Photographs and stories by Priscilla Reed
We were on Adak from Oct. 65 to March 67
Our quarters were originally for the civilian construction workers. Ugly boxes but sturdy and soundproof compared to the new housing (You couldn't hear your neighbors talk on the other side of the wall).
We took many pictures of Mt Moffett in the sun. Non Adakians seeing the pictures thought it was normal to see it that way. It was just so rare to see it fully we would take it's picture when we did see it! We had a ring side seat view of it ..the only things between our quarters and it were the Captain's and the Executive officer's houses.
There are good stories behind some of them. The Dutch racing yacht was being sailed from one place to another (I think Japan to Calif.) for it's owner. They were delayed by storms and were low on food so put in to the port of Adak for provisions. It happened to be during the Amphibious Ball so were met by my husband (at the time) in full mess dress uniform. They commented they didn't expect the formal reception.
The caribou antler pictures and the group on the tug boat story:
Cmdr. Snyder, head of Ship's Division, decided to go
caribou hunting on the other side of the island. He and his group were going in a mike
boat (LCM, a landing craft). My husband decided for their "safety" that they should be followed in the tug
boat....which was an excuse for a round
the island cruise for a group of our friends.
Cmdr. Snyder put in at the caribou hunting place and we proceeded back by way
of the Kagalaska Straits. That was a wild ride through them!
I think we were probably the only ones to go round Adak on a tug
ever. Only a few pictures of this trip though. I was busy sightseeing and
tending a pretoddler. The mike boat group got back
all on their own minus tug escort some days later.
Google Earth view of Atka harbor pier (three photos made from here) Zoom out a bit to see the town (such as it is) to the southwest from the pier.
Google Earth view of Upper Amulet, approximate location of Reed's house.
Wikipedia article on "Mike" Boats
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