Ryujo and Junyo launched two Japanese carrier strikes against Dutch Harbor on 3-4 June 1942. The first wave combined Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters with B5N Kate and D3A Val bombers and struck the radio station, oil storage, and barracks. Overnight, American troops moved guns closer to the harbor while civilian contractors filled sandbags for the new positions. The second raid hit aircraft, barracks, fuel tanks, merchant shipping, gun positions, and a wing of the military hospital. The grounded station ship Northwestern was badly hit but remained useful because its hull survived and its power plant supplied steam and electricity ashore. American losses included 43 dead, 50 wounded, and 14 aircraft destroyed, while no Japanese ship was harmed. The raids caused serious damage without destroying the base.
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Carrier raids on Dutch Harbor
The Dutch Harbor strikes show Japanese carriers trying to suppress the main American response base before occupying Attu and Kiska.