Actually it was built in WW2 after the japanese attacked the Aleutian Islands---the Americans were desperate to be able to defend US soil, and Whittier was perf

Actually it was built in WW2 after the japanese attacked the Aleutian Islands---the Americans were desperate to be able to defend US soil, and Whittier was perfect from a military standpoint: constantly clouded over (some insane number of days a year they get precipitation) deepwater port, surrounded by mountains.