Adak Army Base and Adak Naval Operating Station
a.k.a. Adak Naval Station (Naval Air Station Adak)
Roughly bounded by Cape Adagdak, Scabbard Bay, and Shagak Bay, Adak Station, AKThe World War II installations on Adak Island are significant in the history of the Aleutian Campaign because they allowed American forces to mount a successful offensive against the Japanese-held islands of Kiska and Attu. As the most westerly American airfield from September 1942 to February 1943, Adak allowed for the intensified bombing (with fighter plane protection) of the Japanese garrisons. As the most westerly naval operations base from the fall of 1942 to the end of the campaign, it provided support to the ships and submarines of the North Pacific Force in their fight against the enemy in northern waters. Its excellent harbor provided shelter for the assembly of a large task force for the assault on Kiska. And its rugged tundra-covered terrain and fierce weather provided ideal conditions for training the Allied invasion force in amphibious warfare in the Aleutians. Had a northern invasion of Japan's Home Islands occurred, as was once proposed, Adak's Reserve Depot would h provided the essential matériel for such an undertaking.
Local significance of the district:
Military
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
About National Register Listings
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.
Alaska was once owned by Russia and was known as "Russian America". The Russians established their first settlement on the Kenai Peninsula in 1786, and Alaska remained a Russian colony until it was sold to the United States in 1867.