United States Naval Station Tutuila, Naval base and historic district in Fagatogo and Utulei, American Samoa.
The United States Naval Station Tutuila is a historic naval complex on the waterfront of Pago Pago Harbor, stretching between the villages of Fagatogo and Utulei in American Samoa. Sixteen of its buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, each from a different period of American military presence on the island.
In 1872, Commander Richard Meade negotiated an agreement that led to the construction of a coaling station here to support Pacific shipping routes. From 1900 to 1951, American naval officers ran both the base and the civilian government of the entire territory.
The station served as the seat of government for American Samoa for decades, and the buildings that remain still reflect the formal style of early American colonial administration. Walking among them gives a sense of how military and civic life were once intertwined in this small Pacific territory.
The site can be walked along a route that links the two villages through the scattered historic buildings along the waterfront. The path is mostly open to the sun, so bringing water and sun protection is a good idea.
On January 11, 1942, a Japanese submarine fired fifteen shells at the station, but most of them landed in the harbor water and caused little damage. It was one of the few times an American installation in Samoa came under direct fire during World War II.
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