The Wrangell sentinel., 1939-06-02
TWO CHARTS
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lJuuGd4 Eli niA =
Il is Alaska's misfortune, in a
way. that the map of the world on
the Mercator projection, the one
with which We are all familiar from
schoolroom days, sadly distorts all
the northern and southern portions
and does them rank injustice.
In making the map take the place
of a rectangle, when what 1t rep
resents is in reality a globe, CON
siderable liberty had to be taken
with lines of latitude and longitude.
A line of latitude at the equator, for
instance, is made to appear of the
same length as one at the pole,
while the first is really almost 25,-
600 miles long and the other is zero.
The result is that what appears
to be a vast east to west distance
at the top or bottom of the map
is really a very short distance. And
this is where Alaska comes in.
If national geographical thinking
had been in terms of realities rath-
er than in terms of the distorted
Mercator projection of the world,
the major United States defense base
in the Pacific would not be at Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii, but at either Ko-
diak or Unalaska in Alaska.
To emphasize the geographical
fallacy which has dominated United
States thinking ever since a poten-
tial enemy was discerned in the
orient, Delegate Dimond recently
displayed in congress two maps of
the Pacific. One was the Mercator
projection, the other a great circle
sailing chart of the north Pacific.
The sailing chart, which would
appear grotesquely distorted to US
who are accustomed to the Mercator
map, has the advantage of giving a
true picture of the north Pacific
insofar as it concerns the relation
of Alaska to the United States and
to the coasts of the countries on the
other side of the Pacific, Japan and
Russia. On it, a straight line is the
shortest distance between any two
points.
By following the shortest line
s. - --~.4 aooat of tho TTvvit ID
States to Yokohama, the center of
the orient, ship would pass through
the Aleutian islands, north of some
and south of Others Even if the
journey started as far south as San
Francisco, the Yokohama bound ship
following the shortest, or great circle
route, would pass only 238 nautical
miles south of the Aleutians. Ha-
wall, as they would say in reporting
a sporting event is caught way
out of position" It is over 1000
miles off at an arbitrary angle.
Belatedly, the nation is waking
UP to the defensive value of Alaska
Sitka is already a navy seaplane
base. Congress has approved a bill
to greatly enlarge the base there
and develop a similar base at Ko-
diak There is talk of establishing a
navy seaplane base at Unalaska.
1t is obvious that a defensive
force whether of vessels or planes,
stationed at Kodiak is closer to the
large cities of the Pacific coast of
the United States-Seattle, Port
land and San Francisco-and there
fore in better stategic position to
defend those cities, than a similar
force based at Pearl harbor.
A sea fleet or an air fleet sta
toned at Kodiak will have an es-
Unable advantage, as far as the de-
Tense of the U. S. is concerned, over
any fleet moving across from the
orient. directed at the shores of the
U. S. In a holly contested race even
200 miles, as would be the case with
respect to getting to San Francisco
from Kodiak rather than from Pearl
Harbor, might be of vital conse-
quence. In the case of Seattle the
difference in favor of the Kodiak
base would be nearly 1000 miles.
AT this late date there is no point
in criticizing or in seeking to detract
from the defensive value of the Ha-
waiian islands. The defensive install
lations there up to the present time
have cost the United States more
than $40O,000,000. The amount