The contributions of all of Washington State, and Bremerton in specific, to the war effort are significant.
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In 1939, Boeing began producing hundreds of B-17 Flying Fortress bombers after Germany invaded Poland, the most important strategic bomber in the American war effort. During World War II, the US Government was terrified that Boeing and its factories would be bombed. Boeing created an entire neighborhood on top of their plant made of canvas, netting and paint. |
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In 1939 the US Navy acquired from the Army its inactive Fort Ward station on Bainbridge Island and moved quickly to enlarge the base through condemnation of neighboring farmlands. The Navy then ensured base security with perimeter fencing. Soon after, the Navy established a training facility for code operators and top-secret Station S, an intercept station reading Imperial Japanese radio traffic. |
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In December 1942, General Leslie Groves dispatched his assistant Colonel Franklin T. Matthias and DuPont engineers to scout potential sites for construction of industrial-size plants for manufacturing plutonium and uranium. Matthias reported that Hanford on the Columbia River was ideal. The B-Reactor at Hanford was the first large-scale plutonium production reactor in the world. The Manhattan Project eventually produced nuclear material for the atomic bombs detonated over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, ending WWII. |
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At Bremerton during World War II, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard's primary effort was the repair of battle damage to ships of the US fleet and those of its allies. At the start of the war, Puget Sound was the premier navy yard in the Pacific and the only one with the facilities to handle battleships. After the attack at Pearl Harbor, five of the six surviving battleships returned to Bremerton for repair and modernization. |
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Bremerton has played and will play a significant role in our country’s military forces and our state has a proud military history. In 2010, Visitors by the millions will come to Vancouver, BC for the Winter Olympic Games. Thousands who remember the POWs will want to honor their memory with a visit to Bremerton’s POW memorial museum. Downtown Bremerton is undergoing a physical and economic rebirth. At the center of activity sits Building 50, a Naval Museum. |
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The third floor of Building 50 is empty and would make an excellent facility for a POW museum. Bremerton has played and will play a significant role in our country’s military forces and our state has a proud military history. In 2010, Visitors by the millions will come to Vancouver, BC for the Winter Olympic Games. Thousands who remember the POWs will want to honor their memory with a visit to Bremerton’s POW memorial museum. |