Plans to tear down the old torpedo building in Unalaska are now on a fast track following a storm that saw pieces of the "derelict building" flying through the air and damaging vehicles at the Unalaska airport, according to a representative of the structure's owner, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.
"It needs to come down," to prevent injuries and further property damage said Wolfgang Junge, "sooner rather than later."
"The state sees it as a safety issue," said Junge, of the DOT's central region in Anchorage. The building had been slated for demolition next year, but recent events will likely move up the schedule. "We'd be happy if it was next month," he said.
The building's historic designation should not be an obstacle to its removal, although the transportation department still needs to confer with the state historic preservation office and the National Park Service, Junge said.
The torpedo building shares National Historic Landmark status with other nearby World War II relics, as a "contributing element or contributing factor to the landmark," Junge said.
National Park Service historian Janet Clemens in Anchorage said the Park Service will likely support the building's demolition, saying that the "number one issue is safety." She said the torpedo building is grouped with many other structures in the historic landmark that observes the area's role in World War II.
Junge said the removal of the historic structure may require mitigation to offset the loss, such as financial contributions for interpretative services like signs and informational kiosks explaining the history to the public, or funding book publication.
During World War II, torpedoes were armed inside the building and loaded onto bomber aircraft, according to local historian Jeff Dickrell, who added that the structure's tower was used for getting parachutes ready for deployment.
Debris from the historic building damaged parked vehicles at the airport earlier this month. Across the runway, the huge doors on a World War II-era hanger took down a fence surrounding the runway. And school bus trips across the bridge were canceled on one stormy day.
At Tom Madsen Airport, flights were canceled for two days but plenty of other stuff was flying through the air. Like wood and metal from old buildings, and a storm cloud of gravel in the long-term parking lot, according to weather observer Rod Hester of Alaska Weather Operations Services, which advises aircraft of local weather conditions.
"The wind was just screaming through here," Hester said.
Windblown chunks of gravel that Hester compared to bullets smashed windows in vehicles owned by individuals, rental companies and other airport businesses.
BC Vehicles Rentals owner Sonny Nguyen said windows were damaged in seven of his vehicles and were temporarily sealed up with plastic sheeting while awaiting the arrival of replacement glass.
Unalaska City Manager Chris Hladick had an unpleasant surprise when he returned from a trip and found his city-owned 2013 Ford Expedition damaged in the long-term parking lot. Despite the damage, the vehicle was still driveable, he said.
Hladick said the vehicle was damaged by debris from the torpedo building. The Torpedo Bombsight and Utility Shop was built by the military during World War II when thousands of troops occupied the Aleutians.
City officials have been prevented from removing the vintage metal building because of historic preservation reasons.
"I've been trying to get the building torn down for years," Hladick said. The torpedo shop is located between the Peninsula Airways cargo office and airport long-term parking.
This story first appeared in The Bristol Bay Times/Dutch Harbor Fisherman and is republished here with permission.