Amchitka Island

 island  Add category

Amchitka is part of the Rat Islands group of the American Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska.

The Island has been occupied by Aleut natives dating back 2,500 years, who were driven out by settlements of Russian trappers and traders up until 1832, when the island was largely abandoned.

During WW2, the island was hurriedly developed as a military base to repel Japanese invasion, and grew to house 15,000 troops and three airfields.

The military largely left the island following WW2, after which it was used for communications and weather stations. A White Alice Communications System node was in operation from 1959-1961.

Between 1965 and 1971, the U. S. Department of Energy conducted nuclear weapons testing on the island, detonating three underground explosions.

The island is planned to be turned into a limited-access nature preserve in 2025, following over 50 years of monitoring for contamination, which was not detected in independent studies conducted in 2004 and 2006.

* www.lm.doe.gov/documents/sites/ak/amchitka/factsheet/am...

* www.ims.uaf.edu/research/johnson/amchitka/history.html