Great Sitkin Island ( ale, Sitх̑naх̑; russian: Большой Ситкин) is a

volcanic A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

in the

Andreanof Islands The Andreanof Islands ( ale, Niiĝuĝim tanangis, russian: Андреяновские острова) are a group of islands in the Aleutian Islands in southwestern Alaska. They are located at about 52° North and 172°57' to 179°09' West. Geogr ...

of the

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a cha ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

. The island covers a total area of and lies slightly north of a group of islands which are located between

Adak Island Adak Island ( ale, Adaax, russian: Адак) or Father Island is an island near the western extent of the Andreanof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Alaska's southernmost town, Adak, Alaska, Adak, is located on the island. The isl ...

and

Atka Island Atka Island ( ale, Atx̂ax̂, russian: Атка остров) is the largest island in the Andreanof Islands of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. The island is east of Adak Island. It is long and wide with a land area of , making it the 22nd l ...

. The northern portion of the island is dominated by the complex Great Sitkin Volcano which rises to a height of . The island is long and wide.

History

Great Sitkin was the site of a fuel depot during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, 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. 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. On September 24, 1959, a

Douglas DC-4 The Douglas DC-4 is an American four-engined (piston), propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Military versions of the plane, the C-54 and R5D, served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s ...

carrying 5 crew and 11 passengers crashed due to pilot error with no survivors. On October 26, 1965,

Liberty Ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...

''Ekaterini G.'' (formerly ''Josiah G. Holland'') ran aground after losing her propeller in heavy seas. All crewmen were rescued, though 2 were injured and one, Sotiris Mendrinos, later died of his injuries. 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 The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with th ...

crashed on the island, with all 10 crew and passengers as fatalities.

References

External links

* Andreanof Islands Volcanoes of Alaska Islands of Alaska Islands of Unorganized Borough, Alaska Landforms of Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska Volcanoes of Unorganized Borough, Alaska {{AleutiansWestAK-geo-stub

History

See also

References

External links