Dutch Harbor, Alaska

APL Crane in Dutch Harbor, Alaska by mistlebee
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APL Crane in Dutch Harbor, Alaska

The crane shown in this picture is about 10 stories tall and it is used to move container vans to and from the ships and 18 wheeler trucks on the docks. This crane was brought in by barge in early August of 2010 to replace the original crane, which was blown over in a violent windstorm on Unalaska Island in December of 2009. In the foreground are blossoms of annual fireweed, which grows about three feet tall. Behind the crane, in the distance, stands Ballyhoo Mountain, but only Ulakta Head, which is at the north end of the mountain, is visible. Ulakta Head was the location for Fort Swatzka during the Campaign of the Aleutians in WWII. The switchback road which is visible on the mountainside goes to the fort and was built by the military for that purpose. Some of the cement bunkers built during the war still remain in the area of the fort.