During World War II, Fort Greely and the Kodiak Naval Base stood ready to defend the coast from an invasion, but were never attacked. In 1943, the Army established a permanent battery as a sub-post of Fort Greely called Fort Abercrombie. The military left in 1971. In 1985, these sites were designated a national historic landmark and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Because the large site included many acres of open space, the NPS transferred land to the City of Kodiak through the Federal Lands to Parks program. The transfer, a 37.1-acre plot of open space around Gibson Cove Bunker, includes military bunkers and gun batteries.
Photo: Gibson Cove battery hillside