ATU Island

[jackpilot]

Saw a exciting story on History Channel.
During the US-Japan war the Japanese took the  Island of Atu, located near the end of the string of Aleutian  islands which extends west of Alaska. The battle was fierce to regain control and saw the last 400 japanese soldiers commit mass suicide.
The US army built an airstrip in two days with the metal plates system and from there a small group of pilots pounded  a Japanese base to make the Japanese believe that the US planned to invade Japan from the North. They used Lockheed twin engines bombers, mil version of the Electra which was so fast he could outrun the japanes fighters. They used to take off 2000 pounds over Max , overfilled with fuel at the very end of the runway to be able to make the 800 miles round trip. The trick worked and this small Wing of unsung heroes contributed to diverting a good chunk of Japanese Navy and forces from the south Pacific operations.

Well guys, Atu island and airport , Casco Cove, is well and alive  in Fs9 (and most certainly in FSX) located 52 49.70 north, 173 10.82 East. Runway 2/20 5000'
Sometimes, Having seen the story of those leather helmeted pilots and listening to the roaring props, I wonder why we spend so much time and $ replicating those fully automated air-conditionned, display screen equipped, overpowered machines.... like Nick says: ..."there's nothing like the smell of a tailpipe in the morning "

End of story, just a lill'bit of nostalgia....back to my Throttle construction!

[Trevor Hale]

Awesome Story Jack..  I may just have to check that airport out.  Thanks for sharing it.  History channel is awesome, and so is Discovery.

Trev

[ak49er]

Awesome story. Not to be a stick in the mud, but it is Attu Island.

I spent a summer on Adak Island, just a few islands further up "The Chain" (Aleutian Chain). When on Adak, you are closer to Tokyo, than New York!!!  On Adak Island a base was created to mount the attack to regain those two islands. They were the only  US soil to be occupied by enemy forces during war since the late 1800's.

The Japanese also successfully bombed Dutch Harbor, near Unalaska Island. In 1998 I drilled sample wells at Dutch Harbor which reveled contamination still present from the 50 odd year old attack. (they hit Bunker Fuel tanks)

That summer I also drilled  across the harbor near Akutan Island, where the Navy maintained a Defensive Forward Refueling Point, and also was a the site of a Norwegian Whaling Station, in the late 1800's, both leaving much hydrocarbon contamination.

While on Adak Island I searched for the notorious US Army "Underground Hospital" which was inspired by the Japanese tunnel systems observed by recon flights of Attu and Kiska.
The hospital was to serve as an intake and triage center, safe from enemy bombardment, during the battle to regain Attu and Kiska. I spent my whole summer hiking with old maps and GPS, but did not find it till my last week, or should I say I quit the job as soon as I found the hospital. 

Adak also was the location of a Naval Security Group Activity Area (read NSA SIGINT Station) but that is a whole other story......

There was nothing left but a depression in the ground, it had been demolished in 1987, as a safety hazard. I found it by research at the museum in Anchorage, where I found a photo of it's construction, and recognized the landmarks surrounding it. On my last night on the island I went to the VFW for a last drink, and during the night, I noticed the same photo in the lowest darkest corner of the bars photo wall, the "map" had been there the whole time.

There are alot of sunken ships and gun emplacements, all most Japanese, to be found on these islands.

There is a great book, called "Thousand Mile War" which details this historic campaign.

One of my jobs on Adak, was to check the massive pumps that kept Sweeper Creek, a tidal creek, form flooding the airfield, if they ever shut off the electricity on Adak the runways will flood. This has been a problem on the Island since they first laid the "Marston Mats" named after the Air Force Officer who commissioned the design.

There are also rumors of an Underwater entry/ underground submarine base, directly under the "lighter" looking runway on Adak. (use Google Earth) Just at the end of the runway is the massive bunker where they used to store the Nuclear Warheads that they would load on the subs that docked in Sweeper Cove.

But many maintain that the subs could enter underwater and travel the length of the runway and eventually surface under the mound or rocks (dark colored MASSIVE boulders at the end of the runway) that was in fact moved there to mask the vies of goings on near that end of the runway, to trans load weapons and such. This during the height of the Cold War.

If you look closely you can see one of the runways are made of large hoist able steel lined concrete filled “plates”, purported to be easily replaceable after enemy bombardment, but lends themselves to tunnel construction.

These islands are also the sight of a huge array of Underwater Signals Listening Devices, that are still used today, to track whales, and fish, but once were used to listen to enemy subs.

I went inside one of these decipher compounds and was amazed at the amount of security, triple fences, six foot thick walls, and false walls around the decipher room that were watched at all times.

As you can tell I really got into the history of these islands while there. I graduated high school in Alaska without ever knowing Alaska’s role and birth rite in World War II. And had never heard of the Massive Naval Base maintained on Adak until it closed, in 1994.

If I ever get a scanner I will post my photos of this area.

[jackpilot]

Sorry for the spelllling!
This whole story is really formidable, and mostly unknown.
Thanks for your input.

Makes me dream of a Bomber Sim with  an AC always blowing "frigid air" inside the cockpit and a small device leaking oil on a hot coil for the Smell , lots of  steam gauges and a huge buttkicker sending out a ton of vibrations.... lol

[Trevor Hale]

Awesome Post AK, and the story between you and Jack is all coming together in my head.  What a great read.

Trev