Diego Garcia: The Strategic U.S Military Base in Indian Ocean
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ส.ค. 2024
- Diego Garica was discovered by Portuguese explorers in the early sixteenth century and its name is believed to have come from either an early explorer's ship captain or its navigator. Under the Treaty of Paris of 1814, many of the islands in the Indian Ocean under the control of the French were ceded to Britain, including the Mauritius and the Chagos Islands. In 1965, these islands became the British Indian Ocean Territory. During the 19th Century, the islands were used as plantations, producing copra and coconut oils. Plantations on Diego Garcia were closed in 1971, following a decision to establish the U.S. Navy Support Facility based on the 1966 Exchange of Notes between Great Britain and the United States. In January 1971, U.S. Navy Seabees were transported to the island by landing ship to begin building the U.S. military presence on Diego Garcia. Today Diego Garcia is home to 15 separate commands, including the U.S. Navy Support Facility, which functions as the host command.
Its position is strategically vital for the US, allowing it to project its military strength northwest into the Middle East and South Asia, east into Asia, or west into Africa. It's the most important US base in the Indian Ocean region. Diego Garcia is surrounded by about 60 other atolls. Its coast forms a deep natural harbor, making it the perfect site for a naval base. Diego Garcia has been the site of important military action by the US. On the remote tropical island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean lies a secretive, strategically vital US military base. Before that, the site had proved its strategic importance for US military operations in the Middle East as a base for Air Force attacks in 1991 during the first Gulf War. From the base, long-range B52 bombers embarked on missions to Afghanistan in 2001, targeting Taliban and Qaeda positions in the country's mountains. The base is also vital as a refueling point for the US Navy and Air Force. Its deep port is able to accommodate aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, and other ships. With Diego Garcia accessible only to restricted US military personnel, its secrecy has attracted speculation. Unlike the US military base in Guam, the spouses of personnel are not allowed on Diego Garcia. No journalist has visited. The UN court ruled that it was illegal for the British to demand possession of the islands as a condition of independence. Shortly afterward, the British leased Diego Garcia to the US. The UN has now served an eviction notice to the British. Though the ruling is not enforceable, it exerts moral pressure and has placed the future of the base in doubt. The base has served as a launchpad for US military operations in the Middle East and as a refueling point for Air Force patrols headed to the South China Sea, and it was even designated an emergency landing spot for space missions by NASA.
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Guam Island: The Strategic US Military Base in Pacific Ocean th-cam.com/video/_3KlnRSTxr8/w-d-xo.html
wewe ni nani reply sai yes
The government just can't leave the Indigenous Native people alone, can they?
@@justinshades6652 I served in the US Navy and was in Guam & Diego Garcia. The people of Guam loved us bothering them with our money back in 1982. Diego Garcia was beautiful in 82 but we definitely were screwing it up the whole time in D G I never saw an indigenous person.
@zulu2049 Thank You for your service
@@justinshades6652 Even though I received a paycheck, you`re very welcome.
Thanks for repeating it all at the end, I had already forgotten.
I newer say twice, I never say twice!
Learn how the US and UK stole the Island .. kick inhabitant off the Island.
Did you forget that Diago Garcia is a 17 square mile horseshoe-shaped atoll in the Indian Ocean's Chagos Archipelago?
Just incase you forgot
@@somedood9989 Is Diego Garcia is a 17 square mile horseshoe-shaped atoll in the Indian Ocean's Chagos Archipelago? I heard Diego Garcia is a 17 square mile horseshoe-shaped atoll in the Indian Ocean's Chagos Archipelago. Someone told me that Diego Garcia is a 17 square mile horseshoe-shaped atoll in the Indian Ocean's Chagos Archipelago. YMMV
That's pretty neat. I wonder how big it is?
Deployed there 2x 78-79/79-80 MCB 4 , living in portables and sea huts, building the anchor that became this. "The Rock" as we called it, was a life lesson, thats still with me today .
How was your time there, and what life lesson did it teach you.
@@LordsBridge For one how to cope with what life throws at you.
I spend 12 years working on merchant and military ship and I have to said those were 12 of my best years in my merchant carrier. The island is gorgeous, is a paradise. Before I finish my merchant carrier I will go back one last time.
I'm happy for your but it enrages me that we cannot go to visit our own territory being a resident of Mauitius the legal owner of the island. The report fails to mention this.
@@richi2831 . So little regard for the inhabitants and the unjust removal of islanders!!
Like you, I'm 'happy' that R Franco had 12 great yrs.
I despair with human ignorance
@@isabellewhite3505 When the islands were first discovered there were no people on them... people were brought there when the plantations were brought in.
Lmao. There are plenty of areas residents of countries can't go.
Back in the day ANYONE could just go up to the Whitehouse and have a chat with the president , now they record you as stand in front of the gates
Whh do they repeat twice the same thing?
They repeating it 3 times
I think all these videos are click bait
5:50 the usa, 50 year lease is due to expire in 2016?? well you don,t say? (2021 is an excellent year to use that same piece of info ;-) )
dumb copycat channels get instant dislike.
What's so f____g mysterious about it? It's a US military base that has high security and probably a lot of defensive armament. So what? (And it would be a little more listenable if it could pronounce archipelago.) 2 minutes of info crammed into 6 and a half.
Yeah why.. hmmmm 🥴🍷🐵
Didn't catch it the first time... Thanks for the repeat.
I served in the merchant Marine for USNS Meteor which was a anchored prepositioned forward accessit. It was a roll on roll off (RoRo) ship with a Marine force of Armor and Infantry stationed aboard. To say the region was hot is an understatement, when sounding the fuel tanks I made the mistake of kneeling on the deck and got a second degree burn on my knee.
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Was there in 1971, advance party, MCB 40. Arrived by ship (LSD) from Pt Hueneme Ca via Hawaii and Australia. Flew out 10 months later on a C130 off a soil cement runway. Best duty of my 4 years in the Navy
I had two tours there there, 1977, and 1981. Love the Hell out of it
Stationed there from June 94-June 95, best duty station I ever served at and one I would gladly go back to in a heart beat as a Contractor. Some of the best Salt Water fishing in the world!!!
Visited Diego Garcia more than a few times back in the 80's. Back when there were no piers, all ships anchored out, only 1/3 of the crew of each ship could be on liberty on the island at the time, and liberty boats took us back and forth from the ship to the beach. I stood my share of Shore Patrol there on duty days which always sucked because you had to deal with drunken sailors and break up fights. Good times.
The CIA has a black site there, right?
The missing plane Malaysia Air MH-370 "vanished" in 2014 and is still missing to this day most likely landed there.
It was the extraordinary rendition (aka abduction) by the CIA. 150 Chinese were on that plane including many high-ranking and very important scientists. People who were very very important to the Chinese government. People with "know-how".
That "abduction" was basically a forced "brain drain". ...what's your take on that?
AWARENESS CAMPAIGN!!!
Hi ,Jim Cramer here I run the CNBC Investing Club I am a financial adviser with over 25years of experience.Are you aware that the banking system is collapsing and exchanges are crashing down due to GLOBAL CRISIS? Soon Paper money and Digital assets will be worthless and you can loose all you have worked for if you don’t backup your finances with XRP as soon as possible.. I can brief you on how to backup your finances to avoid any future loss.. ASK ME HOW BELOW!!
I was tided up to the pier in the mid 80s… yes, there was a pier, but not all ships were permitted to dock.
I was ther in the 80's too, we conducted flight ops at anchor to keep the piolts qualified. USS Constelation CV-64
@V
Interesting story. Thanks.
Ouh.. Diego Garcia make me remember,about Malaysia airlines MH 370..after landing in Diego Garcia.
Look where the lines of the flight ended. Right about there
Besides Diego Garcia ...Adak Alaska is another isolated US army post....
Stop saying the same information FFS
That was my first duty station, Marine Barracks from 88 to 89, It wasn't bad as people made it out be, just having to know how to spend your time being productive. I got a chance to save 75% of my pay, which was a good thing for an 18-year-old LCpl. Good memories of that place.
What are the living conditions like there?
My first duty station also. 1980 on a sub tender.
I spent a month there. It was the best TDY of my military career! I was fortunate enough to take advantage of its world class fishing!!!
What kinds of fish are there to catch there?
@@ChairmanMeow1 The usual reef fish. Snappers, groupers, sharks. Outside the harbor you can also catch tuna, amberjacks, wahoo, bill fish. My personal favorite was a bonefish in the harbor from a rented boat.
@@javiertorres2193 Sounds awesome. Never had any of those besides tuna and amberjack!! FRESH seafood is one of my favorite things in the world.
What are the living conditions like there?
@hikawaokazaka7091 We were USAF, but stayed on the Navy side. With permanent lodging. Basic dormitory type lodging with a.c. Snorkeling and fishing are the main outdoor activities. They also have a great recreation center.
Was on the USS Monticello LSD-35 1971. We blew a hole through the reef to access the lagoon. Swim call every day for a week, shark petrol was set. Watched Russian Naval Ships cruising around outside the lagoon.
Gorgeous Island. Been through here a couple times enroute to deployment. Absolutely the most secluded you’ll ever feel.
Well, I felt pretty secluded on Wake. Although, I wasn't assigned there. We landed there at night, and it was fairly dark. Like where's the effing runway !!! 🔥🔥🔥 Problem with the 'ol 141.
And why you are there its a thousand miles away from the US?
When russia and china built base outside there country you are crying ITS A THREAT ITS A THREAT THEY ARE OCCUPYING OTHERS TERITORY
😂
@@GIVI727The USA builds and occupy by treaty and leases. China and Russia due by force.
@@mrbob9556 lol british dont have the rights in DIEGO GARCIA... UNCLOS alredy said that. What arw you talking about. Bro it's illegal occupation just like you accused to china lol.
We can read, write and understand WE ARE NOT IDIOTS, 😂
@@mrbob9556 the youtube deleting my comment again if they saw you are showing the truth😂
Back in 1983/1984 my ship docked there for liberty and stores and I also was TDAfor about a week to go to my new duty station. I was able to find some oil paintings and tapestries while cleaning housing units. Very isolated. Very hot.
what happened to the original native inhabitants of diego garcia? i guess the video doesnt do a good job of telling the whole story...
Ggg*get5
@@JasonC683 the french?
I'm a sincere and loyal Mauritian . please return the island as promised 60 years ago, we r not stupid anymore
What? Not gonna mention the people who were kicked off the island and treated like garbage in order for the US to build this base?
Spent 3 mos at Diego Garcia as a Navy Diver tending LA class subs in the 80's. I remember spending $60 using the MARS telephone to call home for 15 minutes . You could buy a bottle of JD for $4 back then. First time I saw a Cricket match was on Diego. Still have my Diego Garcia Footprint of Freedom teeshirt.
Still have My DG beach towel I got in '88.
Beautiful reef. Visited in '87 for a week. Everybody hated it but I bought a snorkel and mask and had a great time diving.
@@markw999 When I was there in 84 you couldn't go into the water. I was a Navy Diver, and we were anchored out for 3 months tending subs. We dove from a platform between subs and the tender. But on liberty the water was off limits. Something about sharks and poisonous fish. In 3 months, all I saw was a few hammerheads.
JD Green From The Vietnam War Days.
In 77, I Bought A Bottle Of Old Taylor Sealed In 1948, For $2. Rumor Was That The Navy Discovered A Huge Cache Of Alcohol On Guam And Sent It To D.G.
This feels like it was written by an AI lol
Flew in for three days in 1993 as part of a British Military contingent, hosted by the Yanks and had a great time.
Ha!! Me too, I was on the way to Somalia with the USMC, aboard the USS Peleliu, we were told we were needed in Mogadishu ASAP, so we caught a flight out of Singapore, stopped in Diego Garcia for a follow on flight that never happened, ended up staying on DG until the ship caught up with us 5 days later, had a good time, lounging on the beach, jet skiing, exploring a little.....
I was in NMBC 62, the second Seabee battalion to build the base. Loved swimming and ride the waves on air mattress off the point.
I was in NMCB-62. Was there in 1977.
Did a Westpac in 1984. We stopped for refueling and some beach R&R. Great untouched white sand beaches with crystal clear water.
99.99%...of Americans have no clue about Diego Garcia and that’s a good thing.
99.9% of Americans have no idea there were native inhabitants on the Island before they were forced off, removed to accommodate the Base-lease agreement with the UK & US
@@Hawaiian80882
100% of you have no idea that there were NEVER any indigenous inhabitants of this place. There is NO native population. There were only people brought in to work the plantation and several generations of their descendants. But your tag clearly shows that you conveniently blame the white man for all the world's evils since that is easier than putting effort into learning facts.
@@Hawaiian80882 they were not exactly native they were shipped by europeans
AWARENESS CAMPAIGN!!!
Hi ,Jim Cramer here I run the CNBC Investing Club I am a financial adviser with over 25years of experience.Are you aware that the banking system is collapsing and exchanges are crashing down due to GLOBAL CRISIS? Soon Paper money and Digital assets will be worthless and you can loose all you have worked for if you don’t backup your finances with XRP as soon as possible.. I can brief you on how to backup your finances to avoid any future loss.. ASK ME HOW BELOW!!
@@no1brittbarbiefanYeah they were farm workers brought there to harvest coconuts. The company that owned the coconut plantation sold it to the British Government to build the base so the (now unemployed) farm workers had to go.
It is a very beautiful base with guns on the shore left over from WW2 and one of the most spectacular coral reef that I have ever seen. Went fishing there off of a landing craft catch ing some really nice red grouper. Don’t know much about all that secret stuff but it really is a nice place to visit. Flew in and out of there while flying with the Airforce almost twenty years ago.
And we get mad when China wants to do the same thing😭😭👏👏
Its a beautiful place. I was there in 88 or 87 when I was in the Navy, it costs a 100.00 for a 30 min phone call I wish would have enjoyed it more.
The Chagos people want to to go back to their home too but US military occupiers wont let them
@@sisyphusvasilias3943 Sucks you guys got screwed
Was there around same time (USS COOK)…we were there about 4-5 days. Beautiful place. Hot as hell though.
@@jeffharder8706 Yeah those dungarees didn’t help either
@@sisyphusvasilias3943 But it seems that international court of justice does not apply to some western countries !
I have been there twice during my time serving aboard my command ship Truxtun CGN35. No piers so we were taken to shore by small boat. Only a handful of buildings that were being constructed to support the U.S. NAVY CB'S assigned to it back then. Remember playing "beer hunter" at one of the picnic shelters on the lagoon side with some buddies from my ship.
Beer Hunter 😂😂😂😂😂😂
I was station there from 1985 to 1986 I was a technician for Navy Beoadcasting and during my time I have travel around the whole place many times I I haven't seen any secret prison, we had many USO events on Diego we even had the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders do a show and it was great.
The only thing that was regretful was no dependents was allowed to accompany us that's why it was considered isolation duty. We have bowling alley, restaurants, burgers joints, clubs, a outstanding gym facilities, base ball fields, cabanas for cook out panties, beaches was beautiful, fishing was great and plentiful. I enjoyed my time there.
In 1994 I worked for a company building radar stations on some sites around the world I worked on Ascension Island in the south Atlantic. Some guys went to Garcia and Antigua and Hawaii .Ascension Island have a few locals on it and its British but the United States is trying to force the locals out so they can expand the base.
@@newyorkwanderer3290 yep, just like Diego... sad, sad, sad
Why nobody is mentioning the whore (slave) bars servicing the invaders? I saw them.
Having been to this base, this video gave me a chuckle
Same here. Was there in the early 90's
What was your experience
@@tammystewart10 Mostly good. I'd go back given the chance.
@Richard Schiffman I was there during the Gulf War, so definitely more American's
Agreed... I work there now.
Can we see the tunnels and deferent levels under the base .
Went there in 1979. Anchored in the lagoon. Brilliant fishing, coconut crabs on the beaches, and cute little lizards everywhere.
Was it a navy or private boat
@@greatnorthern3481 Navy ...... private weren't allowed
Diego Garcia is administered by the UK, the military base there is also under their supervision. Any American forces residing there, do so only at the UK's permission. Great place to launch a B-52 strike from.
US democracy?
@@stucrossland3719 No democracy in the US. At best of a good day what goes on in Washington is a malfunctioning representative republic. But only for the chosen few, with enough money to buy into clown car act.
@LIZZYinTHECUT run for city council and judge it from the ground up 😇
@@sriunnam Good to know. Thanks 4 reply.
@@sriunnam india has no hold over Diego Garcia. It belongs to Mauritius
I was stationed there for a year, 72 - 73. I operated the island power generation plant, lived in a 2 man plywood hooch on the beach. Extremely beautiful place. A year is a long time for isolated duty like that. Didn't even have a birth to dock a ship then, or any buildings to speak of. Had some beer-drinking donkeys though 😋
. You're correct, It was very rough. I was there nov '72- nov '73 I posted a video from then on Face Book on the Diego Garcia BIOT group. go watch
@@islanddave8606 wait, you said you were there in 1972 and 1973 as well? You two didn't know each other?
I ran the miniature golf course. My hooch had 12 straight guys plus 2 guy sailors. I was stationed at the receiver site. I wonder where his 2 man hooch was. I posted a video a few weeks ago. You or Doug the Thug might want to watch it.
@@islanddave8606 I was a steelworker E4 in NMCB 74 From January to December of 1973 and never saw a miniature golf course. I could have missed it I guess but I dont remember anyone ever even mentioning it.
I was there 73, 75. VP squadron rotation. Beautiful island. Wonderful climate. Diego burgers. Lots of seabees.
Spent 9 1/2 months there in 1976 with NMCB 62. I thought the "natives" were brought there to work the plantation. Beautiful sunsets!
Spent 83 to 84 on the island. I think we were the last ones to live in the tin roof huts. CB’s started turning everything over to contractors. I know I was in first group to move into new barracks by cannon point, that are almost 40 years ago now. I think we were in the new barracks for about 2 months when the earthquake hit, craziest night of the whole year.
Was there from Nov. 1971 to July 1972 MCB 1 was an experience you only get once in a lifetime , we relieved MCB 40 which made an amphibious landing to start it all . I left July 4 to get discharged , we then had C130 to Bangkok . Never regretted being there
Was there 72-73 MCB62 . R&R in Bangkok and LEAVING
It is a very interesting island. While I worked for DOD with the US Navy I visited the island many times. You only visit by military means.
Not necessarily military transport comes into Diego Garcia.
In years past lots of contractors came in late at night.
Some of them worked for Halliburton.
Also there was lots of suits coming in right after MH370 came up missing.
It went down South West of Australia.
@@bobbyglick5307 Above all the lies about MH370 , ( It would and could have landed there , night time , covid op , then flown on to the Netherlands to become MH 17 , ring any bells ? The Russians have a lot of evidence ) The big plus for the theory of it landing on Diego Garcia , was the twenty four scientists from Freescale Semiconductor ( the firm that designed and made all the nuclear technologies and electrics for missiles etc ) were on that aeroplane , were they whisked away to some underground laboratory . Funny how Lord Jacob Rothschild was the one and only person to inherit that very same company , very strange and unbelievable , nobody has connected the dots !!! Time will tell .
@@rickoliver2059 Not to mention Vice President Dick Cheney & George W. Bush both profited after the scientists on mh370 disappeared.
I dont think the plane landed on Diego Garcia. I'm sure for a fact it did a water landing South West of Australia.
One thing this video leaves out the United States doesn't lease Diego Garcia, that's just a cover.
The island was used 5 years ago as a listening post for the NSA to monitor Inmarsat.
I made a sat call late at night back in 2017 & before I finished the 15 minute call my conversation was recorded & people I was working with played it for me.
At any given time since 2011 there's no less than 30 people scanning the Indian ocean.
@@bobbyglick5307 I`m afraid you`re way off course BG . No plane flotsam has ever been found off flight MH370 , that flaperon piece was fished up out of some very old junk . If it was off that plane , there would have been heaps of other pieces also found , but nothing . A flaperon does not just appear on it`s own . Did they think we were so dumb , another b.s. lie is they ( US Military ) knew exactly where MH370 was every second she was in the air , they really think we believe their story about losing sight of the plane . Another reason that the US uses Diego Garcia , is that it took control of the Island off the Brits for the purposes of having a deep harbour base for it`s military . The Americans even got the Brits to get rid of the local inhabitants before setting up camp so to speak , that in itself is a cruel and terrible story of human negligence and pain ! That Island has been set up for the War in the M. East plus having a close base to Africa , and Eastern Asia , even for shorter jaunts up to maybe Russia , who knows . So with all the b.s. that`s been spread by msm and the US Pentagon etc plus crazy presidents since those days , who can believe a single word uttered out from America and her hanger - ons . One day , the Russians will have a big birthday and spill all the beans and remind the world that they are now the greatest country in the world , militarily and economically and resourcefully .
@@rickoliver2059 Lots of underwater activities go on south of Diego Garcia. Testing underwater pods & thermite has been used there.
I don't believe the Flaperon was from mh370 either. Captain Sully proved no pieces fell off his plane when he landed in the Hudson.
The plance is still in tact at least 3 miles deep. That's why sonar isn't showing up & the fact the search area is in the wrong location.
No one has searched more than 2 hours South West of Australia yet to date.
Spent 6 weeks there in 1986 with 2d Bn 6th Marines 3rd MarDiv and had a great time! The US Navy treated us well! Good food, cold beer 🍺 good training!
When I was in Navy “A” school back in 1978, if we were not doing well in our training, the instructors would threaten to drop us out and we’d be sent to Diego Garcia. Yikes!! 😱 well many years later while serving on board the USS Nimitz in the Arabian Sea I was sent to DG for a month as a beach det coordinator. It was a PARADISE! Pure white sand beaches, cold brews, great fishing, and wonderful fun people that worked there!! Had I only known back in “A” school! Lmao!
Hula in 24 Languages
My helo crew and i flew there off of the USS EIsenhower in 1980 where we had lunch from a small shack selling burgers and 6 packs of beer.It has been greatly improved since then.
How did the burgers taste?
Thank You for Your service 🇺🇸❤️🙏
So who was selling burgers?
@@regregan5755 I’m not sure who it was maybe a navy guy living there because he opened all of the beers so i had to drink them there and not smuggle them on the ship.
@@moonar5820 pretty good especially compared to navy chow
Was there in the summer of 80. I was an OS on the USS truxton CGN- 35. Pulled up alongside tied up to the L.Y. Spears. Some of the Filipino Cooks would fish off the stern in the evening and you could see the fish swimming around. Nothing much to do there at the time but you were on dry land,get something to drink and waited on the M.A.R.S. station to call home.
I was stationed there in 1983. It was nothing like it is now what an amazing transformation. When I first got there I lived in sea huts by the lagoon until a room opened up in the communications barracks. I was on the island defense force, but there wasn’t much there.
When I was there in 1987 there were nice barracks and even a dance club. Crabs kittens and chickens were everywhere.
Bro how was it to live in the sea huts. Would be fun.
And may be dumb to ask is there stable internet.
@@dawn_alex in 1983...?
@@sebastiantevel898 My bad...
What about today??
@@susanb2015 The same in 1985, but the first time I was there in 81, they put us up in hooches that were up on stilts.
I was there for a few days in 1987 with the U.S. navy. We pulled in there to swap out some Tomahawk missiles. It looks like they built up that base a lot since I was there. It is a beautiful island.
1982 right out of Sub school I found myself on a little boat headed to a Sub Tender where my Submarine was moored...all I remember is the pretty aqua green water...totally different than the Caribbean waters...it all seemed like a dream...I was as green as the water back then ...lol.
Been there, done that; got the tshirt. It isn’t a mystery. 🤣
Had a seatmate in college tell me he was stationed there for a bit, I responded in a hushed tone something dumb like that 'Isn't that top secret?'. He just nonchalantly replied 'nah dawg, was actually kinda boring.'
When I served in USMC Diego was designated as a forward gear staging area as well as refueling stop forward sir base as mentioned repeatedly in this video.
Had the old base gym t-shirt with the pink crab squatting and the Marine Security Force Company t-shirt. Wore the shit out of them back in the day!
spent about 5 days on Diego Garcia during Desert Shield/Desert Storm waiting to fly to the USS Midway in the Persian gulf. Wasn't bad at all. They had a nice club, a good restaurant. When the Airforce brought B-52's and tankers there they had a good party on the beach. They had an outdoor movie theater and wild chickens and cats on the island. Also British police who would arrest you if you messed with the animals.
It feel so wonderful being there on a small island with no other land near by
Stationed there from 77' to 78', "I" site Seabee field mechanic for base Support Facility, still fairly primitive back then by today's standards as the runway was being lengthened and the fuel tanks were going up....but we did have Diego Burger, and thanks to the P3 squadrons we also had fresh San Miguel beer in bottles.
Mcb 4 1972 to73 we were lengthening the runway, building the pcs barracks and paving the road down to the I Site, among others. I was alpha company heavy side mechanic.
You mean "donkey burger?" Was stationed there 1985-1986. Lived in great Holiday Inn style barracks Seabees built. Thanks Seabees! Great fishing, great chow hall, bad ships store that sold mildewed cigarettes, and too expensive Cable and Wireless phone calls. Had dinner at the Merchant Marines (?) restaurant many times. Highest point of the island was the swimming pool!
Stationed there Nov 77 to Nov 78. Worked at harbor ops, did alot of welding and oxy/acet work. I was glad I went there, and when my time was up. I was happy to leave. Would I do it again, YES!
@@richarderion4611 You guys and all the Seabees made the island into a habitable place for people to live. But, after viewing several more recent TH-cam videos, you won't believe how the place is now. I remember driving our department shuttle bus, there was not any other vehicles on the road. Now, DG1 is like a busy highway. There's even a separate bicycle lane to keep safe road traffic. But you guys were the plank owners! Great job!
@@richarderion4611 I was there Sept 77 to Sept 78...first 6 months in the sea huts, then moved into the air conditioned modular housing. One of happiest days of my life was the day I left DG.
UN court unanimously ruled out that Diego Garcia is part of Mauritius and has been illegally split from Mauritius by the British
And isn't it interesting that most of the comments here ignored that fact? International rule of law do not apply to Western nations. "Welcome to our fair and just world".
@@jon_nomad That and the bloody ethnic cleansing of the whole Chagos archipelago. Thinking about the hundreds of families that had their lives destroyed makes it harder to enjoy volleyball on the beach.
I was stationed there 2007-2008. When my one year was up, I begged my Supervisors to let me me stay, Paradise on earth :D
Its crazy how this was never mentioned in the news. During the disappearance of the plane.
I guess they just read through two different articles on Diego Garcia rather than go through the minimal trouble of merging them. Sheesh.
Diego Garcia was historically uninhabited due to the total lack of water sources. The "Chagos Island natives" mentioned were brought there from other islands in the archipelago by the British to work on the coconut plantations in the early 1900s. There were indeed several generations born there, but Diego Garcia is not an "ancestral home" in the sense that these people did not inhabit the island prior to the French and then the British.
so... the UK and US were justified in stealing the island from them?
The natives who were there before the invasion certainly considered the islands their home. Your explination is naive or is your conciousnes knocking.
@@thirdnorthwind2176 There were no natives living on DG before the first Europeans started the coconut plantation around the beginning of the 20th century. This was because of the total lack of a natural water supply on the atoll. These people were Chagosians brought to DG from other islands. There was no "invasion", rather the commercial settling of a previously uninhabited island.
Some of these people had been there for three generations, and had known no other home, so on an individual basis is was sad when the British moved them back to their islands of origin in order to make DG into a military base. They, however, had no ancestral claim to the island. This is completely different from, say, the inhabitants of Bikini Atoll, who were removed by the US for the nuclear tests. Please check your history before ranting about unconscionable white men.
probably another lie
@@agrajyadav2951 That is the history of Diego Garcia.
It's surprising that no one is talking about the poor people who were kicked from their homelands and the Mauritius right to rule the land politically. This is a humiliation to the country
They just care about themselves
@@kelvintosh1512the natives? Yeah I feel they are selfish
Was There In 1973 With NMCB-74. And, In 1977 With NMCB-62. Great Memories.
The native people were forcibly removed by the British at the request of America and they were not even compensated. It is on the list of America's worst international crimes. These people were even barred from returning to see their deceased love ones at the cemetery.
And then apparently contracted Filipino workers and shipped them there
Really? What cemetery? I've been there 4 times, and flown low over the atoll several dozen times, and never saw a cemetery. Now start commenting on what you know about.
@@mikearmstrong8483 they were natives it probably wasn't a cemetery but sacred sites
There was NEVER an indigenous population. The "natives" were shipped in as labor (employees, not slaves) for the plantation, and their children. And there are no sacred sites. The whole damn place is no more than 12 feet high, and is sand and trees, and some feral animals left over from the plantation.
@@mikearmstrong8483 🤣 then why is there a court document in the video saying they (the indigenous) were to be removed? Did you watch this video?
I was there in 1980 with the Navy Seabees building up the living facilities and piers. LOVED it there. Was there for 6 or 8 months. I forget.
I was there in Nov. 80 on the Uss El Paso for a week. I still have a glass of white sand from the beach. Our cruise book has a night photo off a Hammerhead next to the Captain's gig.
Went to degar to catch my boat on westpac 87. The thing I remember about my first visit was how cheap the drinks were, the things you remember as a 19 year old. As we left the lagoon, I got seasick but that changed the second the tossed me up on the flightdeck.
I was there for shield & storm. Beautiful cool island. We got a special permit from the Brits to go to the other end of the island and tour the abandoned plantation home, graveyard going back to the 1700's, etc. Really cool. There was a crashed airplane on the beach from WWII. I was there for three months, can't say I saw any secret jails or prisons back then, nor did the contractors that lived on the island mention anything. Really cool place to visit.
I was stationed there 80-81 18 months, unloading C5's & 141's, SR71 was there every now and then, when I first arrived we were put in Splinter City, Plywood hooches eventually moved up to new 3 man quarters, got to fly to the PI every 5-6 months for R&R
Diego Garcia is like the Midway Island of the Indian Ocean!
The only problem people were deported by the
Brits for a military U.S base ! A crime against humanity by these hypocrite western countries
Was stationed there 82/83..would love to go back for a stroll on it..was there when they were transitioning from huts to barracks..
Spent time on Dodge when the hostages were taken in Tehran. Part of a P3 aircrew
The Seabees used to put a sentry on the carrier peir with a M14 to drive sharks away from swimmers.
You left out the hundreds of (mostly) Philippino people who worked in services (restaurants, cleaning, stores, chow hall ect) who were essentially TCNs but also inhabitants of the island in the early 2000s when the USAF kept a presence there
Just add the whore houses to your list.
Most of them previously worked at Clark Air Base before Pinatubo blew up and basically leveled Clark.
I was there in 1976 catching up with my Seabee Battalion, NMCB-5. Spent 3 months there. Beautiful Place and got the worse sunburn I have ever had.
Me too on the top of my feet.
My father was there with the original landing party in early 1971. Has many cool pictures before the island was cleared and built up. Always wish I could of gone to see. Thanks.
I was there in the 1990's with a government contractor. Very interesting place...very useful
Music way to loud mate. Can barely hear your voice.
turn it down? what are you 5 yrs old
Kobra Is that a bad thing in this case?
So this is where MH370 land. What happened to the passengers ?
Was there over Christmas and new years on a USO gig.
Great people. They treated us like gold!
Sounds like home to some pirates who occupied it illegally and use it as a base to rob anyone nearby
Some people think flight mh370 was redirected to that island.
Just loved this documentary mate, very nicely done.
My dad was in the navy in the 70's, 80's and early 90's and if you are affiliated with the Navy, this island is no big secret. If you aren't affiliated with the military in general, you likely have never heard of it but to most military families it's just another military installation. I don't know if it's still true, but it was kind of the same with the Army. My uncle was in the Army at the same time as my dad and back then, all roads led to Germany.
This was my first deployment overseas in 1977, when I was in the Navy Seabees. Our mission was expanding the runway and some other small projects.
They stole the island from locals. They literally displaced these people it wasn't just a plantation area
@@danielmckinnon9627 I was there 72-73 with MCB62. The runway was the worlds first Slip Form Paved coral agrigate run way. I wonder if it is still holding up
@@peterhansen3409 It would be interesting to know durability comparisons with traditional runway pavement. It is still an active airfield and I am sure it undergoes periodic maintenance and upgrades over the decades. My guess the only way to know is from folks involved on any of those projects after our time over there?
How about you tell me about 370
I was there October 73 thru October 74. Beautiful place, but very isolated. Got to Bangkok for R and R.
Been there. Done that. Got the T-Shirt to prove it!
Same here pal n goin back soon
Good video but you need to make a correction. While the naval and airbase facilities on Diego Garcia are leased to the United States, in practice, it operates as a joint UK-US base, with the UK retaining full and continual access.[
That's what my dad told me
I was stationed there in 91-93, 2 consecutive tours with NSF/AirOps.
So you were illegally occupying the island like the russians are doing in ukraine???
Did any of that radars pick up Malaysia Flight 370? If not why?
The UK carried out a cultural genocide by forcibly evicting the Chagossians. They rounded up every pet dog on the island (over 1000) and gassed them all to death with exhaust fumes, purely to intimidate the Chagossians into leaving. They deliberately concealed the fact that the islands were going to become a military base from the Chagossians even after the deal was made, preventing any Chagossians who left the country between then and the forced eviction from returning, and leaving them unable to inform those still on the islands of the issue. Most Chagossians fell into severe poverty after deportation to Mauritius and the Seychelles as their skills in copra farming had no use there, and unemployment in Mauritius was already 20%. The ICJ (The Hague) ruled in 2019 that the UK has no sovereignty over Chagos and should hand the islands to Mauritias immediately, the UN agreed but the UK government ignored both. I am British and I say as a Brit that our treatment of the Chagossians has been nothing short of evil, and that they are entitled both morally and legally to self-determination and the right to return to their home. Shame on every UK and US government throughout the last 60 years that has perpetuated the continuing crime against humanity that the Chagossians are facing. We claim to care so much about sovereignty here in the UK (see Brexit) but clearly the government does not care one bit about Chagossians sovereignty. Calling Diego Garcia the Footprint of Freedom is as moronic as it is insulting.
Thx for your comments and knowledge on the issue as am from Mauritius but very few people know of these facts. Btw I never knew abt the story of the pet dogs. thx for sharing.
I very much doubt any of the Chagossians will ever return back to the island, even if they wanted to which is unlikely. If Mauritius gets sovereignty they will most likely lease the island to the US to continue using it as a military base.
It's always the spot I refer to when asked where was the most interesting place I had been while in the service.
Most interesting? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 no. The only thing interesting in 8 months on that little hell hole was 6 days r&r Bangkok.
@@cbmech2563 Bangkok r&r sounds like it would've been fun, nevertheless, an atoll in the middle of the Indian Ocean was by far the most interesting. I didn't say good, or bad, simply the most interesting as it was a place I would never have imagined being. Didn't even know it existed until I was there.
@@BLWard-ht3qw I think the hotel cost 82.50 US and that got you your room, your personal cab and your hooker for 6 days. I was a seabee and I was single. In 1973
The official exchange was 19 baht to the dollar but most businesses would exchange it at 27 to 1.
Got a great tan in 81.
The US and Britain should GIVE back the land to the natives !!!! If the natives were of a particular colour this would have NEVER happened !!!
I spent 3 weeks on Deigo Garcia in June 1976. I was assigned to Patrol Squadron VP46.
Been here. Nothing to do but drink in the club.
Now if you were there as a Seabee you would not have had all that horrible time drinking . Working 10/14 hrs a day 5 1/2 days a week in the hot sun mail once a week of the damn Air Force showed up . For 10t years Seabee battalions and augment detachments from 4/5 Battalions with 40 to 100t men labored , total men on the island often exceed 1200 . Ya woe to me , nothing to do ! Try 2 / 9 month deployments the a detachment . I was with the 74th batt , the work experience, the detachment I was with had 125 men , I tell about the amount we accomplished, now one believes it . The 60 men I worked with were the best and hardest workers ya ever saw . After serving 23 years as a Seabee senior chief I am the proudest of these men of any I ever served with . I have been retired for 40t but I’m still a Seabee . 74x2/62/15 batt’s. Some should tell the story of Seabees building this base .
It's location is ideal for tracking the final routine of MH370 before disappearing from radar.
It was remotely flown there with everyone on board dead.The plane was registered and crashed over the Ukraine.
Did two tours on the Rock .... '77 and '80 for 9 months a piece ... was a beautiful place. There is definitely a pier out into the lagoon - I was on the pier team building it the 2nd time I was there ... came into operation in '82
Stationed at Diego Garcia 1981-1982. Great duty station! Would love to go back for a year.
I was there 2 times, 1973 with MCB4, Then with MCB40 in 1980.
I was in mcb4 ,alpha company heavy shop mechanic in 73
Nobody mention MH370?
Long live our powerful alliance of vibrant democracies! 【 USA 🇺🇸 India🇮🇳 Japan🇯🇵, South Korea 🇰🇷, Philippines 🇵🇭 Singapore 🇸🇬, Australia 🇦🇺 and Taiwan🇹🇼】
Leave PH because we are not satellite state of amerika. And our country is used by american imperialist for a long time
india isnt an ally of gaysht whities
Jeeesus. The you way said “Archipelago” gave me a slight aneurysm!
Back in Feb '81 while my ship, the USS Downes FF-1070 was in port on the island, it blew half it's stack off into the harbor during a explosion while lighting off it's boilers. Stranded there until the USS Narragansett T-ATF-167 came to tow us to Subic Bay for repairs. After 6 days undertow, the Narragsansett engines were damaged and we both drifted without power for two days in the IO until we were able to repair and light off one of its boilers and tow the tug to Singapore. We cut her loose at the mouth of the harbor and continued on to Subic. We proudly started that Wespac from San Diego on the "I RAN TO IRAN" to the Persian Gulf during the US hostage crises and, returning home once they were freed, on what became the "Frigate from Hell" and the "Bruise Cruz". Broke my hand, wrist and arm on that Westpac.
Its where MH 370 was hijacked to & pasengers are held captive
When making a video about places with unusual names it behooves the narrator to learn how to properly pronounce those names. Like Mauritius. It's pronounced Mer ISH uss, not Maw RID ee us, as was done in this video. It just makes you sound ignorant.
Spent a few short hours there back in '80. Flew in on a cargo plane and back out on a helicopter to USS Sacramento who would eventually transport me to my ultimate duty station of USS Harold E Holt out in the Indian Ocean. Quite the adventure for a 20 year old lad. I remember the blinding sun and heat. Nice!
Diego Garcia belongs to the Mauritius "The General Assembly adopted a resolution today welcoming a 25 February 2019 International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the legal consequences of separating the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965, demanding that the United Kingdom unconditionally withdraw its colonial administration from the area within six months."
The UK have objected the ruling and reaffirmed the British sovereignty over the BIOT, having originally purchased it from Mauritius for $3 million USD. The UK has also reinforced the strategic importance the BIOT plays in maintaining regional peace and stability. In short, Britain will not be giving it back.
@@dWFnZWVr UK and USA flaunting international law. China should sell nuclear submarines to Mauritius so that they can defend their sovereignty and conduct freedom of navigation missions through the Chagos Archipelagos. Then watch the hypocrites in London and Washington cry that China is being "hostile" and "aggressive".
@@motowntaiwan9079 shouldn't your username be "motownBeijing"?
@@stephenkolostyak4087 Nope. Taiwan is the Republic of China (ROC) and it was the ROC when it governed the mainland in the 1920's that it officially claimed the South China Seas islands. Even today the ROC on Taiwan still claim the SCS islands and the biggest one, Taiping Island, has continuously been administered by the ROC. So "western" challenges to Chinese sovereignty to the SCS islands is a challenge to both the People's Republic of China AND the Republic of China but most western media completely overlooks this historic fact.
Mauritius has never had a claim over Diego Garcia, let alone the entire Chagos Archipelago. The French claimed both and ran both from Mauritius. The French gave that mess up to the British under the Treaty of Paris. Prior to that mess the only thing Mauritius and Chagos Archipelago had in common was that they were separated by 2000+km of the same ocean.
In fact about the only claim they do have is to being paid by the UK government *BEFORE* 1965 to no longer have to administrate the archipelago which the UK government was administrating by having claim over the entire lot anyways - not really sure who the genius was behind that, but whatever.
It's an occupied territory, local people were displaced and made homeless to build this military base.
And they are still not compensated up to this day..
@@debbiemarquis3231 The islanders were never natives, Britain imported them to work on the plantations.
@@zenko247
Some were born there. They are the true chagossians who were deported
Nice one.
The fishing is still great, more places to eat/relax, MWR program is amazing, the white sand beach and water activities are hard to find anywhere else.
Got here in 1990.
I was there from 1982 to 1983. It was isolated duty. I did not want to go there. I was stationed there "in accordance with the needs of the Navy". And now I absolutely treasure the memory of being there. If I could I would spend another year there. If you are there drink it in.
And I don't mean the booze.