Dutch Harbor is a well-protected natural harbor on Amaknak Island in the Fox Islands group, located about halfway along the volcanic arc of the Aleutian Islands in the Bering Sea. Being ice-free, it is a vital port for the Bering Sea fishing industry. The port was the site of the Battle of Dutch Harbor in 1942, when it was bombed by Japanese planes during World War II. It is one of the few places in the United States to have been attacked during that war, the other notable one being Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Aside from the fishing industry, it is used by cargo and passenger vessels sailing between Asia and North America across the North Pacific Ocean.