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Great Sitkin Island

Coordinates: 52°03′29″N 176°07′10″W / 52.05806°N 176.11944°W / 52.05806; -176.11944
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Great Sitkin Island is located in Alaska
Great Sitkin Island
Location in Alaska
View of Great Sitkin Volcano from the shore of Adak Island (1990).

Great Sitkin Island (Template:Lang-ale;[1] Russian: Большой Ситкин) is a volcanic island in the Andreanof Islands of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. The island covers a total area of 60 square miles (160 km2) and lies slightly north of a group of islands which are located between Adak Island and Atka Island.

The northern portion of the island is dominated by the complex Great Sitkin Volcano which rises to a height of 5,710 feet (1,740 m). The island is 18 kilometres (11 mi) long and 16.94 kilometres (10.53 mi) wide.

History

Great Sitkin was the site of a fuel depot during World War II, Sand Bay Naval Station, construction finished on May 15, 1943, and included accommodations for up to 680 men and consisted of 26 fuel oil tanks, three 6,000 barrel tanks, 22 10,000 barrel tanks and one 15,000 barrel tank and were surrounded by berms in case of attack or spills.[2] The Naval Station had only around 10 people supporting it by 1949, but was in operation until 1963 and the remains of the oil tanks are still on the island and are an environmental hazard. Starting in 2021, cleanup feasibility was investigated for the leftover contaminants from the base.[3] On September 24, 1959, a Douglas DC-4 carrying 5 crew and 11 passengers crashed due to pilot error with no survivors.[4] On October 26, 1965, Liberty Ship Ekaterini G. (formerly Josiah G. Holland) ran aground after losing her propeller in heavy seas.[5] All crewmen were rescued, though 2 were injured and one, Sotiris Mendrinos, later died of his injuries. [6] The ship was declared a constructive total loss and remains aground on the western side of the island. On December 11, 1973, a Douglas DC-6 crashed on the island, with all 10 crew and passengers as fatalities.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Bergsland, K. (1994). Aleut Dictionary. Fairbanks: Alaska Native Language Center.
  2. ^ "HyperWar: Building the Navy's Bases in World War II [Chapter 23]".
  3. ^ "WWII contaminants on an Aleutian island are a step closer to finally being cleaned up".
  4. ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-54B-1-DC (DC-4) N63396 Great Sitkin Island, AK". Aviation-safety.net. 1959-09-24. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  5. ^ Shortridge, Clayton (2011-08-21). "Naval & Merchant Ship Articles Of Interest: The Ss Josiah G. Holland". Navalmerchantshiparticles.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  6. ^ "Ekaterini G crewman dies". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. 30 October 1965. p. 7.
  7. ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas R6D-1 (DC-6) 131615 Great Sitkin Island, AK". Aviation-safety.net. 1973-12-11. Retrieved 2017-12-16.

52°03′29″N 176°07′10″W / 52.05806°N 176.11944°W / 52.05806; -176.11944