Shemya Island, Alaska: The Westernmost U.S. Outpost

Shemya (Alutiiq: Samiya) is a tiny, windswept island at the edge of America — geographically closer to Tokyo than to Anchorage.

Location & Geography

• Coordinates: 52°43′N, 174°07′E (actually in Eastern Hemisphere!)
• Chain: Near Islands group, westernmost Aleutian Islands
• Size: 2.73 sq mi (7.07 km²) — 2.5 mi × 1.2 mi
• Elevation: Max 122 ft (37 m) — flat, tundra-covered
• Climate: Maritime subpolar — fog 200+ days/yr, 40–50°F range, 60+ in winds, 40" rain

Distances

• Anchorage: 1,200 mi (1,930 km) — 3.5 hr flight
• Seattle: 2,000 mi (3,220 km)
• Tokyo: 2,100 mi (3,380 km) — closer than Seattle
• Attu Island (further west): 200 mi — but uninhabited since 2010
• Russia (Commander Islands): 330 mi

Strategic History

• WWII: US seized 1943 (after Japanese occupied Attu/Kiska). Built 10,000-ft runway — B-29 base for Japan bombing
• Cold War: Eareckson Air Station (renamed 1993) — Cobra Dane radar (phased array, tracks ICBMs, satellites), HC-130 rescue, RC-135 recon
• 1970s–90s: 1,500+ personnel; bowling alley, theater, gym
• Present: ~150 contractors (Raytheon, etc.) — radar ops, airfield maintenance, emergency divert

Civilian Presence

• No permanent civilians. No tourism. Access restricted (active Air Force station)
• Occasional birders/charter (with permission) — Asian vagrants (Siberian Rubythroat, Hawfinch)
• Aleut (Unangan) heritage: Seasonal camps pre-contact; forcibly relocated 1942

Wildlife

• Seabird colonies: Least/Crested Auklets (millions), Whiskered Auklet, Red-faced Cormorant
• Marine: Steller sea lions, harbor seals, orcas, gray whales
• Introduced: Arctic fox (eradicated 1990s), cattle (gone)

Shemya is America's sentinel in the North Pacific — a rock in the fog where radar watches the horizon 24/7/365.