Shemya post-wwii scrapbooks (George blood)
www.hlswilliwaw.com
On April 1, 1977 I had my line number for MSgt (USAF) and was on my way to Shemya to assume the position of head MFWIC of the still new Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory (PMEL). I spent the next year there helping to keep the test equipment on the island working and calibrated. Other than being away from my family I think I enjoyed the tour. Besides my Air Force duties I also worked part time at the theater and in the base exchange (BX). I was the custodian of the amateur radio station, KL7FBI, and found lots of time to explore the island. I took lots of pictures and have posted only 44 to conserve space. If any of you who look at these have further comments as to what they are, especially those of you from WWII, please let Smitty or me know. I wish now that I had spent more time exploring and recording the history of the island as I will never get back there. Smitty is doing an excellent job at listing the history of the island during WWII and I wish to send along my very big thank you for all the vets who have sent him their pictures and stories. I think as we grow older the past means more to us then it did when we were there. MSgt George C. Blood, USAF Retired Arvada, Colorado gcblood@comcast.net W2KLJ
1. Welcome to Shemya Island, The Black Pearl of the Aleutians! 3. Building 600 where most of us lived in 1976.
2. West end of Shemya showing old WWII runways ‘C’ and ‘B.’
Southwest End Of Shemya Showing WWII Runways 'C' and 'B.' [George Blood] Southwest End Of Shemya Showing WWII Runways 'C' and 'B.' [George Blood] Southwest End Of Shemya Showing WWII Runways 'C' and 'B.' [George Blood] Shemya's Totem In Front Of Bldg. 600. [George Blood] Shemya's Totem In Front Of Bldg. 600. [George Blood] Shemya's Totem In Front Of Bldg. 600. [George Blood]
4. Totem in front of Bldg 600. (Coord. K4/5)
90mm Anti-Aircraft Weapon Static Display, Shemya. [George Blood] 90mm Anti-Aircraft Weapon Static Display, Shemya. [George Blood]
5. Display gun in front of Bldg. 600. Click HERE to learn more about this weapon.
Shemya's Power Plant. [George Blood]
6. Our power plant. (Coord. L3/4)
George Blood's Quarters, Bldg. 600. [George Blood] George Blood's Quarters, Bldg. 600. [George Blood] George Blood's Quarters, Bldg. 600. [George Blood]
7. My quarters before remodeling. I’m guessing this is a little different than what the WWII veterans had.
George Blood's Remodeled Room. [George Blood]
8. After remoldeling.
George Blood Working Part Time BX Job. [George Blood] George Blood Working Part Time BX Job. [George Blood] George Blood Working Part Time BX Job. [George Blood]
9. MSgt. Blood at his part time job in the BX. The BX was inside Bldg. 600.
Snacks Via The BX. [George Blood] Snacks Via The BX. [George Blood] Snacks Via The BX. [George Blood]
10. Snacks available at the BX.
Amateur Radio (Ham) Shack. Painted For Bicentennial in 1976. [George Blood] Amateur Radio (Ham) Shack. Painted For Bicentennial in 1976. [George Blood]
11. Amateur radio (Ham) shack. Painted for the Bicentennial in 1976. (Coord. J7)
Amateur Radio Station KL7FBI, 70 Miles From Tomorrow! [George Blood}
12. Amateur radio station KL7FBI, 70 miles from tomorrow.
Cobra Dane. [George Blood]
13. The Cobra Dane. (Coord. I2)
The Business End Of Cobra Dane. [George Blood]
14. The front of the Dane.
One Of Shemya's Many "Smokehouses" in 1976. These Were WWII Structures Made Into Clubs By Various Island Groups. [George Blood]
15. One of many "Smokehouses" on the Island. WWII bldgs different groups took over converting them into clubs. (Coord. L4)
Inside The Raytheon Smokehouse. Inside The Raytheon Smokehouse. Inside The Raytheon Smokehouse.
16. Inside the Raytheon smokehouse.
Food Preparation In The Raytheon Smokehouse. [George Blood]
17. Inside the Raytheon smokehouse.
Card Games At The Raytheon Smokehouse. [George Blood]
18. Card games at the Raytheon Smokehouse.
White Alice. [George Blood]
19. White Alice. (Coord. O4)
Why You Don't Drive A Cat Off The Asphault When Trying To Knock Down A Building. [George Blood] Why You Don't Drive A Cat Off The Asphault When Trying To Knock Down A Building. [George Blood] Why You Don't Drive A Cat Off The Asphault When Trying To Knock Down A Building. [George Blood]
20. This is why you don't drive a Cat off the asphalt when trying to knock down a bldg.
A Snow Cat And Thin Ice Don't Mix. [George Blood] A Snow Cat And Thin Ice Don't Mix. [George Blood] A Snow Cat And Thin Ice Don't Mix. [George Blood] We Did Have Flowers On Both Days Of Summer. [George Blood] We Did Have Flowers On Both Days Of Summer. [George Blood] We Did Have Flowers On Both Days Of Summer. [George Blood]
21. A Snowcat and thin ice don't mix.
22. We did have flowers on both days of summer.
We Also Had Pets: Stellar Sea Lions. Northeast Side Of Island. [George Blood]
23. We also had pets. North side of island.
A Few More Pets, North Side Of Shemya. [George Blood]
24. A few more pets. North side of island.
And Then There Are the Birds. [George Blood]
WWII Shore Defense Weapon. [George Blood]
Shore Defense Gun Mount and Bunker. [George Blood]
25. And there were birds.
26. WWII shore defense weapon.
27. Shore defense gun mount and bunker. [May have been location where Weapon photo #5 was mounted. gls]
WWII-era Tanker Truck. [George Blood]
28. WWII-era tanker truck.
Remnants Of A WWII-era Truck. [George Blood]
29. Remnants of a WWII-era truck.
Remnants Of A WWII-era Structure (Barracks?). [George Blood]
30. Remnants of a WWII-era structure…perhaps a barracks.
Fuel Storage Area, Wrecked Cool Barge On The Shore. [George Blood]
31. Fuel storage in background, wrecked Cool Barge on the beach.
WWII-era Wooden Tanks; Fuel, Water? [George Blood]
32. WWII-era Wooden storage tanks. For fuel, water?
North Side Of Island. [George Blood]
33. Shemya’s north side. (Coord. O,P,R4?)
WWII-era Empty Fuel Drums, Stored At Shemya's Dump. [George Blood]
34. WWII-era empty fuel drums, located at Shemya’s dump (the “Million-Dollar” dump!).
Shemya's West Side...The Confluence Of The Bearing Sea And The Pacific Ocean. [George Blood]
35. Shemya’s west side; the confluence of the Bearing Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
A Lonely WWII-era Fire Hydrant. [George Blood]
36. A lonely WWII-era fire hydrant. Somewhere around the NE end of island. (Coord. P5?)
George Blood's "Freedom Bird" Lands On Shemya. [George Blood]
37. My freedom bird. Reeve Aleutian Airlines flew 2 flights a week to the island, Tuesday and Friday, delivering fresh foods, mail, and passengers.
Cobra Dane On Shemya's North End As Seen From The Dock Area. [George Blood]
38. Yes, we did have Winter when I was there. This is the Cobra Dane on the North end of the island looking from the dock area.
Shemya's Dock At Alcan Harbor. [George Blood]
39. Shemya’s Dock at Alcan Harbor. (Coord. C5)
Looking North From Shemya's Wrecked Cool Barge. [George Blood]
40. Shemya’s wrecked Cool Barge looking North. (Coord. D6)
Shemya's Dock At Alcan Harbor, View Towards Wrecked Cool Barge. [George Blood]
41. Shemya’s Dock at Alcan Harbor, view towards wrecked Cool Barge.
Shemya's Angry Winter Waters Around The Dock Area. [George Blood]
42. Angry winter waters around Shemya’s Dock at Alcan Bay.
A Piper Cub Flying Around Shemya. Can They Be Refueled In Flight? ;-) [George Blood]
43. We had a Piper Cub that used to fly around the island when I was there. Can they be refueled in flight?
Shemya's "Piper Cub" On The Ground! [George Blood]
44. Here is our Piper Cub on the ground. That’s either a VERY big hangar or a very small plane!
Current Update: 6/18/2022 09:41
Welcome to Shemya, 1976 [George Blood] Welcome to Shemya, 1976 [George Blood] Welcome to Shemya, 1976 [George Blood] Composite Bldg 600, 1976 [George Blood] Composite Bldg 600, 1976 [George Blood] Composite Bldg 600, 1976 [George Blood]
Shemya post-wwii scrapbooks (George blood)
www.hlswilliwaw.com
On April 1, 1977 I had my line number for MSgt (USAF) and was on my way to Shemya to assume the position of head MFWIC of the still new Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory (PMEL). I spent the next year there helping to keep the test equipment on the island working and calibrated. Other than being away from my family I think I enjoyed the tour. Besides my Air Force duties I also worked part time at the theater and in the base exchange (BX). I was the custodian of the amateur radio station, KL7FBI, and found lots of time to explore the island. I took lots of pictures and have posted only 44 to conserve space. If any of you who look at these have further comments as to what they are, especially those of you from WWII, please let Smitty or me know. I wish now that I had spent more time exploring and recording the history of the island as I will never get back there. Smitty is doing an excellent job at listing the history of the island during WWII and I wish to send along my very big thank you for all the vets who have sent him their pictures and stories. I think as we grow older the past means more to us then it did when we were there. MSgt George C. Blood, USAF Retired Arvada, Colorado gcblood@comcast.net W2KLJ
!
2. West end of Shemya showing old WWII runways ‘C’ and ‘B.’
Southwest End Of Shemya Showing WWII Runways 'C' and 'B.' [George Blood] Southwest End Of Shemya Showing WWII Runways 'C' and 'B.' [George Blood] Southwest End Of Shemya Showing WWII Runways 'C' and 'B.' [George Blood] Shemya's Totem In Front Of Bldg. 600. [George Blood] Shemya's Totem In Front Of Bldg. 600. [George Blood] Shemya's Totem In Front Of Bldg. 600. [George Blood]
4. Totem in front of Bldg 600. (Coord. K4/5)
90mm Anti-Aircraft Weapon Static Display, Shemya. [George Blood] 90mm Anti-Aircraft Weapon Static Display, Shemya. [George Blood]
5. Display gun in front of Bldg. 600. Click HERE to learn more about this weapon.
Shemya's Power Plant. [George Blood]
6. Our power plant. (Coord. L3/4)
George Blood's Quarters, Bldg. 600. [George Blood] George Blood's Quarters, Bldg. 600. [George Blood] George Blood's Quarters, Bldg. 600. [George Blood]
7. My quarters before remodeling. I’m guessing this is a little different than what the WWII veterans had.
George Blood's Remodeled Room. [George Blood]
8. After remoldeling.
George Blood Working Part Time BX Job. [George Blood] George Blood Working Part Time BX Job. [George Blood] George Blood Working Part Time BX Job. [George Blood]
9. MSgt. Blood at his part time job in the BX. The BX was inside Bldg. 600.
Snacks Via The BX. [George Blood] Snacks Via The BX. [George Blood] Snacks Via The BX. [George Blood]
10. Snacks available at the BX.
Amateur Radio (Ham) Shack. Painted For Bicentennial in 1976. [George Blood] Amateur Radio (Ham) Shack. Painted For Bicentennial in 1976. [George Blood]
11. Amateur radio (Ham) shack. Painted for the Bicentennial in 1976. (Coord. J7)
Amateur Radio Station KL7FBI, 70 Miles From Tomorrow! [George Blood}
12. Amateur radio station KL7FBI, 70 miles from tomorrow.
Cobra Dane. [George Blood]
13. The Cobra Dane. (Coord. I2)
The Business End Of Cobra Dane. [George Blood]
14. The front of the Dane.
One Of Shemya's Many "Smokehouses" in 1976. These Were WWII Structures Made Into Clubs By Various Island Groups. [George Blood]
15. One of many "Smokehouses" on the Island. WWII bldgs different groups took over converting them into clubs. (Coord. L4)
Inside The Raytheon Smokehouse. Inside The Raytheon Smokehouse. Inside The Raytheon Smokehouse.
16. Inside the Raytheon smokehouse.
Food Preparation In The Raytheon Smokehouse. [George Blood]
17. Inside the Raytheon smokehouse.
Card Games At The Raytheon Smokehouse. [George Blood]
18. Card games at the Raytheon Smokehouse.
White Alice. [George Blood]
19. White Alice. (Coord. O4)
Why You Don't Drive A Cat Off The Asphault When Trying To Knock Down A Building. [George Blood] Why You Don't Drive A Cat Off The Asphault When Trying To Knock Down A Building. [George Blood] Why You Don't Drive A Cat Off The Asphault When Trying To Knock Down A Building. [George Blood]
20. This is why you don't drive a Cat off the asphalt when trying to knock down a bldg.
A Snow Cat And Thin Ice Don't Mix. [George Blood] A Snow Cat And Thin Ice Don't Mix. [George Blood] A Snow Cat And Thin Ice Don't Mix. [George Blood] We Did Have Flowers On Both Days Of Summer. [George Blood] We Did Have Flowers On Both Days Of Summer. [George Blood] We Did Have Flowers On Both Days Of Summer. [George Blood]
21. A Snowcat and thin ice don't mix.
22. We did have flowers on both days of summer.
We Also Had Pets: Stellar Sea Lions. Northeast Side Of Island. [George Blood]
23. We also had pets. North side of island.
A Few More Pets, North Side Of Shemya. [George Blood]
24. A few more pets. North side of island.
And Then There Are the Birds. [George Blood]
WWII Shore Defense Weapon. [George Blood]
Shore Defense Gun Mount and Bunker. [George Blood]
25. And there were birds.
26. WWII shore defense weapon.
27. Shore defense gun mount and bunker. [May have been location where Weapon photo #5 was mounted. gls]
WWII-era Tanker Truck. [George Blood]
28. WWII-era tanker truck.
Remnants Of A WWII-era Truck. [George Blood]
29. Remnants of a WWII-era truck.
Remnants Of A WWII-era Structure (Barracks?). [George Blood]
30. Remnants of a WWII-era structure…perhaps a barracks.
Fuel Storage Area, Wrecked Cool Barge On The Shore. [George Blood]
31. Fuel storage in background, wrecked Cool Barge on the beach.
WWII-era Wooden Tanks; Fuel, Water? [George Blood]
32. WWII-era Wooden storage tanks. For fuel, water?
North Side Of Island. [George Blood]
33. Shemya’s north side. (Coord. O,P,R4?)
WWII-era Empty Fuel Drums, Stored At Shemya's Dump. [George Blood]
34. WWII-era empty fuel drums, located at Shemya’s dump (the “Million-Dollar” dump!).
Shemya's West Side...The Confluence Of The Bearing Sea And The Pacific Ocean. [George Blood]
35. Shemya’s west side; the confluence of the Bearing Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
A Lonely WWII-era Fire Hydrant. [George Blood]
36. A lonely WWII-era fire hydrant. Somewhere around the NE end of island. (Coord. P5?)
George Blood's "Freedom Bird" Lands On Shemya. [George Blood]
37. My freedom bird. Reeve Aleutian Airlines flew 2 flights a week to the island, Tuesday and Friday, delivering fresh foods, mail, and passengers.
Cobra Dane On Shemya's North End As Seen From The Dock Area. [George Blood]
38. Yes, we did have Winter when I was there. This is the Cobra Dane on the North end of the island looking from the dock area.
Shemya's Dock At Alcan Harbor. [George Blood]
39. Shemya’s Dock at Alcan Harbor. (Coord. C5)
Looking North From Shemya's Wrecked Cool Barge. [George Blood]
40. Shemya’s wrecked Cool Barge looking North. (Coord. D6)
Shemya's Dock At Alcan Harbor, View Towards Wrecked Cool Barge. [George Blood]
41. Shemya’s Dock at Alcan Harbor, view towards wrecked Cool Barge.
Shemya's Angry Winter Waters Around The Dock Area. [George Blood]
42. Angry winter waters around Shemya’s Dock at Alcan Bay.
A Piper Cub Flying Around Shemya. Can They Be Refueled In Flight? ;-) [George Blood]
43. We had a Piper Cub that used to fly around the island when I was there. Can they be refueled in flight?
Shemya's "Piper Cub" On The Ground! [George Blood]
44. Here is our Piper Cub on the ground. That’s either a VERY big hangar or a very small plane!
Current Update: 6/18/2022 09:41
Welcome to Shemya, 1976 [George Blood] Welcome to Shemya Island, The Black Pearl Of The Aleutians. [George Blood] Welcome to Shemya, 1976 [George Blood] Welcome to Shemya, 1976 [George Blood]
1. Welcome to Shemya Island, The Black Pearl of the Aleutians!
Composite Bldg 600, 1976 [George Blood] Composite Bldg 600, 1976 [George Blood] Composite Bldg 600, 1976 [George Blood]
3. Composite Bldg 600, where most of us lived in 1976.