HEY ADAK FANS! If you liked this video, check out the neighbouring island of Dutch Harbor - an amazing place FILLED with WWII history! 😎 Watch it here: th-cam.com/video/-uNXq_XwRvw/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for your ABANDON city tour. The big bay in Hospital could have been for Ambulance to be inside a closed bay because of COLD start and keep Ambulance warm.
My dad was stationed here in the Navy during the end of Vietnam for a year when he was 21. He saw some of these videos with me and he pointed out places he has been and how it all looks the same. My dad has some amazing stories and he has traveled so many places in the world when in the Navy. He says it’s crazy this is abandoned and time has stood still.
It's an incredible place that was truly mind-blowing to witness. it's incredible how much damage time, wind, rain, and earthquakes can do to a place. Please thank him for his service.
LOL I can hardly believe this... At 4:04 the wooden sign you see in the airport, that says ADAK...I made that sign in High School in Mr. Vine's wood shop class when I was 15 years old! My dad was stationed there and I was a Navy dependent living there. That was 1975! I can't believe it's still there lol. Too freaking cool. It was awesome to see this. I actually questioned whether this could indeed be the same sign but seeing it now I'm positive as I remember being aggravated when I made it that the spacing wasn't consistent between the eagle and the letter A, lol. It is 2" mahogany that was cut by hand guiding the pieces through a band saw so not bad for a 15 year old. :)
What an amazing story! So cool that your handiwork still exists… I don’t think it’s going anywhere anytime soon as it serves as the main welcome sign to all incoming passengers. Good job on the woodworking 👍 I was a teacher before I started this channel, so I can definitely say that I’m impressed that a 15-year-old created that. Well done, 10/10 😃
May be headed back there in August with a group of Marines who served there. The "7 doors of doom" compound was guarded by Marines. The MAUW (Marine Advanced Underwater Weapons) compound had nuclear depth charges that could be deployed by the P-3 Orion submarine hunting planes stationed there. All public knowledge now. The Reaction Force Facility was the building you saw the USMC graphics in. The RFF and the guard towers were all rebuilt in 1984 when I was there. During the construction we still had to guard the place 24/7/365 so they moved our quarters to the other Weapons Maintenance building near the guard tower at the main gate. There were also two Marines that patroled about a half mile or more of the land around the perimeter fence, again 24/7/365. That was the lowest post out there and you were there during white-outs, etc. The ACC on the wall stood for Alarm Control Center and that was the top post at the compound back then. The COG Hut was were the Corporals of the Guard could hang out a little bit away from all of the guard force. The whiteboard room was used as a classroom for training while you were at the compound. I think it was 3 days there, then you'd switch with the second section and they would go out there for 3 days, and so on. Just wanted to add some color to your awesome video. A lot of the Marines from there have a much better memory than I do. Thanks for posting and showcasing the island.
Thank you so much for this - there’s near-zero context provided when touring around Adak, so I was confused by a lot of what I saw. This all makes perfect sense. It’s incredible that they chose to close down the base - probably poor military judgment in retrospect, with Russian aggression rearing its ugly head again. I’m not sure the Cold War ever truly ended, even if we think it did. Thank you for your service 🙏
I was stationed at Adak, Alaska from May 1968 to May 1969. The Marines stayed in the Barracks on Bering Hill then. The AUW compound was part of the Weapons Department on Bering Hill. Sad to see such devastating damage all over the Island. We always felt sorry for the Marines that walked the dog run around the compound.
It reminded me when the US left the military bases the Air Force and navy base in the Philippines but , not as isolated as this one . For all the serviceman and women thank you all for your service. And thank you Dave for this wonderful video.🤙
I was deployed to Adak with my Seabee battalion as a small unit in 87/88. It was the most majestic and peaceful place I have ever been. So beautiful but the environment was no joke. I believe that it was termed the birthplace of the winds. We were housed in the barracks up on the hill and used the underground steam tunnels to get around when going outside was not an option. We worked hard, ate good, and partied like rock stars! I would love to visit again. Thank you for your video, it brought back great memories!
Amazing - I saw your SeaBees logo around the ruins! Those underground tunnels are now filled with water and a bit dangerous to explore, so we didn’t. Though people who have done so said that it’s pretty thrilling to wade through those passageways. Thank you for your service and for your kind words - I’m glad you enjoyed the video 🙏
I believe in 1968 when the Navy sent Seabees to Adak, the NAS was serviced by CBMU'S. it being December I requested my orders to be changed after receiving orders to Adak. Too cold for this southern boy. In doing this, I was told, " Well young man your going to Vietnam " and I said fine. I then got orders for MCB3 in Okinawa. The Navy knew I could cut blue top grade with a grader without a "B" school, plus I had two brothers in country and they did not want all of us in a combat zone at once. Don't know if you had heard the saying about Adak " There are 5 women behind every tree " - - - but then you know the why that was a lie !
The McDonald's was a concessionaire of the Navy Exchange. It officially closed in June of 1994. In September 1994 a crew came in and removed the arches that were adjacent to the main road. The arches were packaged and shipped off the island on a Sampson barge back to McDonald's Corp. MWR was going to open it up as a burger joint, but the Skipper said no to that idea as there was still the Raven's Roost, The Husky Club, The Pizza Shop and the Aleutian Steakhouse open for the sailors.
Wow! Thanks for sharing that insight - I would have loved to see what it was like in the 1990s as it was preparing to be shut down. It must have been quite the change from the bustle during the Cold War. I think it's absolutely sad that the Aleut Corporation, who was gifted almost all of this real estate free of charge, doesn't run informative tours of the island. It's just left to rot and decay. The Navy should have never rid themselves of the property, as clearly they may need to buy it all back, given the state of the world. Worst US military decision of the 1990s - a total waste to give it up.
@@DrifterDaveNot even approaching the worst decision. Maybe you’ve heard of the LCS program just to name the most expensive blunder. This base is a rounding error. I appreciate that it was disappointing there was no context, but to operate a guided tour would be an automatic loss maker.
I was stationed here in 1979 as a Hospital Corpsman. Looks just like I remembered. I was so happy to leave. Even with 6000 people you still are in the middle of nowhere.
I was there in 1979 too (attached to public works). I was there from January 1979 - January 1980. I found it interesting to see blue sky in the video since those were extremely rare events. You're right it was on the edge of no where. None of the amenities like Mc Donald's or Baskin & Robbins was there in the late seventies. That all came later.
@@David-vd9up I’m sure that would have been a wild time to live up there, in the base’s relative infancy. I couldn’t even imagine what that would have been like.
was stationed there 1973 to 1975. was suppose to be a 1 year tour, but i loved the hunting, fishing and hiking so much i extended 6 months. worked in the TSC, which is gone supporting the P-3s. looks like the earthquake proof barraks i lived in is gone too. went thru a 6.8 earthquake when great sitkan volcano blew its top. not a fun experiance watching a 10,000 foot runway undulating like waves on a lake. the only damage was two electrical/phone poles snapped off. oh...and a lot of soiled skivies.
WOW! I actually experienced an earthquake while there, but it was the middle of the night and I didn't catch it on camera, so it didn't make the video. The entire house that I was staying in shook like a rag doll. Definitely unnerving as until then I'd only experienced earthquakes in Japan.
I was stationed there at the weather office from 1988-1990. Was the best duty station I had in my 13 1/2 year Navy career. It was a great place during it’s day.
Amazing - I would have loved to check it out during the time when the base was fully operating. You definitely get the sense that it was a very liveable place back in its day.
I watched a film on adac about buried treasure from pirates running from an American fleet only problem was that there is so much dumped live ordanance metal detectors were a danger lol looks like a great posting in its day
@@davebarber9510 Yes! I haven’t seen that Netflix documentary yet but I heard that they didn’t end up finding any gold. But the gold is definitely there - it’s just a nightmare to try to dig it up, with all the hazards.
Worked at Tin City at the Bering Straight 1977-78. I would always submit a request for Adak over the global military teletype network. The weather there I read would do the damage we see here 30 years later
@@patrickbrownrigg1058 It’s an incredibly harsh environment - not to mention the earthquakes. I experienced a small 5.4 magnitude quake while there - it shook the whole lodge like a rag doll. It’s an incredibly unforgiving island.
Was stationed there at the time of your marriage. We probably passed by each other many times. I was a postal clerk and spent a lot of time at the airport unloading the DC 3s. And a lot of time in the enlisted club 😊
I’m sorry that they let it become just so deteriorated and decayed over time. Most of that real estate is not salvageable. Last I heard they’re selling property there for $5000 per house.
I didn't live on Adak but Elmendorf in Anchorage. We used to spend countless hours in the woods, now the woods literally have ropes in front of them saying "Keep out on order of the base commander" sad being a kid in Alaska and not even being able to play in the woods.
My husband was stationed at Moffett Field, and his rotation was to Adak and Guam during the early 70s, as an aviation electrician. I will be showing him this.
Wow, sounds like he may have been there when my dad was! We lost him 2 years ago, but Adak left an impression on him, no question. Dad was at Moffett same time. VP 19.
Lived in Adak 20 years ago,ran the grocery store.At that time only 82 inhabitants.I really enjoyed the people,and the landscape.Rats were a big problem in my triplex housing
I believe that rats are still a huge problem on Adak, though I didn't see any during my visit. My lodge was thoroughly rat-proofed and many traps were set, but none showed up, thankfully.
You know what the only problem would be with bringing in cats, eventually you would trade a rat problem for a cat problem! No joke, there are islands with hundreds of wild house cats because someone brought a few in for pest control. They breed like crazy! 😂
Lived there from 90-92. Hung out at the Bering building all the time. Pool, arcade, theater, pizza place, and ice cream. I lived in the duplexes at the bottom of the hill across the street. It was weird place and very contaminated.
I wonder if any of the contaminations causes cancer. I lost my husband to cancer. This was his first duty station in the early 90s. Looks like they finally let new cars on the island. My husband loved Adak!
@@jenniferpomeroy2222 I’m sorry for your loss! I do believe that there are several carcinogenic contaminants on the island. I met several biologists who are tasked with monitoring contamination levels and organizing cleanup and disposal. Definitely not somewhere that you’d want to linger, especially inside those abandoned buildings
I was stationed in ADAK from the summer of 1977 til summer of 1978. Much more was added through the years after I left. This was my first duty station. A shame it’s just left to rot. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your service 🙏 Definitely a shame that such a beautiful place has become so decayed and forlorn. Please share the video with any fellow veterans who might be interested in the content.
Ran across this video while going down the rabbit hole! Boy, was I surprised! My husband was stationed at NSGA in 84-88. I have lots of great memories from living this experience. Thank you for sharing 😊
In the late 60's I went to sonar school in San Diego. On of the instructors had just spent 2 years in Adak where sonar technicians operated and maintained underwater listening devices in the Aleutians waters. Needless to say we heard a lot of stories about Adak ... good and bad. Having grown up in Hawaii, Adak was the last place I wanted to be. Two of my classmates who were from the NW requested to be stationed there and they got the assignment.
I can imagine it wouldn't be officers' first pick to be stationed in one of the most remote outposts in the Pacific. But my oh my what a fascinating little island.
One thing I noticed after watching so many urban exploring videos is that there is an absence of any graffiti. The remote location keeps it very authentic.
I just started to watch, about half way through,and I just keep saying WOW WOW , this is the first video I have watched on your channel, your narrative is excellent , I'm amazed at that McDonald's, and oh my yes the wrath of mother nature,, I imagine I will be wowing the rest of the way through the video, this is a great combo for me of abandoned places, ghost towns and the beauty of Alaska,Im retired medical so I was really WOWing at the hospital, recognize alot of the equipment, I really liked you explaining how got there...thank you , a good description of the remoteness, ill like share and subscribe, safe travels , I agree very hard to wrap your head around that its closer to Tokyo than Seattle
Thank you for the kind words about the video! It was truly a mind-blowing destination that I knew I had to share with the world. Thank you for taking the time to like & share the video, and welcome to the channel! Enjoy the last half of your vicarious journey through Adak. Cheers.
My husband was stationed there from 1964-65 as a fireman. He drove the Navy MB-1 Biederman crash truck which weighed 36,000 lbs. and which would occasionally get blown off the runway by the Adak winds! It was really interesting to see your video. Thanks.
First time to see your channel was this video. Very good footage as well as very interesting content. Think I'll subscribe and look for more adventures from your videos.
The restaurant in the bearing building was a Pizza Hut but unlike any other Pizza Hut I have ever seen. It was a white tablecloth restaurant that served Cherry's jubilee and Pizza Hut pizza as well as many other fine dining dishes. Caribou and halibut surf and turf. And many other things.
Thank you for doing this tour. As a resident of Adak Alaska living there until 91 4 years or around there. It sure takes me back. If you have any questions about what you saw my mother was the MWR director which is morale welfare and recreation the building that you were in with the bowling alley the kuluck building was where my mom's office was. She also took care of the pool in the bearing building. We lived in the ugly brown and yellow houses called turnkey right off of seal drive. I used to eat at that McDonald's regularly and go see my mom at work and bowl to my heart's content. I could go on for hours about Adak.
You’re more than welcome! I’ve always been fascinated with the island and when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at the chance to visit. Thanks also for the positive feedback about the video & I’m definitely glad that you enjoyed it!
hello friend, are the Turnkey houses the ones with the flat roof and some with two floors? were they perhaps the ones intended for Hawaii and by mistake ended up in Adak? It's strange that a house in Adak has a flat roof because of the snow!! maybe they were also very cold if they were designed for Hawaii. But the Turnkey company, is it the one that still exists now that builds residential complexes? maybe there was a construction order and Turnkey company won?
I was stationed on Adak from 1977 to 1979 as an enlisted man. Your lodge looks like a housing area called Kuluk I believe. One of my best friends and his wife and 2 kids lived there. The view of the living room gave me flashbacks! LOL The first area you visited around 9:07 of the video was a housing area known as Turnkey. It was almost new when I moved in. On the ground floor were the living room, kitchen and a half bathroom with laundry. Upstairs were 2 bedrooms and a full bath. The shop building you went to was the hub of the "town". My unit had a bowling team that played there, the Navy exchange ran the little restaurant. There was no McDonald's nor Baskin Robins at that time. We got Burger King flown in for the Fourth of July, but you had to place and pay for your order in late June. The "unidentified" cart at 19:05 is a cart that is used to load and unload autoclaves where surgical instruments are sterilized. The item you called a gurney at 19:18 is a folding stretcher as used in the field. The squarish feet on it actually fit into "pockets" on field hospital operating room tables so injured can be placed directly on the table without having to remove the patient from the stretcher. The Tundra Tavern was the Marine club. (Named after the founding site of the USMC). Their claim to fame was their Mexican food. Bering Hill was mainly a mainly barracks area. There were 2 clubs there, the Enlisted Men's club (in the main building) and the Petty Officers' Club (The Husky). The movie theater, library and small extension of the Navy exchange were in the main building as was the pool, gym and snack bar. The chow hall was across the street as I recall. The large beige building was not there when I was. The stream emptying to Finger Bay is a salmon run (Humpback) where we fished in the spring as they were on the way to spawn. There was a WWII vintage Quonset hut on the side of Mt Moffett that we used a s a ski lodge. Access was by snow mobile and if you had one you had a key to the lodge. There was an abandoned ski lift up there also. In my 23 years in the Navy, Adak was my absolutely favorite duty station. The Birthplace of the Winds, where the duty was great, but the liberty sucked!
Thanks 😊 For Your Service !!! I Was Stationed On her right behind U NSGA 80-81. 395 days On The ROCK 🪨 ☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️🌨️🌨️🌨️🌨️💦💦❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️☃️☃️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨🇺🇸🇺🇸
Wow, thank you so much for sharing your memories of your time on the island, and for all of these clarifying insights that help me better understand what I was seeing and experiencing. It’s an incredible place and honestly a living museum of military history that I hope others will eventually get a chance to explore. Such an amazing place. Thank you for your service, and please share this video with other vets that might be interested in a tour of what Adak is like today 👍
Absolutely perfect description John. You came in right behind me. I was there from 1/76 til 12/76 and worked at the Fire Department. That red building that was down by the High School is gone now.
I really appreciated you sharing this !My foster father who raised me from age 4,was stationed in the Alucian Islands as a young man.Ive seen many pics of his buddies and planes he worked on ,but not the landscape.He would just talk about how freezing cold it was.Very interesting to get to see it !Many years later ,but so interesting and even sad to see the life it once had.Thanks so much.
When they clossed that base, all of the homes were still fully furnished. It's like the people just took themselves and left in a hurry. A friend of mine was sent there on a rescue rig. Told me all about it with pictures to verify.
Yeah, from my understanding it was way too costly for people to bring their stuff with them off of the island. Makes sense! But unfortunately, most of their belongings have been pilfered and scavanged since then (mostly by the local population).
With the focus of the US Military shifting to the Pacific theater it’s only a matter of time before this place is re-activated and expanded. I’ve seen a few proposals of the rebuilding the airport’s runways & taxiways. Triple the original size. Great video!!
I’m pretty sure they maintain the runways still. There hasn’t been any news in years on Adak re-opening. Yes, we need to re-open it, but for some reason the people in charge a couple years ago said we didn’t have the money to re-open it. We have suspicious folks running the military these days.
I think part of the problem is that the island was deeded to the Aleut Corporation....so they'd have to pry it back from the local Native tribe. It would likely be an expensive re-purchase.
Dave, it was amazing. We drove around in military 4x4’s and had access to everything. There was still a listening post with a few military. They left two 90’ ocean going tugs that looked so new I didn’t go on to them but a crab boat captain told me they had left them. They left about six new big school buses and four big aircraft fuel trucks. It was endless. There was so much heavy equipment including a mobile road building machine pulled by a Cat D9 that they just parked it all in the open. Ask about those signs in the fence. I can’t tell you here in the open. Safe travels.
First, AMAZING AMAZING video thanks for sharing. Second, it was so cool reading the comments of service men that were stationed there and people who lived there.
Thanks for the kind words!! I had a lot of fun filming and producing this video. After 50 hours of production time, and the video stuck at 3000 views for over a month, I was beginning to wonder if anyone cared about this little island. It turns out, many people do. It’s been great to connect all of these servicemen and servicewomen again through this video 👍
I used to go out to finger Bay to go fishing all the time. You could literally catch salmon upstream with your bare hands. I have pictures of it in fact.
That’s awesome. I wish I could have gotten out into nature a bit more - I was definitely preoccupied with the abandoned buildings. I plan to return to Adak at some point and focus on the outdoors, as I only grazed the surface of it on this trip.
Knowing about a job that I was offered when I was young in the 80s for a base, not sure if this was the actual base, but it was obe of them in the islands in AK, I would bet Parcel 4 has the underground complex. The position that was offered to me was working on an island with a base and an underground complex and it was a 6 month on, 6 month off assignment. And it was made clear to me that I would be underground the entire time the whole 6 months. The underground complexes are never listed and the only people who know about them are the high level commanders and the people who work in these complexes. Incredibly I was going to be a cook. Nothing to do with anything military. They needed people who were cooks and I had passed the security clearance and background check and credit checks. I went on to work for the government directly and as an independent contractor for many years and for my State directly and as an independent contractor for many years. I really regret not taking the job in AK. It is the type of job you should take if you are young.
Absolutely agree - it’s a shame you didn’t get to experience it! And yes - Adak has an underground base from my understanding, though I’m not sure of its location. I read they had infrastructure for underwater missile deployment, so likely somewhere adjacent to the water?
This was so great to see! My dad was there in the '80s as a civilian contractor, working on the Naval communication system. It's so strange to think he would have lived for months in one of those abandoned buildings. Thanks for a great tour! Greetings from Oregon.😊 P.S.: He loved it there for the landscape and said the "grub" was pretty good.
I was a Navy Brat there in the early 80s. So many good memories. The Pool, bowling, roller skating, fishing at Finger Bay with my Pops. He was in the EOD. CWO3 Ted Varnell. God I miss him & the island so so much.
Amazing! I hope the video was able to bring back some memories for you. I’m sure it was a pretty vibrant place to live back during is heyday. Thanks for sharing your story!
The house you lived in is the old housing. I lived just around the corner from there. We lived in one while waiting to move over to the new ones. Two story units came in on barges prebuilt. Was there 86-88. Went to high school there. Dad was Company I 1stSgt out at NSGA.
Awesome! You might be surprised to know that the older housing is actually in a way better state than the newer housing! I hope you enjoyed your time out there - what was your favourite part of living out there?
@@DrifterDave people were all very close. Was a real community. Had big community events in large hanger at airport. Bowling was fun. A lot of sports too.
The otter painting was a reference to the Adak school mascot. The Adak otters. There was a bridge where you could watch the otters somewhere on the island. Took many field trips to that area
Kind of reminds me of Stephenville Newfoundland where I grew up. The US base there closed in 1964, 20 years before I was born. But rather than being left to rot, everything was sold to locals. Many of my friends grew up living in the base housing. The hospital where I was born was once the base hospital. Many of the buildings have been torn down at this point but many have been maintained and renovated. The main difference is that 20 years later there were still 8000 people living in town and over 25,000 people living in the service area.
That’s definitely an amazing success story! I’ve never been to Stephenville - are there any visible remnants of the US presence? Encampments / pillboxes / bunkers?
My first duty station was NAF Adak from Dec 1974 to Dec 1975. I was stationed at AIMD down in Birchwood barracks. Would loke to visit but realistically probably won't happen.
Turned down orders to Adak Ak in 1991 after getting back from Desert Storm... Kinda wish I hadn't 0 but its good to see the Adak National forest is still standing.
Did physical security on magazines in 1978 . White Alice was still up. Was able to explore all over after taking training as you could fall through tundra into crevice if not paying attention
When I was the many would go mostly inner tubing and sledding on the hill behind Adak Forest. Many used Adak Forest at the time to do there business Told my wife about it. This is the first time she was able to see it. Thanks again 🙏
I worked in the Fire Department 1/76-12/76. That building that was down by the High School is gone now. I don't remember the name of the housing area right across the street from it. I think it was Roberts but not sure. Did put out a couple of fires there. Had a big fire one night at the BOQ in one of the cook's rooms. That was the only time we had to remove a body from a fire. For some reason, he stored paint in a locker and it caught fire at 2 o'clock in the morning. That's a night I'll never forget. I have many stories about that place. I had a TS clearance and was inside the 7 doors of Doom at least once a month. We would escort weapons to and from the Tarmac always in the middle of the night. The scary thing is I've stood next to things with huge destructive power. I was just a 20-year-old kid then. My Neighbor back in west Texas at the time had been stationed at the Finger Bay repair facility in 1943. I came on the Rock with the knowledge of the island thanks to him. I even went to his old shop there, all the Quonset huts were still there then but were in very bad shape. I fished many a day off the pier in Finger Bay and caught a lot of Salmon there. I lived right next to the chow hall on Bering Hill. Learned to ski on Mt. Moffet. It was my first duty station and I didn't know how good I had it till I went back to the lower 48 and the fleet in Long Beach. It's sad to see the place just crumbling but I do remember seeing winds clocked at over 100 mph when I was there. Buildings can only stand up to that for so long even when they are built to withstand it. Nice Video Dave. I very much enjoyed it.
So great to hear about your experiences there - both the fond memories as well as the more challenging ones. I'm sure it was a wild ride to be stationed up there. It's definitely sad to see it in its current form. I'm going to be headed to eastern Montana (Fort Peck area) soon to check out the abandoned town of Saint Marie & do a video about it. That one is in much better condition, I've heard. These former bases are pretty fascinating!
Dave, thank you for sharing this. I thoroughly enjoyed and felt like I was visiting Adak right along side you. What a beautiful, historic, and mysterious place all in one. Please keep doing what you do best.
I was there 65-68 as a dependent. My father was with MCB 10. You should have seen what the winds did to the old quonset huts and wooden buidings. We used to play in them and came across some amazing stuff. The are all gone now. They removed them as part of the superfund cleanup. My dad and his crew paved the road from the airport terminal to the traffic circle and a lot of other infrastructure on the island during the 3 tours he did on Adak. It was a great place. The Bering building was not officers entertainment building. I was for the use of everyone. The library was upstairs. There was a gym right by the theatre. Bowling alley, sauna, hobby shop, ceramic shop and AFRTS studios in the basement The Williwa lounge was on the same floor as the theatre. Burger, fries and a coke. I spent so many hours in the Bering building. 1.00 movies and a free shuttle ride up the hill. We weren't there more than a couple of months before we had a tsunami alert and had to evacuate to Bering hill. The set off the nuke on Amchitka. Great memories.
Amazing, thank you for sharing your insights of what Bering Hill once was. There’s literally zero information today, and even my guides were a bit fuzzy on some of the details. I don’t know if any former servicemen or servicewomen still live there (I don’t think so). The entire place is a living museum 👍
That Mickey-D drive thru menu was a trip - and those prices were for the most remote mcdonalds in the US (if not the world)! I've spent many hours checking out Adak (and Attu) on Google Earth, in great detail. Quite a few abandonded and overgrown airfields and hardstands can be seen, if you look closely. Fascinating! Lots of open trash pits are visible scattered around the area though, on both islands. Much to clean up, someday... Great video blog, thank you sir. Now I need to put travel to Adak on my bucket list.
There's so little information about anything in Adak, I very well might have, but would never have known. Do you have Google Maps coordinates for it? I wonder if I saw it without realizing. There literally ZERO information in Adak.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.. I really appreciate your efforts to make this video i watch lots of urban explorer type stuff but nothing on this level, i enjoyed reading all the comments from the service men that served there.... 5 * s ☮️👍🇬🇧
Last year I visited Alaska and stayed in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Seward. Outside the cities Alaska is a very harsh environment and seeing some of abandoned buildings reminds me of how quick land reclaims everything.
Back in 1969 I was a radarman on the USS Joseph Strauss DDG-16 and while on a mission to pick Up some scientists on Amchitka Island, we stopped at Adak Island. Back then it was in full operation and very busy.
The government should've had to clear all the contaminants up . But we see this all the time. The government walks off and abandons a facility. Companies are really bad about it too .
Absolutely. The biologists that I interviewed (who didn’t want to appear on camera) agreed that the situation is horrible, and the island is beyond contaminated.
I lived there from 79-83, all 4 yrs of high school...I really miss it and think of it often even after 40 yrs😊good memories for the most part..the lodging neighborhood was called Kuluk that's where I lived.
That’s awesome! I hope this video brought back some good memories for you - please share the link with anyone else you lived with up there that might be interested in the video! Such an amazing island 👍
I worked at Attu, Shemya, and Adak TDY all the islands pretty damn cool. IIRC the old church on bearing hill was built buy USACE in 1944 then moved to where you saw it. I was there in 91 and they started restoring it but was a huge undertaking and it might not have been finished I know PCS people might have more info on it.
When I was in the Navy we had one of our aircraft brake down and land there. I had to go and fix it. Was crazy it was 25 below zero and it did not feel like it. We got the airplane fixed and left. Was weird there the Barrack's had the chow hall and movie theater all together. You didn't have to walk out side
I'm glad you enjoyed it! It's really fascinating to me to explore the history of places that have been abandoned. I wish I could step back in time and experience Adak as it once was - certainly a much different place than the ruins that I visited. Thanks for watching!
Hey Dave any idea when the metal roofing was done there ? Was is possibly done to save the buildings or is it original to construct?It all looks so nice colorful .
I think it’s all original construction as far as I know, they have not done a lick of work to restore Adak. The place looks like Fallujah circa 2003 🤦♂️
My dad was with Seabees on Adak (WW II). I think they were building an airstrip. The island in this video sure looks different from the pictures my Dad took. Fascinating!
All the boxing smokers were set up @ bering hill gym i want to come up !I was stationed there 1976 boxer 5 for 5 - and 4 k.os they shipped me off to Seattle and watched rocky 1 I loved going to the bering hill pizza & bowling alley!the 7doors of doom was known as - A.U.W. ADVANCED UNDERWATER WEAPONS 👍many sea otters in that area I worked on tug boat "&" 6 most. Ran inter office mail "Guard mail " around island 2 times daily , thanks for this video ❤️ it !!!
You are most welcome! I am so glad you enjoyed the video as it was one of my favourite projects of 2023. Definitely grateful to have visited such a mind-blowing place. I’ll never forget my short time on Adak Island.
Great video, I'm going to subscribe because of this video. You really captured the essence of the place. I've always wanted to visit there, it's only a few hours away. This makes me want to go even more.
This reminds me of an abandoned air force base I stayed at in 1979 near Glasgow, MT. I was told it used to house up to 10,000. They had a grocery store, movie theatre , schools etc. I don't know who actually owns the site, but I know you can buy houses there
That's an urbex paradise! You should have explored some of it. (Commenting near the beginning, so maybe you did.) Cool video, dude. Thanks for making it. EDIT: a couple seconds after posting this you explored it. Pretty awesome. @53:00 Those look like dynamite storage.
It really upsets me that no matter how far, how remote, how isolated a place might be, if there's some buildings left behind idiots always have to vandalize them.
Same here. It's a sad fact that the combination of a lack of productive activities & supervision, no jobs, bored teenagers, rampant alcoholism, and cultural resentment end up with a much of the destruction you see here and other remote sites. It's really a sad statement on humanity.
I don’t believe there are any teenagers on the island, actually - I believe the school closed down? and there are no Natives. I was told it’s almost all visiting hunters who have had a bit too much to drink. In any case - very unfortunate 👍
@@DrifterDave Well, that's even worse, they are old enough to know better! But typically the youth and resentment issues do apply elsewhere, Adak is kind of a special case.
Was stationed there 79-82. It was an amazing place and my favorite place to live in my life. The friendships we made are still going strong. I was an air traffic controller and worked in the control tower seen in this video, and also in a radar trailer next to the runway. Weather was nice in this video but it was bleak, windy, rainy with low ceilings most of the time. At times very difficult for aircraft to land.
Thank you so much for sharing your memories of your time on Adak Island. It is definitely a special place. I can’t wait to return there to further explore it - I only scratched the surface.
I also worked in your building...the weather office was located there and the upper air balloon building was across the taxi-way. That was '77-'78 for me.
I very much enjoyed your video! Pro-Tip: if you know you're going to explore a place for a video. Take a flashlight.... would have loved to seen more of the dark areas....
Well there’s the thing - I was told I wasn’t able to explore the inside of the buildings by someone before I arrived, so I left it at home. That was not the case, however. I should have borrowed one from Aleutian Outfitters but half the time I’m just winging it without a plan. Now I don’t travel anywhere without one 👍
lol. There are plenty of cold and miserable islands that are still inhabited in in Alaska (and Canada!) so you'll have to ask them. Not to mention Svalbard.
There’s enough material from that church that is about to fall to build a green house to grow vegetables 🥕 I think it would be an awesome place to just get away from the city life and do some hunting and fishing I’d want to stay for a couple weeks
We used to go out to candlestick bridge and watch the otters at the bay. Several miles after national Forest. We would get hours of entertainment fishing for Dolly varden from the lakes and watching the otters play and catch their dinner
I ate burgers from that McDonald's, sometime in the 80's - I do not have my work notes anymore so I am not sure of the exact date (I am now retired). I also stayed in one of the homes for several nights while we worked (environmental work). There was also large commercial store (Alaska Commercial?) that we used for supplies. Of course, it was an active base so we could not wander around freely. At that time, a fishing boat had wrecked on the far shore, and the fishermen were able to reach the beach; then, they had to hike cross country over the island to reach civilization.
I've never been to Adak but in 1976 after my military training in florida, we had choices of about a dozen duty stations for my line of work. One of those choices was Adak. Everyone turned in their top 3 choices and I ended up in Scotland.
Great video Dave. First timer here. Former Alaskan of 33 years. I worked with a guy up in Fairbanks that was stationed out on shemya island, the last island on the chain, as a radio operator. Airplane in, airplane out. He had stories that would make you shiver. Ropes that tied buildings together in the winter so that you could go between because the wind blew so hard. Food was rationed because the planes couldn’t get in. Just imagine that. Crazy. I worked for two different all cargo airlines over the years out of Fairbanks. I missed my one chance to go to Adak. It was a beautiful winter day out there at that time so I was told. I always regretted not going on that trip. Thanks for your content. Take care and stay safe.
I would love to visit what's left of Shemya - probably will never get the chance, as the cost would be five figures minimum. I can't imagine living up there during those days with the storms they had. And I thought the Canadian Arctic was bad! Thanks for the kind words and for taking the time to check out my channel!
My father was there in the early 40s and he toldme that the sun never came out the entire time he was there except once when he was sleeping and a buddy woke him up so he could see it. He refered to it happy valley because it was cold wet and miserable
I’m sure it had its ups and downs! I lived in the Canadian Arctic for three years and I could only handle it in small doses. Being that isolated changes you.
Absolutely amazing video. Especially seeing the abandoned McDonalds and all the once thriving and really nice facilities. For many years I have followed Cecilia Blomdahl who lives in Svalbard in the Artic Circle which is a very cool community and large town that belongs to Norway. She has visited abandoned Russian bases further north and they are very similar to this.
I’ve been to Svalbard and visited the abandoned town of Pyramiden - man I wish I was a vlogger back then, as that would have made a great video. I might head back up there at some point, who knows! Thanks for the kind words and I’m so glad you enjoyed the video!! 🙏
Hey 👋 Drifter Dave you have not heard the last of me yet !!!! 😁😄😃😆 I bet I’m still The only Sailor NSGA WW2 and beyond that by Mistake during an Adak : I want to say blizzard 🥶 but that doesn’t even Capture it the Weather !!! 🤣 Raised and Tied off The COLORS 🇺🇸🇺🇸 Don’t think 🤔 I told you this Story Drifter Dave !!! Well I had been at NSGA maybe a Week before I went to the XO’s Office. I was Ordered The next morning to Raise Colors 🇺🇸 So Come the NeXT morning I Retrieved the Flag 🇺🇸 and Went Outside To The flagpole same flagpole in your Video!!! 🤣😂 Like I said earlier damn Snowing 🌨️ SIDEWAYS !!! 😅 with all The Top 🔝 Brass Looking 👀 on for Colors including The XO. So in a Hurricane 🌀 I begin raising The Flag 🇺🇸 and it gets to the top and I tie it off and pace back to Salute 🫡 Colors and I got the Flag Upside down 🙃 with All the Top 🔝 Brass inside of the galley walkway looking 👀 on through the Windows 🪟 and a Upside Down 🙃 American 🇺🇸 Flag represents The Fort is under Siege !!! So I quickly in the damn hurricane 🌀 just arrived there week ago Knew Knowone but they was all fixing to know me !!! Maybe 🤔 that’s the reason they called me while I was Stationed there Downtown Mitch Brown !!! 😆😁 My Ship 🚢 also !! Unbelievable Ran to the flagpole and lowered and raised the right way !! Embarrassing as hell !! But to me funny 😄 as hell now!! I was Stationed there after that incident another 387 more days and I was Never 👎 Ordered to Raise Colors Again !! Even tho it was a Mistake !! Maybe 🤔 I just figured out Why The XO Hated me so in my last Comment Drifter Dave !!!!! PTSD is a funny thing. I’ve been out of the Military 41 years and The VA just started paying me benefits 2018 and I got out 1983. Had to fight them for years still fighting them for benefits I Earned 🇺🇸 got one ☝️ Appeal To a VA Judge 👩⚖️ In Washington DC Now for 3 years 4 Months and 5 days so far he hasn’t even Looked at it yet !! And I’m a Low Income Veteran!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸 Since Oct 8 2020. Claim first put in to the VA before Appeal July 19 2019. I didn’t mean 😭 to go off on this tangent but A Lot of Other Honorable Veterans that Served this Country are Still fighting for their benefits also 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
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HEY ADAK FANS! If you liked this video, check out the neighbouring island of Dutch Harbor - an amazing place FILLED with WWII history! 😎 Watch it here: th-cam.com/video/-uNXq_XwRvw/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for your ABANDON city tour. The big bay in Hospital could have been for Ambulance to be inside a closed bay because of COLD start and keep Ambulance warm.
@@rp1645 Makes sense!!
I will check that out, just subbed. Thank you.
@@Wistful77 Thanks for checking out my channel!
Dutch Harbor is hardly "neighboring"!
My dad was stationed here in the Navy during the end of Vietnam for a year when he was 21. He saw some of these videos with me and he pointed out places he has been and how it all looks the same. My dad has some amazing stories and he has traveled so many places in the world when in the Navy. He says it’s crazy this is abandoned and time has stood still.
It's an incredible place that was truly mind-blowing to witness. it's incredible how much damage time, wind, rain, and earthquakes can do to a place. Please thank him for his service.
My dad was there too. I bet he was friends with your dad
You should get❤ a recorder and have it by you when you're chit chatting to keep the stories!!
@@LAppleDumpling 👍👍🥰
Thanks to your dad for his service and your family for their sacrifice. It was nice to hear feom someone who actually knew this place🇺🇲❤️🇺🇲❤️
LOL I can hardly believe this... At 4:04 the wooden sign you see in the airport, that says ADAK...I made that sign in High School in Mr. Vine's wood shop class when I was 15 years old! My dad was stationed there and I was a Navy dependent living there. That was 1975! I can't believe it's still there lol. Too freaking cool. It was awesome to see this. I actually questioned whether this could indeed be the same sign but seeing it now I'm positive as I remember being aggravated when I made it that the spacing wasn't consistent between the eagle and the letter A, lol. It is 2" mahogany that was cut by hand guiding the pieces through a band saw so not bad for a 15 year old. :)
What an amazing story! So cool that your handiwork still exists… I don’t think it’s going anywhere anytime soon as it serves as the main welcome sign to all incoming passengers. Good job on the woodworking 👍 I was a teacher before I started this channel, so I can definitely say that I’m impressed that a 15-year-old created that. Well done, 10/10 😃
😁😇🙃🥳 Great 👍 Work buddy 😎😎 COOL 🆒 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Wow that’s so awesome! Great work it’s historic now!
@@R4ND0R3G10N Literally everyone arriving at the airport sees it! He should be very proud 👍
Hope you took a screenshot of it lol. That's pretty awesome wow.
May be headed back there in August with a group of Marines who served there. The "7 doors of doom" compound was guarded by Marines. The MAUW (Marine Advanced Underwater Weapons) compound had nuclear depth charges that could be deployed by the P-3 Orion submarine hunting planes stationed there. All public knowledge now. The Reaction Force Facility was the building you saw the USMC graphics in. The RFF and the guard towers were all rebuilt in 1984 when I was there. During the construction we still had to guard the place 24/7/365 so they moved our quarters to the other Weapons Maintenance building near the guard tower at the main gate. There were also two Marines that patroled about a half mile or more of the land around the perimeter fence, again 24/7/365. That was the lowest post out there and you were there during white-outs, etc. The ACC on the wall stood for Alarm Control Center and that was the top post at the compound back then. The COG Hut was were the Corporals of the Guard could hang out a little bit away from all of the guard force. The whiteboard room was used as a classroom for training while you were at the compound. I think it was 3 days there, then you'd switch with the second section and they would go out there for 3 days, and so on. Just wanted to add some color to your awesome video. A lot of the Marines from there have a much better memory than I do. Thanks for posting and showcasing the island.
Thank you so much for this - there’s near-zero context provided when touring around Adak, so I was confused by a lot of what I saw. This all makes perfect sense. It’s incredible that they chose to close down the base - probably poor military judgment in retrospect, with Russian aggression rearing its ugly head again. I’m not sure the Cold War ever truly ended, even if we think it did. Thank you for your service 🙏
I was stationed at Adak, Alaska from May 1968 to May 1969. The Marines stayed in the Barracks on Bering Hill then. The AUW compound was part of the Weapons Department on Bering Hill. Sad to see such devastating damage all over the Island. We always felt sorry for the Marines that walked the dog run around the compound.
@@donglenney944 Thank you for your service! 🙏
It reminded me when the
US left the military bases the Air Force and navy base in the Philippines but , not as isolated as this one .
For all the serviceman and women thank you all for your service.
And thank you Dave for this wonderful video.🤙
@@imee8825 Thank you for the kind words! 🙏
I was deployed to Adak with my Seabee battalion as a small unit in 87/88. It was the most majestic and peaceful place I have ever been. So beautiful but the environment was no joke. I believe that it was termed the birthplace of the winds. We were housed in the barracks up on the hill and used the underground steam tunnels to get around when going outside was not an option. We worked hard, ate good, and partied like rock stars! I would love to visit again. Thank you for your video, it brought back great memories!
Amazing - I saw your SeaBees logo around the ruins! Those underground tunnels are now filled with water and a bit dangerous to explore, so we didn’t. Though people who have done so said that it’s pretty thrilling to wade through those passageways. Thank you for your service and for your kind words - I’m glad you enjoyed the video 🙏
I had an uncle in the Seebee's who was there in 87. He's dead now but I bet you partied with him. He partied a lot. Died of an overdose of DMT. 😪
I’m sorry for your loss!
I believe in 1968 when the Navy sent Seabees to Adak, the NAS was serviced by CBMU'S. it being December I requested my orders to be changed after receiving orders to Adak. Too cold for this southern boy. In doing this, I was told, " Well young man your going to Vietnam " and I said fine. I then got orders for MCB3 in Okinawa. The Navy knew I could cut blue top grade with
a grader without a "B" school, plus I had two brothers in country and they did not want all of us in a combat zone at once.
Don't know if you had heard the saying about Adak " There are 5 women behind every tree " - - - but then you know the why
that was a lie !
@@NAMCBEO Thanks for sharing your story! Do you regret not going to Adak?
The McDonald's was a concessionaire of the Navy Exchange. It officially closed in June of 1994. In September 1994 a crew came in and removed the arches that were adjacent to the main road. The arches were packaged and shipped off the island on a Sampson barge back to McDonald's Corp. MWR was going to open it up as a burger joint, but the Skipper said no to that idea as there was still the Raven's Roost, The Husky Club, The Pizza Shop and the Aleutian Steakhouse open for the sailors.
Wow! Thanks for sharing that insight - I would have loved to see what it was like in the 1990s as it was preparing to be shut down. It must have been quite the change from the bustle during the Cold War. I think it's absolutely sad that the Aleut Corporation, who was gifted almost all of this real estate free of charge, doesn't run informative tours of the island. It's just left to rot and decay. The Navy should have never rid themselves of the property, as clearly they may need to buy it all back, given the state of the world. Worst US military decision of the 1990s - a total waste to give it up.
@@DrifterDaveNot even approaching the worst decision. Maybe you’ve heard of the LCS program just to name the most expensive blunder. This base is a rounding error. I appreciate that it was disappointing there was no context, but to operate a guided tour would be an automatic loss maker.
I was stationed here in 1979 as a Hospital Corpsman. Looks just like I remembered. I was so happy to leave. Even with 6000 people you still are in the middle of nowhere.
I lived in the far north of the Canadian Arctic for three years, so I can definitely relate!
🤣😂🤔
My dad was there too. I bet you met him. He knew everyone
I was there in 1979 too (attached to public works). I was there from January 1979 - January 1980. I found it interesting to see blue sky in the video since those were extremely rare events. You're right it was on the edge of no where. None of the amenities like Mc Donald's or Baskin & Robbins was there in the late seventies. That all came later.
@@David-vd9up I’m sure that would have been a wild time to live up there, in the base’s relative infancy. I couldn’t even imagine what that would have been like.
was stationed there 1973 to 1975. was suppose to be a 1 year tour, but i loved the hunting, fishing and hiking so much i extended 6 months. worked in the TSC, which is gone supporting the P-3s. looks like the earthquake proof barraks i lived in is gone too.
went thru a 6.8 earthquake when great sitkan volcano blew its top. not a fun experiance watching a 10,000 foot runway undulating like waves on a lake. the only damage was two electrical/phone poles snapped off. oh...and a lot of soiled skivies.
WOW! I actually experienced an earthquake while there, but it was the middle of the night and I didn't catch it on camera, so it didn't make the video. The entire house that I was staying in shook like a rag doll. Definitely unnerving as until then I'd only experienced earthquakes in Japan.
🤣😂😅
@@DrifterDave 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I was stationed there at the weather office from 1988-1990. Was the best duty station I had in my 13 1/2 year Navy career. It was a great place during it’s day.
Amazing - I would have loved to check it out during the time when the base was fully operating. You definitely get the sense that it was a very liveable place back in its day.
I watched a film on adac about buried treasure from pirates running from an American fleet only problem was that there is so much dumped live ordanance metal detectors were a danger lol looks like a great posting in its day
@@davebarber9510 Yes! I haven’t seen that Netflix documentary yet but I heard that they didn’t end up finding any gold. But the gold is definitely there - it’s just a nightmare to try to dig it up, with all the hazards.
Worked at Tin City at the Bering Straight 1977-78. I would always submit a request for Adak over the global military teletype network. The weather there I read would do the damage we see here 30 years later
@@patrickbrownrigg1058 It’s an incredibly harsh environment - not to mention the earthquakes. I experienced a small 5.4 magnitude quake while there - it shook the whole lodge like a rag doll. It’s an incredibly unforgiving island.
Was married in the Chapel on January 1978 when I was stationed there THANK YOU for the memories of that day,❤
You're more than welcome! 😃
Was stationed there at the time of your marriage. We probably passed by each other many times. I was a postal clerk and spent a lot of time at the airport unloading the DC 3s. And a lot of time in the enlisted club 😊
Amazing that so many of you can reconnect and reminisce about your time in Adak through this video!
Oh, how wonderful!
@@jereesmyth9160 We probably did crossed paths. Did a few mail runs from the Naval Facility to the post office.
We lived on Adak from 1991 to 1995, It was beautiful, and wonderful. Your intro actually passes our home, it breaks my heart to see it as it is now.
I’m sorry that they let it become just so deteriorated and decayed over time. Most of that real estate is not salvageable. Last I heard they’re selling property there for $5000 per house.
I didn't live on Adak but Elmendorf in Anchorage. We used to spend countless hours in the woods, now the woods literally have ropes in front of them saying "Keep out on order of the base commander" sad being a kid in Alaska and not even being able to play in the woods.
@@nothingelse1520 That is definitely sad to hear!
My husband was stationed at Moffett Field, and his rotation was to Adak and Guam during the early 70s, as an aviation electrician. I will be showing him this.
Amazing! Please thank him for his service, and I hope he enjoys the video of what Adak is like today
Wow, sounds like he may have been there when my dad was! We lost him 2 years ago, but Adak left an impression on him, no question. Dad was at Moffett same time. VP 19.
@@getsmart9987 I’m so grateful that this video has reconnected so many past servicemen and servicewomen and their families! It’s such a small world.
Lived in Adak 20 years ago,ran the grocery store.At that time only 82 inhabitants.I really enjoyed the people,and the landscape.Rats were a big problem in my triplex housing
I believe that rats are still a huge problem on Adak, though I didn't see any during my visit. My lodge was thoroughly rat-proofed and many traps were set, but none showed up, thankfully.
Rats? Will someone should have had the sense to send in the cats. My Norwegian Forest Cat takes them out often here in Oregon.
@@David-gh6vp That’s a really good idea - I didn’t see any cats on Adak. Or many humans for that matter!
🐀🐀🐈⬛🐈⬛🤣😂
You know what the only problem would be with bringing in cats, eventually you would trade a rat problem for a cat problem! No joke, there are islands with hundreds of wild house cats because someone brought a few in for pest control. They breed like crazy! 😂
Lived there from 90-92. Hung out at the Bering building all the time. Pool, arcade, theater, pizza place, and ice cream. I lived in the duplexes at the bottom of the hill across the street. It was weird place and very contaminated.
I would have loved to see what it was like to live there while the base was in full operation! I’m sure it’s changed a lot since your service there
Well my dad's service. Haha
@@boscopit Please thank him on behalf of all of us!
I wonder if any of the contaminations causes cancer. I lost my husband to cancer. This was his first duty station in the early 90s. Looks like they finally let new cars on the island. My husband loved Adak!
@@jenniferpomeroy2222 I’m sorry for your loss! I do believe that there are several carcinogenic contaminants on the island. I met several biologists who are tasked with monitoring contamination levels and organizing cleanup and disposal. Definitely not somewhere that you’d want to linger, especially inside those abandoned buildings
I was stationed in ADAK from the summer of 1977 til summer of 1978. Much more was added through the years after I left. This was my first duty station. A shame it’s just left to rot. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your service 🙏 Definitely a shame that such a beautiful place has become so decayed and forlorn. Please share the video with any fellow veterans who might be interested in the content.
@@DrifterDaveWonder how much the pay was for working at McDonalds there was?
@@chairlesnicol672 Good question - I’m guessing in the range of five to seven dollars an hour? Somewhere in there, I’d say.
I was there at the same time bro. CT...so many memories, so many friends lost touch. I actually extended 6 months. Adak😢
I was there at that time too! I was stationed at the weather office.
Ran across this video while going down the rabbit hole! Boy, was I surprised! My husband was stationed at NSGA in 84-88. I have lots of great memories from living this experience. Thank you for sharing 😊
You are most welcome! I’m definitely grateful for the opportunity to share Adak with everyone who has viewed this video so far 🙏
So many of us USNavy vets have wonderful memories of Adak. It was wonderful to see it again thru this video but also sad to see it so lifeless........
Definitely! I’m sure it was a great place to serve during its time 👍
The best video I’ve seen of Adak. Thank you for the quality content!
Wow, thank you! Please share it with anyone you might think would likewise be interested! 🙏
My dad was stationed there in the late ‘80s, early ‘90s. He flew on the P3s and we lived in the Eagle Bay housing.
Awesome! I hope it brought back some memories. Please thank him for his service.
In the late 60's I went to sonar school in San Diego. On of the instructors had just spent 2 years in Adak where sonar technicians operated and maintained underwater listening devices in the Aleutians waters. Needless to say we heard a lot of stories about Adak ... good and bad. Having grown up in Hawaii, Adak was the last place I wanted to be. Two of my classmates who were from the NW requested to be stationed there and they got the assignment.
I can imagine it wouldn't be officers' first pick to be stationed in one of the most remote outposts in the Pacific. But my oh my what a fascinating little island.
One thing I noticed after watching so many urban exploring videos is that there is an absence of any graffiti. The remote location keeps it very authentic.
Definitely
I just started to watch, about half way through,and I just keep saying WOW WOW , this is the first video I have watched on your channel, your narrative is excellent , I'm amazed at that McDonald's, and oh my yes the wrath of mother nature,, I imagine I will be wowing the rest of the way through the video, this is a great combo for me of abandoned places, ghost towns and the beauty of Alaska,Im retired medical so I was really WOWing at the hospital, recognize alot of the equipment, I really liked you explaining how got there...thank you , a good description of the remoteness, ill like share and subscribe, safe travels , I agree very hard to wrap your head around that its closer to Tokyo than Seattle
Thank you for the kind words about the video! It was truly a mind-blowing destination that I knew I had to share with the world. Thank you for taking the time to like & share the video, and welcome to the channel! Enjoy the last half of your vicarious journey through Adak. Cheers.
My husband was stationed there from 1964-65 as a fireman. He drove the Navy MB-1 Biederman crash truck which weighed 36,000 lbs. and which would occasionally get blown off the runway by the Adak winds! It was really interesting to see your video. Thanks.
@@jtravis3354 You’re more than welcome!!
@@jtravis3354 The winds are INCREDIBLE. Like nowhere else on Earth.
I was stationed on Adak in the 80’s. A little history. The Bering hill area was the marine corps section of the base. The rest was all navy
Very good to know!! There is near zero information there to interpret what I was seeing.
Damn right
I was a teenager there 1n 83' I remember when we used to sneak under, in the tunnel to by smokes out of the Marine barracks vending machines
@@RussShawTV Naughty kids!
🤣😂
My uncle was stationed there in the early sixties. He was a Chief Petty Officer. Never talked about his time in the Navy. It looks pretty gloomy 🙁
Definitely a gloomy place! But beautiful in its own right 👍
First time to see your channel was this video. Very good footage as well as very interesting content. Think I'll subscribe and look for more adventures from your videos.
Welcome to the channel! And thank you for the kind words 🙏
The restaurant in the bearing building was a Pizza Hut but unlike any other Pizza Hut I have ever seen. It was a white tablecloth restaurant that served Cherry's jubilee and Pizza Hut pizza as well as many other fine dining dishes. Caribou and halibut surf and turf. And many other things.
Nice! I came across an old menu that was laying under the dust and glass - it looked like it had quite the variety.
Greetings from Toronto Canada. This was an amazing tour. Thank you to Aleutian Outfitters for help making it happen!
Thank you for the kind words & I agree that it was the adventure of a lifetime 👍
Thank you for doing this tour. As a resident of Adak Alaska living there until 91 4 years or around there. It sure takes me back. If you have any questions about what you saw my mother was the MWR director which is morale welfare and recreation the building that you were in with the bowling alley the kuluck building was where my mom's office was. She also took care of the pool in the bearing building. We lived in the ugly brown and yellow houses called turnkey right off of seal drive. I used to eat at that McDonald's regularly and go see my mom at work and bowl to my heart's content. I could go on for hours about Adak.
You’re more than welcome! I’ve always been fascinated with the island and when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at the chance to visit. Thanks also for the positive feedback about the video & I’m definitely glad that you enjoyed it!
Write your stories down.
Dude me too. I was a teen there 82-84
@PlatinumIrishrose you are so WRITE
but seriously, I wished I had made my mother write things down
hello friend, are the Turnkey houses the ones with the flat roof and some with two floors? were they perhaps the ones intended for Hawaii and by mistake ended up in Adak? It's strange that a house in Adak has a flat roof because of the snow!! maybe they were also very cold if they were designed for Hawaii. But the Turnkey company, is it the one that still exists now that builds residential complexes? maybe there was a construction order and Turnkey company won?
I was stationed on Adak from 1977 to 1979 as an enlisted man. Your lodge looks like a housing area called Kuluk I believe. One of my best friends and his wife and 2 kids lived there. The view of the living room gave me flashbacks! LOL The first area you visited around 9:07 of the video was a housing area known as Turnkey. It was almost new when I moved in. On the ground floor were the living room, kitchen and a half bathroom with laundry. Upstairs were 2 bedrooms and a full bath.
The shop building you went to was the hub of the "town". My unit had a bowling team that played there, the Navy exchange ran the little restaurant. There was no McDonald's nor Baskin Robins at that time. We got Burger King flown in for the Fourth of July, but you had to place and pay for your order in late June.
The "unidentified" cart at 19:05 is a cart that is used to load and unload autoclaves where surgical instruments are sterilized. The item you called a gurney at 19:18 is a folding stretcher as used in the field. The squarish feet on it actually fit into "pockets" on field hospital operating room tables so injured can be placed directly on the table without having to remove the patient from the stretcher.
The Tundra Tavern was the Marine club. (Named after the founding site of the USMC). Their claim to fame was their Mexican food.
Bering Hill was mainly a mainly barracks area. There were 2 clubs there, the Enlisted Men's club (in the main building) and the Petty Officers' Club (The Husky). The movie theater, library and small extension of the Navy exchange were in the main building as was the pool, gym and snack bar. The chow hall was across the street as I recall. The large beige building was not there when I was.
The stream emptying to Finger Bay is a salmon run (Humpback) where we fished in the spring as they were on the way to spawn.
There was a WWII vintage Quonset hut on the side of Mt Moffett that we used a s a ski lodge. Access was by snow mobile and if you had one you had a key to the lodge. There was an abandoned ski lift up there also.
In my 23 years in the Navy, Adak was my absolutely favorite duty station.
The Birthplace of the Winds, where the duty was great, but the liberty sucked!
Thanks 😊 For Your Service !!! I Was Stationed On her right behind U NSGA 80-81. 395 days On The ROCK 🪨 ☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️🌨️🌨️🌨️🌨️💦💦❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️☃️☃️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨💨🇺🇸🇺🇸
Wow, thank you so much for sharing your memories of your time on the island, and for all of these clarifying insights that help me better understand what I was seeing and experiencing. It’s an incredible place and honestly a living museum of military history that I hope others will eventually get a chance to explore. Such an amazing place. Thank you for your service, and please share this video with other vets that might be interested in a tour of what Adak is like today 👍
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Absolutely perfect description John. You came in right behind me. I was there from 1/76 til 12/76 and worked at the Fire Department. That red building that was down by the High School is gone now.
I was there at the same time! I actually fed bald eagles leftover pancakes behind the mess hall on bering hill!😅
I really appreciated you sharing this !My foster father who raised me from age 4,was stationed in the Alucian Islands as a young man.Ive seen many pics of his buddies and planes he worked on ,but not the landscape.He would just talk about how freezing cold it was.Very interesting to get to see it !Many years later ,but so interesting and even sad to see the life it once had.Thanks so much.
You are more than welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed the video 😎
When they clossed that base, all of the homes were still fully furnished. It's like the people just took themselves and left in a hurry. A friend of mine was sent there on a rescue rig. Told me all about it with pictures to verify.
Yeah, from my understanding it was way too costly for people to bring their stuff with them off of the island. Makes sense! But unfortunately, most of their belongings have been pilfered and scavanged since then (mostly by the local population).
With the focus of the US Military shifting to the Pacific theater it’s only a matter of time before this place is re-activated and expanded. I’ve seen a few proposals of the rebuilding the airport’s runways & taxiways. Triple the original size. Great video!!
I agree! Thank you for the kind words and for your support of my content 🙏
WE should have never left. Big mistake on the Governments part.
Very true!
I’m pretty sure they maintain the runways still. There hasn’t been any news in years on Adak re-opening. Yes, we need to re-open it, but for some reason the people in charge a couple years ago said we didn’t have the money to re-open it. We have suspicious folks running the military these days.
I think part of the problem is that the island was deeded to the Aleut Corporation....so they'd have to pry it back from the local Native tribe. It would likely be an expensive re-purchase.
Dave, it was amazing. We drove around in military 4x4’s and had access to everything. There was still a listening post with a few military. They left two 90’ ocean going tugs that looked so new I didn’t go on to them but a crab boat captain told me they had left them. They left about six new big school buses and four big aircraft fuel trucks. It was endless. There was so much heavy equipment including a mobile road building machine pulled by a Cat D9 that they just parked it all in the open. Ask about those signs in the fence. I can’t tell you here in the open. Safe travels.
Would LOVE to hear more of your story and insights - email me directly at the email address located in the “About” tab on my channel profile 👍
Wow! Thanks for the video. I'm sure glad you showed me this. Something I'd never do.
You're more than welcome! It's an incredibly bizarre and fascinating place & well worth a visit.
I was stationed at NAS Adak in the mid 80s. Thanks for the look back bro
Awesome - thank you for your service. Glad you enjoyed the video 👍
First, AMAZING AMAZING video thanks for sharing.
Second, it was so cool reading the comments of service men that were stationed there and people who lived there.
Thanks for the kind words!! I had a lot of fun filming and producing this video. After 50 hours of production time, and the video stuck at 3000 views for over a month, I was beginning to wonder if anyone cared about this little island. It turns out, many people do. It’s been great to connect all of these servicemen and servicewomen again through this video 👍
Thanks 😊 again my friend
I used to go out to finger Bay to go fishing all the time. You could literally catch salmon upstream with your bare hands. I have pictures of it in fact.
That’s awesome. I wish I could have gotten out into nature a bit more - I was definitely preoccupied with the abandoned buildings. I plan to return to Adak at some point and focus on the outdoors, as I only grazed the surface of it on this trip.
Yeah 👍 Some At NSGA including myself did The same thing a Couple of times !!!🐠🐠🐟🐟
Knowing about a job that I was offered when I was young in the 80s for a base, not sure if this was the actual base, but it was obe of them in the islands in AK, I would bet Parcel 4 has the underground complex.
The position that was offered to me was working on an island with a base and an underground complex and it was a 6 month on, 6 month off assignment.
And it was made clear to me that I would be underground the entire time the whole 6 months.
The underground complexes are never listed and the only people who know about them are the high level commanders and the people who work in these complexes.
Incredibly I was going to be a cook.
Nothing to do with anything military.
They needed people who were cooks and I had passed the security clearance and background check and credit checks.
I went on to work for the government directly and as an independent contractor for many years and for my State directly and as an independent contractor for many years.
I really regret not taking the job in AK.
It is the type of job you should take if you are young.
Absolutely agree - it’s a shame you didn’t get to experience it! And yes - Adak has an underground base from my understanding, though I’m not sure of its location. I read they had infrastructure for underwater missile deployment, so likely somewhere adjacent to the water?
This was so great to see! My dad was there in the '80s as a civilian contractor, working on the Naval communication system. It's so strange to think he would have lived for months in one of those abandoned buildings. Thanks for a great tour! Greetings from Oregon.😊
P.S.: He loved it there for the landscape and said the "grub" was pretty good.
Amazing! Thanks for sharing your Dad’s experiences - and the grub is still pretty good today! (even if they’re only open three nights a week 🤦♂️)
I was a Navy Brat there in the early 80s. So many good memories. The Pool, bowling, roller skating, fishing at Finger Bay with my Pops. He was in the EOD. CWO3 Ted Varnell. God I miss him & the island so so much.
Amazing! I hope the video was able to bring back some memories for you. I’m sure it was a pretty vibrant place to live back during is heyday. Thanks for sharing your story!
This isn't that weird but I can't help myself. My name is Ted Varney😂
The house you lived in is the old housing. I lived just around the corner from there. We lived in one while waiting to move over to the new ones. Two story units came in on barges prebuilt. Was there 86-88. Went to high school there. Dad was Company I 1stSgt out at NSGA.
Awesome! You might be surprised to know that the older housing is actually in a way better state than the newer housing! I hope you enjoyed your time out there - what was your favourite part of living out there?
@@DrifterDave people were all very close. Was a real community. Had big community events in large hanger at airport. Bowling was fun. A lot of sports too.
Awesome - I bet it was an amazing place to live 👍
The otter painting was a reference to the Adak school mascot.
The Adak otters.
There was a bridge where you could watch the otters somewhere on the island. Took many field trips to that area
Candlestick Bridge! Thanks for the insight about the otters logo - makes sense!!
@@DrifterDave Candlestick is correct Dave.
Kind of reminds me of Stephenville Newfoundland where I grew up. The US base there closed in 1964, 20 years before I was born. But rather than being left to rot, everything was sold to locals. Many of my friends grew up living in the base housing. The hospital where I was born was once the base hospital. Many of the buildings have been torn down at this point but many have been maintained and renovated. The main difference is that 20 years later there were still 8000 people living in town and over 25,000 people living in the service area.
That’s definitely an amazing success story! I’ve never been to Stephenville - are there any visible remnants of the US presence? Encampments / pillboxes / bunkers?
I once lived on this island, while serving in the military
Amazing! Did you enjoy it? What do you remember about your time there?
My first duty station was NAF Adak from Dec 1974 to Dec 1975. I was stationed at AIMD down in Birchwood barracks. Would loke to visit but realistically probably won't happen.
Hopefully you'll have the chance to head back at some point, but until then, I hope this video helped you do so vicariously through my experiences.
I was there also aimed Birchwood barracks worked gse shop
Turned down orders to Adak Ak in 1991 after getting back from Desert Storm... Kinda wish I hadn't 0 but its good to see the Adak National forest is still standing.
That little forest is still alive and kicking! 🌲
Did physical security on magazines in 1978 . White Alice was still up. Was able to explore all over after taking training as you could fall through tundra into crevice if not paying attention
@@uponrequest449 Crazy!!
When I was the many would go mostly inner tubing and sledding on the hill behind Adak Forest. Many used Adak Forest at the time to do there business Told my wife about it. This is the first time she was able to see it. Thanks again 🙏
@@RussShawTV You’re more than welcome! Please share the video with any friends or former servicemen that you think might be interested!
Much respect for traveling to this far flung location and giving us a great video tour!
You’re more than welcome! It was one of the highlights of 2023 for me, for sure - such an incredible experience 👍
I worked in the Fire Department 1/76-12/76. That building that was down by the High School is gone now. I don't remember the name of the housing area right across the street from it. I think it was Roberts but not sure. Did put out a couple of fires there. Had a big fire one night at the BOQ in one of the cook's rooms. That was the only time we had to remove a body from a fire. For some reason, he stored paint in a locker and it caught fire at 2 o'clock in the morning. That's a night I'll never forget. I have many stories about that place. I had a TS clearance and was inside the 7 doors of Doom at least once a month. We would escort weapons to and from the Tarmac always in the middle of the night. The scary thing is I've stood next to things with huge destructive power. I was just a 20-year-old kid then. My Neighbor back in west Texas at the time had been stationed at the Finger Bay repair facility in 1943. I came on the Rock with the knowledge of the island thanks to him. I even went to his old shop there, all the Quonset huts were still there then but were in very bad shape. I fished many a day off the pier in Finger Bay and caught a lot of Salmon there. I lived right next to the chow hall on Bering Hill. Learned to ski on Mt. Moffet. It was my first duty station and I didn't know how good I had it till I went back to the lower 48 and the fleet in Long Beach. It's sad to see the place just crumbling but I do remember seeing winds clocked at over 100 mph when I was there. Buildings can only stand up to that for so long even when they are built to withstand it. Nice Video Dave. I very much enjoyed it.
So great to hear about your experiences there - both the fond memories as well as the more challenging ones. I'm sure it was a wild ride to be stationed up there. It's definitely sad to see it in its current form. I'm going to be headed to eastern Montana (Fort Peck area) soon to check out the abandoned town of Saint Marie & do a video about it. That one is in much better condition, I've heard. These former bases are pretty fascinating!
Dave this is a beautiful video. I saw that majestic bald eagle...lucky me. Do you ever see any tufted puffins?
I didn't see any puffins there - I wonder if they're ever spotted?!
Crazy to see! My dad was stationed here in the late 80's early 90's. I was born in Adak in October 1992!
Amazing! Have you ever been back, and if not, any plans to do so?
Dave, thank you for sharing this. I thoroughly enjoyed and felt like I was visiting Adak right along side you. What a beautiful, historic, and mysterious place all in one. Please keep doing what you do best.
Thanks for the kind words 🙏 I’m so glad you enjoyed the video!
I was there 65-68 as a dependent. My father was with MCB 10. You should have seen what the winds did to the old quonset huts and wooden buidings. We used to play in them and came across some amazing stuff. The are all gone now. They removed them as part of the superfund cleanup. My dad and his crew paved the road from the airport terminal to the traffic circle and a lot of other infrastructure on the island during the 3 tours he did on Adak. It was a great place. The Bering building was not officers entertainment building. I was for the use of everyone. The library was upstairs. There was a gym right by the theatre. Bowling alley, sauna, hobby shop, ceramic shop and AFRTS studios in the basement The Williwa lounge was on the same floor as the theatre. Burger, fries and a coke. I spent so many hours in the Bering building. 1.00 movies and a free shuttle ride up the hill. We weren't there more than a couple of months before we had a tsunami alert and had to evacuate to Bering hill. The set off the nuke on Amchitka. Great memories.
Amazing, thank you for sharing your insights of what Bering Hill once was. There’s literally zero information today, and even my guides were a bit fuzzy on some of the details. I don’t know if any former servicemen or servicewomen still live there (I don’t think so). The entire place is a living museum 👍
I was stationed on Adak while in the Navy. I can't believe you didn't show the Polar Bear at the Anchorage airport.
Was in a rush to get to my flight. Was fighting off a flu and slept in - but I’ll be back through there and will make a full Anchorage video 👍
That Mickey-D drive thru menu was a trip - and those prices were for the most remote mcdonalds in the US (if not the world)! I've spent many hours checking out Adak (and Attu) on Google Earth, in great detail. Quite a few abandonded and overgrown airfields and hardstands can be seen, if you look closely. Fascinating!
Lots of open trash pits are visible scattered around the area though, on both islands. Much to clean up, someday...
Great video blog, thank you sir. Now I need to put travel to Adak on my bucket list.
DO IT! Fascinating island & one of the most beautiful regions in Alaska
Did you get to the beach where landing craft was training for wwii. I was station up there and flew all around the base. 1st Lt plot
There's so little information about anything in Adak, I very well might have, but would never have known. Do you have Google Maps coordinates for it? I wonder if I saw it without realizing. There literally ZERO information in Adak.
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One of my dearest friends served up there. It would break his heart to know what has happened to it now.
I’m sure it would - such a huge loss. It’s still an amazing island for outdoor pursuits, though - one of the best in the country
For reasons I don't even understand, I love remote places and abandoned places. So this video is pure gold to me. Thanks!
I feel the same way! Being there was one of the most surreal experiences of my life.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.. I really appreciate your efforts to make this video i watch lots of urban explorer type stuff but nothing on this level, i enjoyed reading all the comments from the service men that served there.... 5 * s ☮️👍🇬🇧
You’re more than welcome! It was a great experience filming in Adak and putting this short film together. Thanks for the kind words 🙏
Last year I visited Alaska and stayed in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Seward. Outside the cities Alaska is a very harsh environment and seeing some of abandoned buildings reminds me of how quick land reclaims everything.
Definitely! And in Adak’s case, the vandalism and intentional destruction has only sped that process along
I was there from 94-96, bowled in that alley many times!!
Amazing! You’ll be happy to hear they’re trying to restore it to its former glory 👍
Kuluk building
I was there 95 to 96 air ops
Back in 1969 I was a radarman on the USS Joseph Strauss DDG-16 and while on a mission to pick
Up some scientists on Amchitka Island, we stopped at Adak Island. Back then it was in full operation and very busy.
I bet! I would have loved to see the base back during its heyday 👍
The government should've had to clear all the contaminants up . But we see this all the time. The government walks off and abandons a facility. Companies are really bad about it too .
Absolutely. The biologists that I interviewed (who didn’t want to appear on camera) agreed that the situation is horrible, and the island is beyond contaminated.
What do you think they’re doing at lake Andrews lol.
Very glad i discovered your channel, amazing content and so well and respectfully presented! Keep up the great work and all the best!!!
Thank you for the kind words! Welcome to the channel 😎
So wasteful. That’s our government.
It’s sad!
I lived there from 79-83, all 4 yrs of high school...I really miss it and think of it often even after 40 yrs😊good memories for the most part..the lodging neighborhood was called Kuluk that's where I lived.
That’s awesome! I hope this video brought back some good memories for you - please share the link with anyone else you lived with up there that might be interested in the video! Such an amazing island 👍
I worked at Attu, Shemya, and Adak TDY all the islands pretty damn cool. IIRC the old church on bearing hill was built buy USACE in 1944 then moved to where you saw it. I was there in 91 and they started restoring it but was a huge undertaking and it might not have been finished I know PCS people might have more info on it.
Very interesting! And I agree that the Aleutians are incredible 👍
When I was in the Navy we had one of our aircraft brake down and land there. I had to go and fix it. Was crazy it was 25 below zero and it did not feel like it. We got the airplane fixed and left. Was weird there the Barrack's had the chow hall and movie theater all together. You didn't have to walk out side
Definitely a well thought-out complex, with several underground tunnels connecting the various buildings 👍
Never got to -25F on Adak..unless you figured windchill.
Really enjoyed your trip and narration! Wish it still had a purpose--such a shame to see it all deteriorate...
Definitely a shame! Thank you for the kind words 🙏
Thank you Dave. Fantastic video. I enjoyed it very much. Sure brought back memories for me. 😊
I'm glad you enjoyed it! It's really fascinating to me to explore the history of places that have been abandoned. I wish I could step back in time and experience Adak as it once was - certainly a much different place than the ruins that I visited. Thanks for watching!
outstanding !
what a great video ❤😊
Thanks! Feel free to share it with those who might be interested. Such a mind-blowing place 🤯
Hey Dave any idea when the metal roofing was done there ? Was is possibly done to save the buildings or is it original to construct?It all looks so nice colorful .
I think it’s all original construction as far as I know, they have not done a lick of work to restore Adak. The place looks like Fallujah circa 2003 🤦♂️
My dad was with Seabees on Adak (WW II). I think they were building an airstrip. The island in this video sure looks different from the pictures my Dad took. Fascinating!
I’m glad you enjoyed the video! Definitely a fascinating place 👍
Fascinating island. Wonderful video! Adak is on my bucket list.
You should definitely push it to the top of your list! Incredible place 👍
All the boxing smokers were set up @ bering hill gym i want to come up !I was stationed there 1976 boxer 5 for 5 - and 4 k.os they shipped me off to Seattle and watched rocky 1 I loved going to the bering hill pizza & bowling alley!the 7doors of doom was known as - A.U.W. ADVANCED UNDERWATER WEAPONS 👍many sea otters in that area I worked on tug boat "&" 6 most. Ran inter office mail "Guard mail " around island 2 times daily , thanks for this video ❤️ it !!!
You are most welcome! I am so glad you enjoyed the video as it was one of my favourite projects of 2023. Definitely grateful to have visited such a mind-blowing place. I’ll never forget my short time on Adak Island.
Great video, I'm going to subscribe because of this video. You really captured the essence of the place. I've always wanted to visit there, it's only a few hours away. This makes me want to go even more.
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the video! It's definitely worth the effort to head out there if you ever have a chance - fascinating place!
Stopped over in Adak twice on the way to Japan while in the Marines. Makes me feel old to see it an abandoned site falling apart.
Definitely a sad turn of events for what was once a nice little community
This reminds me of an abandoned air force base I stayed at in 1979 near Glasgow, MT. I was told it used to house up to 10,000. They had a grocery store, movie theatre , schools etc. I don't know who actually owns the site, but I know you can buy houses there
I read about that place! I may have to take a drive out there as it’s relatively close to where I live 👍
Thanks 😊 so much for this Video
My pleasure - it was a fascinating island to explore & I'm grateful that I had the chance to experience it.
That's an urbex paradise! You should have explored some of it. (Commenting near the beginning, so maybe you did.)
Cool video, dude. Thanks for making it.
EDIT: a couple seconds after posting this you explored it. Pretty awesome.
@53:00 Those look like dynamite storage.
Keep watching! And let me know what you think 👍👍
It really upsets me that no matter how far, how remote, how isolated a place might be, if there's some buildings left behind idiots always have to vandalize them.
Agreed!
Same here. It's a sad fact that the combination of a lack of productive activities & supervision, no jobs, bored teenagers, rampant alcoholism, and cultural resentment end up with a much of the destruction you see here and other remote sites. It's really a sad statement on humanity.
I don’t believe there are any teenagers on the island, actually - I believe the school closed down? and there are no Natives. I was told it’s almost all visiting hunters who have had a bit too much to drink. In any case - very unfortunate 👍
@@DrifterDave Well, that's even worse, they are old enough to know better! But typically the youth and resentment issues do apply elsewhere, Adak is kind of a special case.
@@Thuddster Yes, I agree fully 👍
Your editing is coming along. Just wanna say this.... Your video reminds me that our time here is only temporary!!! Dont forget to live each day!!! 😊
Thanks for the kind words! 🙏
Was stationed there 79-82. It was an amazing place and my favorite place to live in my life. The friendships we made are still going strong. I was an air traffic controller and worked in the control tower seen in this video, and also in a radar trailer next to the runway. Weather was nice in this video but it was bleak, windy, rainy with low ceilings most of the time. At times very difficult for aircraft to land.
Thank you so much for sharing your memories of your time on Adak Island. It is definitely a special place. I can’t wait to return there to further explore it - I only scratched the surface.
Adak NSGA 80-81 🪨🇺🇸🇺🇸
I also worked in your building...the weather office was located there and the upper air balloon building was across the taxi-way. That was '77-'78 for me.
Hey 👋 Drifter Dave do you have any Time Line when you Might Go Back to Adak . It’s Aug about the best time 👍👀👋🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
No plans to return to Adak, but maybe someday 👍
Thank you that was somewhere I would never know about before your presentation.
You’re welcome! Thank you for taking the time to explore it with me!
I very much enjoyed your video! Pro-Tip: if you know you're going to explore a place for a video. Take a flashlight.... would have loved to seen more of the dark areas....
Well there’s the thing - I was told I wasn’t able to explore the inside of the buildings by someone before I arrived, so I left it at home. That was not the case, however. I should have borrowed one from Aleutian Outfitters but half the time I’m just winging it without a plan. Now I don’t travel anywhere without one 👍
Wait, you're telling me that people abandoned a town on a cold, miserable island? But why?
lol. There are plenty of cold and miserable islands that are still inhabited in in Alaska (and Canada!) so you'll have to ask them. Not to mention Svalbard.
THANKS FOR SHARING REALLY LOVED YOUR WORK
Thank you!! I appreciate the kind words
There’s enough material from that church that is about to fall to build a green house to grow vegetables 🥕 I think it would be an awesome place to just get away from the city life and do some hunting and fishing I’d want to stay for a couple weeks
DO IT! It’s an amazing place all around 👍
Nicely done! Like the music and vids!
Thanks for the kind words!
We used to go out to candlestick bridge and watch the otters at the bay. Several miles after national Forest. We would get hours of entertainment fishing for Dolly varden from the lakes and watching the otters play and catch their dinner
I spotted a few otters in the clam lagoon but couldn’t get out to Candlestick Bridge as the road was washed out!
Caught so many Dolly Varden! Good eatin' too! Do you Remember Candle Fish? 🕯
I wonder if they're still around in the waters up there? Likely!
Great video! Fascinating place!
Agreed! And thank you for the kind words 😎
I ate burgers from that McDonald's, sometime in the 80's - I do not have my work notes anymore so I am not sure of the exact date (I am now retired). I also stayed in one of the homes for several nights while we worked (environmental work). There was also large commercial store (Alaska Commercial?) that we used for supplies. Of course, it was an active base so we could not wander around freely. At that time, a fishing boat had wrecked on the far shore, and the fishermen were able to reach the beach; then, they had to hike cross country over the island to reach civilization.
Wow - I’ve learned through all these comments that Adak truly is a place full of stories and history. Thank you for sharing your memories 🙏
I've never been to Adak but in 1976 after my military training in florida, we had choices of about a dozen duty stations for my line of work. One of those choices was Adak. Everyone turned in their top 3 choices and I ended up in Scotland.
Do you regret not going?
Great video Dave. First timer here. Former Alaskan of 33 years. I worked with a guy up in Fairbanks that was stationed out on shemya island, the last island on the chain, as a radio operator. Airplane in, airplane out. He had stories that would make you shiver. Ropes that tied buildings together in the winter so that you could go between because the wind blew so hard. Food was rationed because the planes couldn’t get in. Just imagine that. Crazy. I worked for two different all cargo airlines over the years out of Fairbanks. I missed my one chance to go to Adak. It was a beautiful winter day out there at that time so I was told. I always regretted not going on that trip. Thanks for your content. Take care and stay safe.
I would love to visit what's left of Shemya - probably will never get the chance, as the cost would be five figures minimum. I can't imagine living up there during those days with the storms they had. And I thought the Canadian Arctic was bad! Thanks for the kind words and for taking the time to check out my channel!
New subscriber. Great filming. 10 years Active Duty Air Force 1991-2001.
Thank you for the kind words, and more importantly, thank you for your service 🙏
My father was there in the early 40s and he toldme that the sun never came out the entire time he was there except once when he was sleeping and a buddy woke him up so he could see it. He refered to it happy valley because it was cold wet and miserable
I’m sure it had its ups and downs! I lived in the Canadian Arctic for three years and I could only handle it in small doses. Being that isolated changes you.
Absolutely amazing video. Especially seeing the abandoned McDonalds and all the once thriving and really nice facilities. For many years I have followed Cecilia Blomdahl who lives in Svalbard in the Artic Circle which is a very cool community and large town that belongs to Norway. She has visited abandoned Russian bases further north and they are very similar to this.
I’ve been to Svalbard and visited the abandoned town of Pyramiden - man I wish I was a vlogger back then, as that would have made a great video. I might head back up there at some point, who knows! Thanks for the kind words and I’m so glad you enjoyed the video!! 🙏
Hey 👋 Drifter Dave you have not heard the last of me yet !!!! 😁😄😃😆 I bet I’m still The only Sailor NSGA WW2 and beyond that by Mistake during an Adak : I want to say blizzard 🥶 but that doesn’t even Capture it the Weather !!! 🤣 Raised and Tied off The COLORS 🇺🇸🇺🇸 Don’t think 🤔 I told you this Story Drifter Dave !!! Well I had been at NSGA maybe a Week before I went to the XO’s Office. I was Ordered The next morning to Raise Colors 🇺🇸 So Come the NeXT morning I Retrieved the Flag 🇺🇸 and Went Outside To The flagpole same flagpole in your Video!!! 🤣😂 Like I said earlier damn Snowing 🌨️ SIDEWAYS !!! 😅 with all The Top 🔝 Brass Looking 👀 on for Colors including The XO. So in a Hurricane 🌀 I begin raising The Flag 🇺🇸 and it gets to the top and I tie it off and pace back to Salute 🫡 Colors and I got the Flag Upside down 🙃 with All the Top 🔝 Brass inside of the galley walkway looking 👀 on through the Windows 🪟 and a Upside Down 🙃 American 🇺🇸 Flag represents The Fort is under Siege !!! So I quickly in the damn hurricane 🌀 just arrived there week ago Knew Knowone but they was all fixing to know me !!! Maybe 🤔 that’s the reason they called me while I was Stationed there Downtown Mitch Brown !!! 😆😁 My Ship 🚢 also !! Unbelievable Ran to the flagpole and lowered and raised the right way !! Embarrassing as hell !! But to me funny 😄 as hell now!! I was Stationed there after that incident another 387 more days and I was Never 👎 Ordered to Raise Colors Again !! Even tho it was a Mistake !! Maybe 🤔 I just figured out Why The XO Hated me so in my last Comment Drifter Dave !!!!! PTSD is a funny thing. I’ve been out of the Military 41 years and The VA just started paying me benefits 2018 and I got out 1983. Had to fight them for years still fighting them for benefits I Earned 🇺🇸 got one ☝️ Appeal To a VA Judge 👩⚖️ In Washington DC Now for 3 years 4 Months and 5 days so far he hasn’t even Looked at it yet !! And I’m a Low Income Veteran!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸 Since Oct 8 2020. Claim first put in to the VA before Appeal July 19 2019. I didn’t mean 😭 to go off on this tangent but A Lot of Other Honorable Veterans that Served this Country are Still fighting for their benefits also 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I'm sure that's a mistake you'd never want to make again! And I'm glad they've finally given you recognition of your service. Thanks for sharing!
This is fascinating. I grew up in Anchorage, which is of course a world apart from Adak. This makes me want to visit Adak.
Definitely a fascinating place!
I was stationed there in 90-92. I was a weather forecaster AG1
Thank you for your service 🙏
AG2 here 77-78.