzai charge]]s of the Pacific campaign. The charge, led by Colonel Yamasaki, penetrated U.S. lines far enough to encounter shocked rear-echelon units of the American force. After furious, brutal, close-quarter, and often [[hand-to-hand combat]], the Japanese force was killed almost to the last man: only 28 prisoners were taken, none of them officers. U.S. burial teams counted 2,351 Japanese dead, but it was presumed that hundreds more had been buried by naval, air, and artillery bombardments over the course of the battle.

The Japanese Navy, realizing that their position was now untenable, evacuated Kiska three months later.

The [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) built a larger airfield, the [[Alexai Point Army Airfield]], and then used it on July 10, 1943, as the base for an air attack on the Japanese-held [[Kurile Islands]], now part of Russia. This was the first air attack on the Japanese "homelands" since the famous [[Doolittle Raid]] in 1942. Other attacks followed.<ref name="nrhpinv2"/>

On April 11, 1945, in a period of only two hours, at least nine Japanese [[incendiary balloon]]s sent to [[Fu-Go balloon bomb|start forest fires]] in the [[United States West Coast]] were intercepted and shot down near Attu by USAAF [[P-38 Lightning]] aircraft.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theintell.com/entertainmentlife/20171104/jonas-these-world-war-ii-balloon-terror-bombs-still-threaten-america|title=Jonas: These World War II balloon terror bombs still threaten America|author=Jerry Jonas|newspaper=[[The Intelligencer (Doylestown, Pennsylvania)|The Intelligencer]]|date=November 4, 2017|access-date=May 30, 2019|archive-date=May 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530203528/https://www.theintell.com/entertainmentlife/20171104/jonas-these-world-war-ii-balloon-terror-bombs-still-threaten-america|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Postwar===
[[File:Attu peace monument.jpg|thumb|The Second World War peace memorial on Attu Island]]
After the war, the survivors of the Otaru prison camp were shipped to other Aleutian islands or to the mainland of Alaska. The US government did not allow them to return, despite their intense desire to do so.<ref>Kohlhoff, Dean: When the Wind was a River. Seattle and London, University of Washington Press, 1995; and Oliver, Ethel Ross: Journal of an Aleutian Year. Seattle and London, University of Washington Press, 1988</ref> The United States government decided to construct a [[LORAN]] station on the southern tip of Attu, at Theodore Point. This installation was staffed by about twenty members of the [[United States Coast Guard]]. The equipment to build the station came out of Holtz Bay and was ferried on barges and landing craft to Baxter Cove, about one mile east of the station. Bulldozers were used to cut a road from Baxter Cove to Theodore Point.

In 1954, the station was moved to [[Casco Cove Coast Guard Station|Casco Cove]], near the former Navy Base at Massacre Bay. In 1960, it was moved to Massacre Bay.

The island previously had scheduled airline service to and from [[Anchorage]] (ANC) flown by [[Reeve Aleutian Airways]] (RAA) which in 1976 was operating two direct flights a week between ANC and Attu with [[Lockheed L-188 Electra]] turboprop aircraft via an en route stop either at [[Adak Airport]] or [[Shemya]] island in the Aleutian Islands.<ref>Feb. 1, 1976 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Attu flight schedules</ref>  At the time, the airport on Attu was the westernmost airfield located in the U.S. to have scheduled passenger airline service.

In 1984, the "392" exchange in the 907 area code, which includes Attu (and whose rate center is on nearby Shemya Island), became the last telephone exchange in the United States to be upgraded to dial service.  Prior to that, all telephone calls to and from that exchange could only be placed with the assistance of an operator.

The battlefield area and subsequent military sites were declared a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1985.<ref name="nrhpinv2">{{Cite journal |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Attu Battlefield and U.S. Army and Navy Airfields on Attu (partial scanned copy)|url={{NHLS url|id=85002729}} |format=PDF |publisher=National Park Service |journal=National Register of Historic Places |access-date=June 22, 2009}} and {{NHLS url|id=85002729|title=''Accompanying photos from 1943, 1982, and 1983.''|photos=y}}&nbsp;{{small|(2.58&nbsp;MB)}}</ref><ref name="nhlsum"/> The battlefield is now part of [[Aleutian Islands World War II National Monument]].

In 1987, with the approval of the [[U.S. Department of the Interior]], the government of Japan placed a monument on Engineer Hill, site of the hand-to-hand finale of the battle against the Japanese. An inscription, in Japanese and English, reads: "In memory of all those who sacrificed their lives in the islands and seas of the North Pacific during World War II and in dedication to world peace."

In July 2007, the boots and foot bones of a Japanese soldier were found on the island, and on May&nbsp;23, 2008, the remains of two more Japanese soldiers were discovered by U.S. Coast Guard [[Petty Officer 3rd Class]] Richard Brahm, a public affairs specialist who was a documentarian for the remains recovery team.<ref>[http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=109 Kodiak Coast Guardsman Helps Uncover Attu Remains] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402143623/http://www.kmxt.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=109 |date=2015-04-02 }}, KMXT-Radio(2008-05-29)</ref> More remains were located at the burial site, but were left untouched with plans to return at a later time and have them exhumed properly.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/03/aleutian.island.graves.ap/index.html |title=Japan seeks WWII soldiers' remains on U.S. soil |date=June 3, 2008 |work=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080604164614/http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/03/aleutian.island.graves.ap/index.html |archive-date=June 4, 2008 |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080604f2.html |title=U.S. helps search for Japanese dead on Attu |last=D'Oro |first=Rachel |date=June 4, 2008 |work=[[The Japan Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606131609/https://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080604f2.html |archive-date=June 6, 2011 |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref><ref>
{{Cite news
 | url = https://www.adn.com/2008/06/01/422945/searchers-find-japanese-remains.html
 | title = Searchers find Japanese remains on Attu Island|last=D'Oro
 | first = Rachel|date=June 1, 2008
 | work = [[Anchorage Daily News]]
 | access-date = March 25, 2013
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130516152350/https://www.adn.com/2008/06/01/422945/searchers-find-japanese-remains.html
 | archive-date = May 16, 2013
 | agency = [[Associated Press]]}}</ref>

On August 1, 2010, the United States Coast Guard LORAN station on Attu permanently ceased operation. On August 27, 2010, the station was decommissioned and the Coast Guard personnel left, leaving the island with no resident population.<ref name="publicbroadcasting.net"/>

On June 7, 2012, the 70th anniversary of the Japanese invasion, Senator [[Lisa Murkowski]] and [[United States Coast Guard]] [[Rear Admiral]] [[Thomas Ostebo]] travelled to Attu and dedicated a memorial to Attu Village, its residents who died in Japanese captivity, and the survivors who were unable to return.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thedutchharborfisherman.com/article/1235memorial_placed_in_attu_honoring_villagers|title=Memorial placed in Attu honoring villagers|last1=Paulin|first1=Jim|date=August 31, 2012|work=The Bristol Bay Times|access-date=April 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029080748/http://www.thedutchharborfisherman.com/article/1235memorial_placed_in_attu_honoring_villagers|archive-date=October 29, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2015, Attu Island was visited by pilot and world circumnavigator [[Michael Smith (aviator)|Michael Smith]]. The island was a crucial refueling stop for Smith as he made his way from Adak island in the Aleutian Islands to Japan. As the island is uninhabited, he had to first fly containers of fuel there and then return as part of the journey from Adak to Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southernsun.voyage/story/|title=STORY|website=Voyage of the Southern Sun|access-date=October 4, 2017|archive-date=October 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004090139/http://www.southernsun.voyage/story/|url-status=live}}</ref> He was advised against staying overnight as there are large rats on the island.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/whats-on-sydney/plane-sailing-with-an-aussie-adventurer-20170822-gy1qv5.html |title=Plane sailing with an Aussie adventurer|last=Elphick|first=Nicole|date=August 27, 2017|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|access-date=October 4, 2017|archive-date=October 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005065529/http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/whats-on-sydney/plane-sailing-with-an-aussie-adventurer-20170822-gy1qv5.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

After three months of efforts in digging up and removing contaminated soil from the island in the summer of 2016 via funding from the [[Formerly Used Defense Sites]] program, it was expected that further efforts would be required to finish the environmental clean up of the island.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/3UJ4_TxuwM8 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200628111105/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UJ4_TxuwM8&app=desktop Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UJ4_TxuwM8|title=Frontiers 66: The Uncovered History of Alaska's Attu Island|date=August 2, 2016 |via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 2017, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake had its epicenter west of Attu.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/russia-earthquake-today-magnitude-us-tsunami-warning-far-east-coast-kamchatka-peninsula-usgs-a7846351.html |title=Russia earthquake: Magnitude 7.8 quake off far east coastline triggers US tsunami warning |author=Samuel Osborne |date=18 July 2017 |work=www.independent.co.uk |access-date=28 March 2023}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 107
|1890= 101
|1930= 29
|1940= 44
|1980= 29
|2000= 20
|2010= 21
|estyear=2017
|estimate=0
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2016">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2016.html |title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates |access-date=June 9, 2017 |archive-date=June 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613152514/https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2016.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |title=Census of Population and Housing |publisher=Census.gov |access-date=June 4, 2015 |archive-date=July 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701194652/https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

Attu first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as the unincorporated Aleut village of "Attoo",<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://dggs.alaska.gov/webpubs/usgs/p/text/p0567.pdf |title=Dictionary of Alaska place names |last=Orth |first=Donald J. |publisher=[[U.S. Government Printing Office]] |year=1971 |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=2018-07-04 |archive-date=2019-04-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428061951/http://dggs.alaska.gov/webpubs/usgs/p/text/p0567.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> which at the time consisted of the village on western Chichagof Harbor. It had 107 residents, consisting of 74 Aleuts, 32 "Creoles" (mixed Russian and Native) and 1 White resident.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1880a_v1-17.pdf |title=Areas, dwellings and families |date=1880 |website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2018-03-14 |archive-date=2017-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817184721/https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1880a_v1-17.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1890, it appeared as Attu.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1890a_v8-01.pdf |title=Population and resources of Alaska at the 11th census |date=1890 |website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2022-02-26 |archive-date=2017-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829123830/https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1890a_v8-01.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> It did not return again on the census until 1930.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/00476569ch2.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2019-10-14 |archive-date=2017-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829115400/https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/00476569ch2.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> It appeared on the 1940 census,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/33973538v1ch11.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2019-10-14 |archive-date=2017-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829194003/https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/33973538v1ch11.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> two years before the Japanese invasion of the village and island. It did not return again until 1980, when it consisted of the naval station residents at Massacre Bay, and was made a census-designated place (CDP).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_akABCD-01.pdf |title=Number of inhabitants, Alaska |date=May 1982 |website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2022-02-26 |archive-date=2019-10-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013095043/https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_akABCD-01.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> It did not return on the 1990 census.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cph5/cph-5-3.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2019-10-14 |archive-date=2020-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020144850/https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cph5/cph-5-3.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The name was changed to Attu Naval Station and redesignated a CDP in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/phc-1-3.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2019-10-14 |archive-date=2021-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318011024/https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/phc-1-3.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> It last appeared on the 2010 census,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-1-3.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2019-10-14 |archive-date=2019-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202175838/https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-1-3.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> just before the closure of the station in August that year and the departure of its remaining residents.

==Climate==
According to the [[Köppen climate classification]] system, Attu has a [[Oceanic climate|subpolar oceanic climate]] (''Cfc''; ''[[Subarctic climate|Dfc]]'' if the 0&nbsp;°C isotherm is used) closely bordering on a [[tundra climate]] (''ET''). The weather on Attu is typically cloudy, rainy, and foggy. High winds occur occasionally. Five or six days a week are likely to be rainy, and there are only about eight to ten clear days a year. The rest of the time, even if rain is not falling, fog of varying density is the rule rather than the exception. There are {{convert|39|-|49|in|mm}} of annual rainfall and other [[precipitation]], with the heaviest rains in the autumn and early winter. Due to the strong oceanic influence, Attu's climate is exceptionally mild for its latitude, with summers much cooler and winters much warmer than more continental locations.

{{Weather box
|location = Attu (1961–1990 normals, extremes 1917–1993)
|single line = Y
|collapsed = yes
|Jan record high F = 49
|Feb record high F = 51
|Mar record high F = 51
|Apr record high F = 53
|May record high F = 59
|Jun record high F = 64
|Jul record high F = 77
|Aug record high F = 77
|Sep record high F = 68
|Oct record high F = 61
|Nov record high F = 54
|Dec record high F = 49
|year record high F = 77
|Jan avg record high F = 40.1
|Feb avg record high F = 40.0
|Mar avg record high F = 41.5
|Apr avg record high F = 44.6
|May avg record high F = 50.1
|Jun avg record high F = 56.9
|Jul avg record high F = 62.3
|Aug avg record high F = 63.3
|Sep avg record high F = 59.7
|Oct avg record high F = 54.1
|Nov avg record high F = 46.5
|Dec avg record high F = 41.1
|year avg record high F = 65.5
|Jan high F = 34.7
|Feb high F = 33.9
|Mar high F = 36.1
|Apr high F = 39.1
|May high F = 43.3
|Jun high F = 48.5
|Jul high F = 53.1
|Aug high F = 55.3
|Sep high F = 52.9
|Oct high F = 47.2
|Nov high F = 40.0
|Dec high F = 35.6
|year high F = 43.3
|Jan mean F = 30.7
|Feb mean F = 30.0
|Mar mean F = 32.2
|Apr mean F = 35.4
|May mean F = 39.3
|Jun mean F = 44.2
|Jul mean F = 48.8
|Aug mean F = 50.8
|Sep mean F = 48.4
|Oct mean F = 42.2
|Nov mean F = 35.5
|Dec mean F = 31.7
|year mean F = 39.1
|Jan low F = 26.7
|Feb low F = 26.1
|Mar low F = 28.2
|Apr low F = 31.6
|May low F = 35.2
|Jun low F = 39.9
|Jul low F = 44.4
|Aug low F = 46.2
|Sep low F = 43.9
|Oct low F = 37.2
|Nov low F = 30.9
|Dec low F = 27.7
|year low F = 34.8
|Jan avg record low F = 17.4
|Feb avg record low F = 17.6
|Mar avg record low F = 18.9
|Apr avg record low F = 23.1
|May avg record low F = 28.9
|Jun avg record low F = 34.7
|Jul avg record low F = 39.2
|Aug avg record low F = 39.0
|Sep avg record low F = 36.5
|Oct avg record low F = 30.1
|Nov avg record low F = 22.3
|Dec avg record low F = 17.3
|year avg record low F = 13.0
|Jan record low F = 5
|Feb record low F = 7
|Mar record low F = 4
|Apr record low F = 12
|May record low F = 15
|Jun record low F = 23
|Jul record low F = 27
|Aug record low F = 28
|Sep record low F = 20
|Oct record low F = 19
|Nov record low F = 12
|Dec record low F = 2
|year record low F = 2
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.64
|Feb precipitation inch = 3.30
|Mar precipitation inch = 3.06
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.09
|May precipitation inch = 2.50
|Jun precipitation inch = 2.59
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.00
|Aug precipitation inch = 5.47
|Sep precipitation inch = 5.80
|Oct precipitation inch = 5.30
|Nov precipitation inch = 4.37
|Dec precipitation inch = 4.16
|year precipitation inch = 47.28
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 inch
|Jan precipitation days = 16.4
|Feb precipitation days = 15.4
|Mar precipitation days = 16.2
|Apr precipitation days = 13.4
|May precipitation days = 11.1
|Jun precipitation days = 9.7
|Jul precipitation days = 11.6
|Aug precipitation days = 14.3
|Sep precipitation days = 15.7
|Oct precipitation days = 18.4
|Nov precipitation days = 16.7
|Dec precipitation days = 15.1
|year precipitation days = 174.0
|Jan snow inch = 15.8
|Feb snow inch = 17.5
|Mar snow inch = 11.5
|Apr snow inch = 3.7
|May snow inch = 0.6
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.7
|Nov snow inch = 8.7
|Dec snow inch = 13.1
|year snow inch = 71.6
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 10.3
|Feb snow days = 13.0
|Mar snow days = 8.8
|Apr snow days = 3.1
|May snow days = 0.3
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.6
|Nov snow days = 5.7
|Dec snow days = 8.0
|year snow days = 49.8
|Jan snow depth inch = 12.8
|Feb snow depth inch = 15.4
|Mar snow depth inch = 16.8
|Apr snow depth inch = 8.3
|May snow depth inch = 1.8
|Jun snow depth inch = 0.0
|Jul snow depth inch = 0.0
|Aug snow depth inch = 0.0
|Sep snow depth inch = 0.0
|Oct snow depth inch = 0.2
|Nov snow depth inch = 3.8
|Dec snow depth inch = 6.2
|year snow depth inch = 22.8
|source 1 = [[Western Regional Climate Center]] (average temperature and precipitation)<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ak0452
|title = ATTU, AK (500452)
|access-date = November 18, 2015
|publisher = Western Regional Climate Center
|archive-date = November 19, 2015
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151119230953/http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ak0452
|url-status = live}}</ref>
|source 2 = XMACIS (snowfall and extreme snow depth 1961–1990)<ref>[https://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/ XMACIS]</ref>
}}

==Birding==
Attu was an important location in the world of competitive [[birding]], whose goal is to see or hear the largest possible number of bird species within a specific geographic area during a specific time period. Because it is so physically remote from other parts of North America, there are a number of bird species likely to be found on Attu that are not seen anywhere else on the continent. John Fitchen called the island "the Holy Grail of North American birding".<ref>{{cite book|title=Attu: Birding on the Edge|last=Waters|first=Christa|publisher=American Birding Association|year=2003|isbn=978-1-87878-831-3}}</ref>

During his record-setting [[big year]] of 1998, in which he identified a record 745 species (later revised to 748), Sandy Komito spent 29 days (May 10 – June 7) on the island.<ref>{{cite book|title=I Came, I Saw, I Counted|last=Komito|first=Sandy|publisher=Bergen Publishing Company |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-96705-010-2}}</ref> Since the closure of Attu Station by the [[U.S. Coast Guard]] in 2010, access by birders has been greatly restricted.{{clarify|reason=Why would this restrict access?|date=October 2019}} Birding tours can still reach Attu, but only by a multi-day boat trip from [[Adak Island]]. In a 2010 interview on the subject, Al Levantin (one of Komito's competitors in the 1998 season) singled out inaccessibility of Attu as the factor that would make it nearly impossible to break Komito's record.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://10000birds.com/a-brief-interview-with-al-levantin.htm|title=A Brief Interview with Al Levantin|last=Corey|date=May 5, 2010|publisher=10,000 Birds|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171111204720/http://www.10000birds.com/a-brief-interview-with-al-levantin.htm|archive-date=November 11, 2017|url-status=live|access-date=Jan 24, 2014}}</ref> However, Neil Hayward did break the record, by one species, in 2013 without visiting Attu.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://narba.org/big-year-standings | title=NARBA Big Year Standings | access-date=Oct 24, 2015 | archive-date=November 5, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105010209/http://narba.org/big-year-standings | url-status=live }}</ref>

==Education==
Prior to World War II, the [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]] (BIA) operated the sole school on the island. When the Japanese captured Attu, the school had a single teacher who was a [[White American]] woman.<ref>"[https://www.nps.gov/aleu/learn/historyculture/upload/4-Attu-Before-the-War.pdf Attu Before the War] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301022221/https://www.nps.gov/aleu/learn/historyculture/upload/4-Attu-Before-the-War.pdf |date=2017-03-01 }}." [[National Park Service]]. Retrieved on March 12, 2017. "The BIA school had a white teacher and her husband."</ref>  A force consisting of 1,140 infantry under Major [[Matsutoshi Hosumi]] took control of the island and captured Attu's population, which consisted of 45 [[Aleut]]s and two white Americans, Charles Foster Jones (1879–1942), an [[amateur radio]] operator and weather reporter, originally from [[St. Paris, Ohio]], and his wife Etta (1879–1965), a teacher and nurse, originally from [[Vineland, New Jersey]].<ref>Mary Breu (2009) ''Last Letters from Attu'', Alaska Northwest Books, {{ISBN|0882408100}}</ref> Charles Jones was killed by the Japanese forces immediately after the invasion because he refused to fix the radio he destroyed to prevent the occupying troops from using it. His wife was subsequently taken to the Bund Hotel in [[Yokohama]], Japan, and later transferred to the Yokohama Yacht Club and kept there until July 1944 when she was moved to the old Totsuka Hospital in Yokohama. The hospital served as an internment camp until the end of the war in August 1945. Etta Jones died in December 1965 at age 86 in [[Bradenton, Florida]].<ref>Mary Breu (2009) ''Last Letters from Attu'', Alaska Northwest Books, {{ISBN|0882408100}}</ref>

{{As of|2017}}, the uninhabited island is physically within the [[Aleutian Region School District]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://education.alaska.gov/facilities/pdf/doe2013map.pdf|title=Alaska Public School Districts|date=June 2013|publisher=[[Alaska Department of Education]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930014957/https://education.alaska.gov/facilities/pdf/doe2013map.pdf|archive-date=September 30, 2017|url-status=live|access-date=March 12, 2017}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of National Historic Landmarks in Alaska]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska]]
* [[Peaceful River (Alaska)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Attu Island}}
* [http://attu.hlswilliwaw.com Attu Homepage]
* {{cite web|url=https://vilda.alaska.edu/digital/collection/cdmg21/id/12803/ |title=Attu Village, sign |publisher=[[Alaska State Library|Alaska State Library and Historical Collections]] |access-date=April 19, 2021}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170911193528/http://alaskainvasion.com/ Red White Black & Blue – feature documentary about The Battle of Attu]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080330014932/http://www.robsmith.org/184th-inf/ Soldiers of the 184th Infantry, 7th ID in the Pacific, 1943–1945]
* [http://www.geocities.jp/torikai007/war/1943/attu.html Suicidal Banzai charge in Attu : The 1st ''Gyokusai'' ordered] {{in lang|ja}} Suicide for the Emperor?
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070625080050/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/TwHP/wwwlps/lessons/7attu/7attu.htm "Attu: North American Battleground of World War II", a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070703230334/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/aviation/ Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary]

{{Registered Historic Places}}
{{Islands in the Bering Sea}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Attu Island| ]]
[[Category:Aleutian Islands campaign]]
[[Category:Near Islands]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska]]
[[Category:World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument]]
[[Category:World War II on the National Register of Historic Places in Alaska]]
[[Category:Islands of Alaska]]
[[Category:Islands of Unorganized Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Islands of Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska]]
[[Category:Uninhabited islands of Alaska]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Alaska]]