BIG SLIDES
-- this is a slide show of just the big (zoomed) photos. It helps to
have a high speed internet connection if you are going to do this one!
Photographs by Ray Evans, 1962-1963 on Adak,
Alaska.
Ray Evans, ET3
Ground Electronics Division
US Naval Station
Adak, Alaska
Oct 1962 -Nov 1963
My responsibilities were to maintain the mobile radios for the Marine
patrol trucks, crash crews and fire crews. I also worked at AFRTS (Armed
Forces Radio and Television Service ). I maintained all the weather
gathering equipment for the aerographers. This included the anamometers
(wind speed), rain gauges, and transmisometers (visibility indicators)
and the cloud height indicators. The low frequency homer to direct
aircraft back to Adak was also my reponsibilty. Last but not least was
Rawin Sonde or more commonly known as the weather balloon tracking
station between Birchwood Barracks and the old hangar. In a couple of
pictures of the Adak antennas that I have seen, the Rawin antenna
inside a fiberglass dome, has been identified as the "airport" antenna.
I worked in that dome countless times. Two balloon launchings and
tracking took place every day if the winds were not too high. One
balloon was tracked to a world record height of 103,000 feet where it
burst.
I recently found this website and read the account of Glenn Rodgers.
Glenn, I believe you were my replacement at Ground Electronics. I
enjoyed your account and pictures. I have submitted pictures of my own
which I hope you and others will enjoy. Please note the pictures of
Static. I have many fond memories of that dog. As I recall, he ruled the
dog world on Adak. Didn't take fondly to Marines either.
I was on Adak when the Navy was making the transition ftom P2V's to
the new P3 Orions. I enjoyed watching the P2's land in the strong cross
winds. Those winds would turn the planes sideways and those pilots would
somehow turn them back and land. It was amazing to watch ftom the
control tower. Years before I arrived, a Flying Tiger transport was not
so lucky and crashed at the end of the runway. Part of the tail section
can be seen in one of my pictures.
On the way to the low ftequency homer station I had to cross a wooden
bridge constructed by the CB's. It was just a short bridge about 50
yards long, as I recall. As I approached the bridge one day it seemed to
be moving. I stopped my Ford pickup and watched as the tide swept
through that narrow gap that the bridge spanned. The log pilelings
looked like they were swaying. I radioed Master Chief Noah and told him
I didn't feel the bridge was safe to cross. His response was "cross the
damn bridge and do your job." Well, I crossed the damn bridge and as I
looked in the rear view mirror the bridge went out to sea. Chief Noah
sent a motor launch to get me off the little island that the homer was
on. I refused to ever go to the site again. Chief Noah understood.
I believe that the upper barracks was named Brainerd Barracks. About
half way between it and White Alice was a small concrete building we
called the "remote site" It was the heart of the communications back to
the mainland. Static (our dog) and
I went up there early one day to repair an antenna. I was driving the
four wheel drive Dodge Power Wagon with chains (see picture). A sudden snow storm
came up and even though I was only about a mile from the barracks, I
was told to stay put because it was too dangerous to attempt a return
during a storm. Three days later, after the storm had ended, I heard a
noise outside. It was the SnowCat from White Alice sent to take me back
to the barracks. Three days of"K" rations and a sleeping bag on a cold
concrete floor was enough for me. Static was a little out of sorts as
well.
Ground Electronics had a division automobile. I believe it was a 1950
chevy four door that we paint with paint brushes. It had a red roof and
fenders and the body was white. It had only second gear and no reverse.
The starter didn't work so we parked it on a hill and would let it roll
down hill and pop the clutch to start it. We got pretty good at that.
Then we would drive up to Brainerd Barracks at the break-neck speed of
25 mph. It did beat riding the bus. The third of July 1963, our beloved
car disappeared. The base was to celebrate the 4th of July at the old
hanger, which was also the location of Ground Electronics. My duty
section was on that day and we watched the festivities from the second
floor balcony. There in the middle of the hangar floor was "OUR" car.
And there were, it seemed, hundreds of sailors, marines, airmen, coast
guardsmen and soldiers taking their turn wacking our beautiful car with
sledge hammers. I think the charge was three wacks for a quarter. The
old chevy had served us well and now it was serving the whole base by
allowing them to vent the pent-up aggression and frustration that we all
felt after just a few weeks of wind and rain and boredom of Adak.
Who among you can speak or even think about Adak without remembering
the wind and rain? After all, Adak is the Birthplace of the Wind. And
what about the rain? AFRTS would come on the air in the morning and
report the possibility of 40+ mph winds at 100% and the possibility of
rain also at 100%. In my thirteen months on Adak, the weather forecast
was also 100% accurate. On at least six occasions I saw the wind speed
indicator at the tower show 120 knots. The needle on the indicator was
pegged at that maximum reading. Who knows how high the winds really
were? During one of these "willi-waw" winds the needle dropped to zero
and didn't move even though we could hear the howling winds outside the
control tower. When the winds died down to their normal 40 mph, I went
out to the anomometer. It looked like the fuselage ofan airplane and
had a small propeller. The whole thing was maybe two feet long. As the
wind blew, the propeller would spin and turn a small generator within
the fuselage. The faster the wind the faster the propeller would spin
and the generator would produce more current and that would cause the
needle on the gauge to move and indicate the wind speed. This particular
wind had demolished the propeller. It was bent around the fuselage. Now
that was a high powerful wind.
On rare occasions, and usually only for a few minutes, there was hardly
any wind. That was a fun time. Because there was always wind noise
everyone would kind of block out the noise after having being on Adak
for a few weeks. We would come out of the barracks, round the comer of
the barracks and automatically lean at about a 45 degree angle. The wind
would hit you and straighten you up and you would then proceed to the
hangar while leaning against the wind. The fun came on those calm or low
wind times. Everyone would lean as they turned the comer and fall flat
on their face. I mean everyone looked like a drunken sailor falling
down. No one, no matter what their rank was, avoided this little
embarassment.
Serving on Adak turned out to be a Love / Hate affair with me. I hated
most of the time there but there was also some fun times. I turned 20
years old just two months after I arrived on Adak. Later, for about five
months, I was the Leading Petty Officer of Ground Electronics. I was
only an ET3 and had eight seaman working with me. They were just
outstanding in their work. Master Chief Noah, who was an Aviation
Electronics Technician was the Division Chief. I learned more
electronics and leadership skills from him than any school I attended
before or since. What an outstanding Chief and person he was and I hope
still is. These people and our fun times were the Love part of Adak I
was just 10 days short of my 21st birthday when good old Reeves
Aleutian Airlines rescued me from that rock, one of happiest days ofmy
life. Now, almost 40 years later I would love to return. But, "ONLY"
for a visit. I'd like to see the old and the new Adak.
If anyone reads these ramblings of mine and would like to swap old sea
stories, please e-mail me at "rayevans@ozarkmountains.com"
I would especially like to hear from Ground Electronics personnel from
1962-1963. Unfortunately I only recall Chief Noah , ET2 Butin and ETSN
Ortmayer. Sorry guys!
I hope you enjoy my pictures.
Start the slide show by clicking on START below this paragraph. Each page includes in its title bar the file name of the photo itself for easier selection.
Each photo is clickable; clicking on the photo advances you to the next photo. Below each photo is a set of links (buttons) to advance, return, or exit the slide show. Each photo includes a button to ZOOM to a larger size.
A thumbnail gallery is available for visually selecting photos. If
you choose this option, clicking a thumbnail puts you into the slide
show at the photo chosen; from there the slide show proceeds with the
remainder of the show.
Scanning notes. Scanned by Michael Gordon, 7 August
2003.