Eareckson Air Station , formerly Shemya Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force military airport located on the island of Shemya, in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands.
The airport was closed as an active Air Force Station on 1 July 1994. However, it is still owned by the USAF and is operated by the USAF Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center at Elmendorf AFB for refueling purposes. It also serves as a diversion airport for civilian aircraft. The base previously hosted the AN/FPS-17 and since 1977 the more powerful AN/FPS-108 COBRA DANE phased-array radar.
Overview Eareckson Air Station is located on the western tip of Alaska's Aleutian islands near the larger island of Attu, lying approximately 1,500 miles southwest of Anchorage. The airport lies on the south side of the 2-mile by 4-mile island and is 98 feet above mean sea level.
Shemya Island has been the scene of two major earthquakes. The 1965 Rat Islands earthquake, measuring 8.7 on the moment magnitude scale, occurred on 3 February. It was followed by severe aftershocks and a tsunami, but damage was limited to cracks in the taxiways. The 1975 Near Islands earthquake, measuring 7.6 (surface wave magnitude), occurred on 1 February. A high degree of damage occurred to the runways and hangars and communications were disrupted for a short time.
Eareckson Air Station has one runway: Runway 10/28: , surface: asphalt/grooved, 28 is ILS equipped. The island has many abandoned taxiways, aircraft revetments and two other runways on the west side of the island. All of these World War II facilities are abandoned and non-operational.
There are also an NDB, TACAN and VOR on the island.
William O. Eareckson On 6 April 1993, Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station after Colonel William O. Eareckson (1900–1966). The renaming was initiated by the Eleventh Air Force Association to honor their wartime commander. From 1941 to 1943, Eareckson personally led all of the difficult missions against the Japanese which were located on two other Aleutian Islands, Kiska and Attu. Eareckson also helped plan the successful retaking of Attu. During the bombing campaigns, he introduced low-level skip bombing and Forward Air Control (FAC) procedures long before they became common practices in other war theaters.
History
World War II On 28 May 1943, a small detachment of Alaskan Scouts began reconnaissance of Shemya, a small, flat, uninhabited island 35 miles to the east of Attu. The following day, United States Army Engineers came ashore to begin construction of a runway suitable for B-29 Superfortress bombers. Tents were erected, a rudimentary electrical system, radios and some rough streets were laid down. A 10,000-foot runway was constructed, along with two 5,000-foot cross runways.Chloe, John Hale, (1984), Top Cover for America. the Air Force in Alaska. 1920–1983, Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, The 404th Bombardment Squadron flew B-24 Liberator heavy bombers along with one Beechcraft AT-7, which was used for navigator training. The 344th Fighter Squadron flew both P-40 Warhawks and P-38 Lightnings. In addition, a North American AT-6 was utilized for pilot training. One RB-34, a UC-64A and numerous TB-26s were flown by the 15th Tow Target Squadron that was stationed on Shemya. The Navy assigned one squadron of Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateers, which were single tail versions of the twin tail B-24. Many administrative and cargo aircraft, such as the C-47 "Gooney Bird" flew in and out of Shemya during the war. The dispersal aircraft standings were placed in the area to the north of the main runway.
With the successful completion of the Aleutian Campaign in August 1943, Eleventh Air Force came within striking distance of the Japanese Kurile Islands, the northernmost being 750 miles to the south-southwest of Shemya. The Japanese had established a sizable defense complex on the northernmost islands, with most installations being located on Paramushiro, the largest island in the chain. It supported three airfields and the Imperial Japanese Army Kashiwabra Staging Area. In addition, it was the headquarters for the Imperial Japanese Navy Fifth Fleet, located on Kataoka.
The mission of Eleventh Air Force was to take advantage of the new airfields on Shemya and Attu, and carry out offensive operations against the enemy forces in the Kuriles. Orders were issued in early July 1943 for the first bombing attack on the Japanese Home Islands since the April 1942 Doolittle Raid. Crews and aircraft were to be provided by the 21st, 36th and 77th bomb Squadrons. Initially Eleventh Air Force had little intelligence available about the Kurile Islands. IX Bomber Command coordinated with Navy personnel who were able to provide various documents, maps and other documents about the Islands. This included captured Japanese documents from Attu. From this information the command put together an accurate assessment of the Japanese military installations on the island chain.
On 10 July 1943, eight B-25 Mitchells from the 77th Bombardment Squadron left Adak AAF and refueled at Alexai Point AAF on Attu. High-explosive bombs were also loaded on the aircraft. Six B-24 Liberator bombers from the 21st Bombardment Squadron on Shemya were scheduled to join them, but they were diverted to attack Japanese transport ships spotted by a Navy PBY aircrew. The B-25s reached Paramushiro, which they found completely socked in by clouds. Using time/distance calculations they dropped their 500-pound bombs though the clouds on what they believed were the Japanese installations, then headed back to Alexi Point and landed after nine and a half-hour, 1,000-mile flight. At the time, it was the longest B-25 Mitchell mission of the war. Meanwhile, the B-24 Liberators had attacked the transports but failed to achieve any hits. One Liberator was hit by anti-aircraft fire from the ships and managed to make a wheels-up landing on Shemya.
A second attack by B-24 Liberators was launched from Alexai Point and Shemya on 18 July. They found the weather over the northern Kuriles clear with unlimited visibility. The Katkoa Naval Base; Kashiwabra Army Staging Area and a nearby airfield were attacked. However, no hits were observed on the targets. The Japanese defenses were taken by surprise, with only five Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" and a few Nakajima A6M2-N "Rufe" float plane interceptors sent up which were unable to catch the retreating B-24s. After staging though Attu and Shemya for refueling, the B-24s returned to Adak AAF. Most importantly, aerial photographs were taken over the targets which were provided to intelligence analysts. The third attack on 11 August found the Japanese defenses prepared for the American bombers. B-24s from the 404th Bombardment Squadron and B-24s from the 21st Bombardment Squadron were met by intense anti-aircraft fire when they arrived over the Kataoka Naval Base and the Kashiwabra Army Staging Area. This time numerous bomb hits were observed on both targets and many aerial photographs were taken. About 40 Zeros were launched to intercept the Americans and in a 35-minute air battle, the B-24 gunners claimed four Zeros shot down, with one probable and four possibles. The Japanese managed to shoot down one B-24. Another B-24 diverted to Soviet territory and crash-landed at the airfield at Petropavlovsk on Kamchatka Peninsula. One airman was killed in the crash and the survivors were, at least officially, interned in the Soviet Union. At the time, the Soviets were officially, for strategic reasons, neutral in the war between the Japanese Empire and Western Allies; in order to maintain this neutrality, international law required Soviet authorities to intern any Western Allied personnel forced to seek refuge in the USSR as a result of operations against Japan. In reality, however, US aviators who made forced landings on Kamchatka were secretly returned to the United States, by way of a camp in the Kazakh SSR and Iran (which was under British and Soviet occupation at the time). The US aircraft involved were generally retained in the USSR. Over the next few years, dozens of US aircraft with mechanical problems and/or damage from by Japanese defenses were diverted to Soviet bases on Kamchatka – usually Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. By the end of 1944, several hundred US aviators had been interned in the Soviet Union. Some of the internees complained about their treatment in the USSR – including accommodation which, to the Americans, resembled prisoner of war camps, and their interrogation by Soviet officials.
The aerial photos taken on the raid of 11 August 1943 showed that the Japanese were building up forces in the area, transferring aircraft presumably from air bases on Hokkaido. The Japanese early-warning system, however, did not seem to be effective as the interceptor aircraft were launched after the B-24s attacked their targets. After a month, in which the Eleventh Air Force units on Shemya and Attu concentrated on attacking Kiska and forcing the Japanese to withdraw from the island, the next mission against the Kuriles was flown on 11 September 1943. It was the most disastrous mission flown by Eleventh Air Force and was the last flown in 1943. Seven B-24s of the 404th Bombardment Squadron and twelve B-25s of the 77th Bombardment Squadron lifted off from Alexi Point AAF and headed to the Kuriles. The B-24s attacked the Kashiwabra Army Staging Area and as they turned towards home, they were attacked by numerous Japanese interceptors. Three of the Liberators were severely damaged and headed for Petropavlovsk where they crash-landed. The B-25s conducted a low-level raid on shipping between Paramushir and Shumshu Islands. On coming out of their bomb run, they also were attacked by numerous Japanese interceptors. After an hour of continuing attacks by the interceptors, one B-25 was shot down and five others were severely damaged and had to land at Petropavlovsk. Eleventh Air Force had lost over half its bombers. It was six months before another attack was made by IX Bomber Command on the Kuriles.
After the disastrous attack, the focus of Eleventh Air Force was shifted to a defensive posture in the event of retaliatory attacks from the Japanese. Also the command was reorganized in light of the new mission and the reduction of forces in the Aleutians after the conclusion of the Aleutian Islands Campaign. The IX Strategic Command was activated as a provisional organization with the inactivation of IX Fighter and IX Bomber Command; remaining staff being assigned to the provisional Command. The 28th Bombardment Group and 404th Bombardment Squadron were assigned to Shemya; the 77th Fighter Squadron assigned to Alexi Point. The mission would be to carry out both day and night bombing and photo-reconnaissance attacks on the Kuriles, and also to conduct searches for Japanese shipping, including fishing vessels in the North Pacific. The Navy Fleet Air Wing Four at Naval Air Station Attu and IX Strategic Command would be assigned to the Navy's North Pacific Command for operational control. The 77th Bombardment Squadron with B-25 Mitchells assumed the primary responsibility for searching for Japanese shipping, as the Mitchells were very suited for low-level attacks. However, within a few weeks, IX Strategic Command was disestablished and all Eleventh Air Force units came under the direct control of HQ Eleventh Air Force, now at Davis AAF on Adak.