SHEMYA ISLAND - 1946
A year at the tip of the Aleutian Island chain.
- THE WAY IT WAS -
 
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We departed Seattle on the luxurious
"cruise ship" S.S. Carl Shurz, a former submarine tender converted to a
troop ship. Our route was up the inner passage to Seward, AK then
out the Aleutian chain to
our island paradise. The pictures, taken on one of the
few days the weather permitted us to get out on deck, show the
spaciousness of our accommodations.  |
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| Our "cruise" lasted several days. The trip
through the inner passage went rather smoothly but once we headed out
into the open Bering Sea along the Aleutian chain things changed.
Rain, fog, high winds and rough seas were the order of the day,
along with a lot of seasick GI's. |
EN ROUTE - OUR PORTS OF CALL
 Seward |
 Dutch Harbor |
 Adak |
DESTINATION SHEMYA
| Somewhere enroute we were advised that our
destination was Shemya, a 4 mile long by 2 mile wide island at the
western tip of the Aleutians that most of us had
never heard of. We soon learned that it was the home of
a major US Army Air Force base and that virtually everyone on
the island performed some function in support of that base. |
  B-17 turning final approach. Islands Iliad and Nizki in distance |
 B-24  B-17
 OA-10
 P-38 |
| During the mid 1940's the main runway at Shemya
Air Base was among the
longest in the world. It was constructed initially for use by
B-29's bombing Japan. Before it's completion other bases became
available closer to the target and the Shemya runway was never used for
it's original intended purpose. In the mid 40's the 404th Bomb
Squadron (B-24's), the 10th Air Sea Rescue Squadron (B-17's with an
underslung "Flying Dutchman" lifeboat dropped by parachute, and OA-10
Catalina's) and the
11th Fighter Squadron (P-38's) were based on the island. |
A SHEMYA TRAGEDY
HOME SWEET HOME
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| Many of our quonset huts were recessed into the
soft soil (tundra) to better withstand the extremely high winds
(williwaws) that were experienced on a regular basis. The flag in
the distance, in the picture at right, flies over the island
headquarters and would often be torn to shreds in a single day by the
strong winds. |
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| Assignments were normally four to six men per
hut. Bunk, foot lockers and clothes racks were furnished but from
there you were on your own to scrounge up tables, chairs, desks, book
cases or whatever else struck your fancy. Furnishing and "decorating"
the hut was pretty much up to
the inhabitants as long as things were kept reasonably clean and neat.
Heat was furnished by an oil fired heater in the center of the
hut. |
AN ISLAND OF CONTRASTING WEATHER
 
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  Wind, rain, fog and snow were common, at times all in the same day. Temperatures were milder than anticipated, due to the the warm Japanese current flowing nearby. On rare occasions a sunny day would coincide with a day off and one would find the troops sitting on the "front porch" enjoying the weather and discussing important issues - like the girls back home or the next beer ration. At other times heavy snow with simultaneous strong winds would result in a "white out" that made trips to critical facilities like the mess hall and latrine a challenge. |
| The boardwalk in front of the hut at upper left
was typical. Boardwalks were laid on top of the tundra on all
regularly traveled paths to
keep one from sinking ankle deep into the soft, spongy soil. |
AN OCCASIONAL SQUADRON ADULT BEVERAGE PARTY - COURTESY OF THE USAAF
On the scenic shore of the beautiful Bering Sea
 The Elaborate Convention
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 The Romantic Cookout |
 The Challenging Game of Chance |
GOOD FRIENDS - THESE, AND MANY OTHERS, ARE REMEMBERED FONDLY 60 YEARS LATER.
They turned an "interesting" experience into an enjoyable one.
Smitty - Okamoto - Torres
Tekely - Watson - Hess |
Forster - Watson - Hess Gagne - Tatje - Torres |
 Osborne & Duke |
 Philbrook |
 Kaluf |
 Dennehy |
 Tekely |
 Edwards |
* * * * * *
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Our group left Shemya in early February
1947, on
a C-54, for a "quick" flight back to the states with one scheduled
refueling stop in Anchorage. About midnight, out over the COLD
Bering sea, we experienced a fire in #2 engine. After what seemed
like an eternity we were forced down at Cold Bay. There, we R
& R'd for four days hoping that an airplane would show up to enable
us to continue. Finally a C-47 appeared out of the mist and
confusion to ferry us on to Anchorage. There, another delightful
four days of R & R with extremely cold temperatures. Then,
finally, another C-54 on into McChord Field, Tacoma, WA. On that
trip, for a bunch of young GI's anxious to get home, the old saying "If
you have time to spare go by air" took on new meaning.
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 A 20 year old
Buck Sergeant
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WEB PAGE BY BRUCE R. WATSON, PHOENIX, AZ
Most of the pictures on this page were
taken by me with a tiny camera using #127 film and developed by me in a
corner of hut #52. I hope that this, and the passing of 60 years,
gives me an excuse for the marginal quality of some of the pictures.
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 NOW seasoned citizen
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