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A joint operations center here directed Alaskan operations in 1942-1943. The principal advance naval base in Alaska and the North Pacific when World War II broke out, Kodiak’s ships and submarines played a critical role in the Aleutian campaign. Fort Greely, with its coast artillery and infantry troops, stood ready to repel an invader, but in the end the enemy did not come. In April 1943, the Army erected a permanent 8-inch gun battery north of Kodiak and established it as a sub-post of Fort Greely, naming it Fort Abercrombie.
The US Navy chose Kodiak for their principal base because of the ice-free waters. It was defended by the army. The same base today is the Coast Guard base. Part of one army gun battery has been partially restored and houses the Kodiak Military History Museum at Ft. Abercrombie State Historical Park.
Upon the launch of Sputnik on Oct 4, 1957, the US Air Force established a satellite tracking and control facility not far from WW II army guns at Chiniak. It operated until 1975.
This web site celebrates the remaining evidence of these endeavors. The value these things have is in their design, their place in our history, and in their relationship to the place where they stand.
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Military Around the World Site #106
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