Eareckson Air Station Eareckson Air Station is a United States Air Force military airport located on the island of Shemya , in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands . It was closed as an active Air Force Station on 1 July 1994 , however the airport is still owned by the USAF and is operated by the USAF 611th Air Support Squadron at Elmendorf AFB for refueling purposes . Overview . Eareckson Air Station is located on the western tip of Alaska ' s Aleutian islands near the larger island of Attu , and is located approximately 1500 miles southwest of Anchorage . The airport lies on the south side of the 2 - mile by 4 - mile island and is 97 feet above mean sea level . Shemya has been the scene of two major earthquakes . The first earthquake , measuring 7 . 75 on the Richter scale , occurred on 3 February 1965 . It was followed by severe after shocks and a tidal wave . Damage , however , was limited to cracks in the taxiways . The other earthquake , measuring 7 . 5 on the Richter scale , occurred on 1 February 1975 , with a high degree of damage to the runways and hangars . Communications were disrupted for a short period of time . Eareckson Air Station has one runway : There is also an NDB , TACAN and a VOR on the island . William O . Eareckson . On 6 April 1993 , Shemya Air Force Base was renamed Eareckson Air Station . The renaming ceremony was held 19 May 1993 . The Eleventh Air Force Association initiated renaming the base to honor their wartime commander , Colonel William O . Eareckson ( 1900 – 1966 ) . From 1941 to 1943 , Colonel Eareckson personally led all of the difficult missions against the Japanese which were located on two other Aleutian Islands , Kiska and Attu . The Colonel also helped plan the successful retaking of Attu . During the bombing campaigns , he introduced low - level skip bombing and forward air control procedures long before they became common practices in other war theaters . History . World War II . On 28 May 1943 , a small detachment of Alaskan Scouts began reconnaissance of Shemya , a small , flat , uninhabited island 35 miles to the east of Attu . The following day , United States Army Engineers came ashore to begin construction of a runway suitable for B - 29 Superfortress bombers . Tents were erected , a rudimentary electrical system , radios and some rough streets were laid down . A 10 , 000 - foot runway was constructed , along with two 5 , 000 - foot cross runways . The 404th Bombardment Squadron flew B - 24 Liberator heavy bombers along with one Beechcraft AT - 7 , which was used for navigator training . The 344th Fighter Squadron flew both P - 40 Warhawk s and P - 38 Lightning s . In addition , a North American AT - 6 was utilized for pilot training . One RB - 34 , a UC - 64A and numerous TB - 26 ' s were flown by the 15th Tow Target Squadron that was stationed on Shemya . The Navy assigned one squadron of PB4Y - 2 ' s , which were single tail versions of the twin tail B - 24 . Many administrative and cargo aircraft , such as the C - 47 " Gooney Bird " flew in and out of Shemya during the war . The dispersal aircraft standings were placed in the area to the north of the main runway . With the successful completion of the Aleutian Campaign in August 1943 , Eleventh Air Force came within striking distance of the Japanese Kurile Islands , the northernmost being 750 miles to the south - southwest of Shemya . The Japanese had established a sizable defense complex on the northernmost islands , with most installations being located on Paramushiro , the largest island in the chain . It supported three airfields and the Imperial Japanese Army Kashiwabra Staging Area . In addition , it was the headquarters for the Imperial Japanese Navy Fifth Fleet , located on Kataoka . The mission of Eleventh Air Force was to take advantage of the new airfields on Shemya and Attu , and carry out offensive operations against the enemy forces in the Kuriles . Orders were issued in early July 1943 for the first bombing attack on the Japanese Home Islands since the April 1942 Doolittle Raid . Crews and aircraft were to be provided by the 21st , 36th and 77th bomb Squadrons . Initially Eleventh Air Force had little intelligence available about the Kurile Islands . IX Bomber Command coordinated with Navy personnel who were able to provide various documents , maps and other documents about the Islands . This included captured Japanese documents from Attu . From this information the command put together an accurate assessment of the Japanese military installations on the island chain . On 10 July 1943 , eight B - 25 Mitchell s from the 77th Bombardment Squadron left Adak AAF and refueled at Alexai Point AAF on Attu . High - explosive bombs were also loaded on the aircraft . Six B - 24 Liberator bombers from the 21st Bombardment Squadron on Shemya were scheduled to join them , however they were diverted to attack Japanese transport ships spotted by a Navy PBY aircrew . The B - 25s reached Paramushiro , which they found completely socked in by clouds . Using time / distance calculations they dropped their 500 - pound bombs though the clouds on what they believed were the Japanese installations , then headed back to Alexi Point and landed after nine and a half - hour , 1 , 000 - mile flight . At the time , it was the longest B - 25 Mitchell mission of the war . Meanwhile , the B - 24 Liberators had attacked the transports but failed to achieve any hits . One Liberator was hit by anti - aircraft fire from the ships and managed to make a wheels - up landing on Shemya . A second attack by B - 24 Liberators was launched from Alexai Point and Shemya on 18 July . They found the weather over the northern Kuriles clear with unlimited visibility . The Katkoa Naval Base ; Kashiwabra Army Staging Area and a nearby airfield were attacked . However no hits were observed on the targets . The Japanese defenses were taken by surprise , with only five Mitsubishi A6M " Zero " and a few Nakajima A6M2 - N " Rufe " float plane interceptors sent up which were unable to catch the retreating B - 24s . After staging though Attu and Shemya for refueling , the B - 24s returned to Adak AAF . Most importantly , aerial photographs were taken over the targets which were provided to intelligence analysists . The third attack on 11 August found the Japanese defenses prepared for the American bombers . B - 24s from the 404th Bombardment Squadron and B - 24s from the 21st Bombardment Squadron were met by intense anti - aircraft fire when they arrived over the Kataoka Naval Base and the Kashiwabra Army Staging Area . This time numerous bomb hits were observed on both targets and many aerial photographs were taken . About 40 Zeros were launched to intercept the Americans an in a 35 - minute air battle , the B - 24 gunners claimed four Zeros shot down , with one probable and four possibles . The Japanese managed to shoot down one B - 24 . Another B - 24 diverted to Russia n territory and crash - landed at the Russian airfield at Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula . One airman was killed in the landing , the rest were interned . The aerial photos taken on the raid showed the Japanese were building up forces in the area , transferring aircraft presumably from air bases on Hokkaido . The Japanese early - warning system , however , did not seem to be effective as the interceptor aircraft were launched after the B - 24s attacked their targets . After a month , in which the Eleventh Air Force units on Shemya and Attu concentrated on attacking Kiska and forcing the Japanese to withdraw from the island , the next mission against the Kuriles was flown on 11 September 1943 . It was the most disastrous mission flown by Eleventh Air Force and was the last flown in 1943 . Seven B - 24s of the 404th Bombardment Squadron and twelve B - 25s of the 77th Bombardment Squadron lifted off from Alexi Point AAF and headed to the Kuriles . The B - 24s attacked the Kashiwabra Army Staging Area and as they turned towards home , they were attacked by numerous Japanese interceptors . Three of the Liberators were severely damaged and headed for Petropavlovsk where they crash - landed . The B - 25s conducted a low - level raid on shipping between Paramushir and Shumshu Islands . On coming out of their bomb run , they also were attacked by numerous Japanese interceptors . After an hour of continuing attacks by the interceptors , one B - 25 was shot down and five others were severely damaged and had to land at Petropavlovsk . Eleventh Air Force had lost over half its bombers . It was six months before another attack was made by IX Bomber Command on the Kuriles . After the disastrous attack , the focus of Eleventh Air Force was shifted to a defensive posture in the event of retaliatory attacks from the Japanese . Also the command was reorganized in light of the new mission and the reduction of forces in the Aleutians after the conclusion of the Aleutian Islands Campaign . The IX Strategic Command was activated as a provisional organization with the inactivation of IX Fighter and IX Bomber Command ; remaining staff being assigned to the provisional Command . The 28th Bombardment Group and 404th Bombardment Squadron were assigned to Shemya ; the 77th Fighter Squadron assigned to Alexi Point . The mission would be to carry out both day and night bombing and photo - reconnaissance attacks on the Kuriles ; but also to conduct searches for Japanese shipping , including fishing vessels in the North Pacific . The Navy Fleet Air Wing Four at Naval Air Station Attu and IX Strategic Command would be assigned to the Navy ' s North Pacific Command for operational control . The 77th Bombardment Squadron with B - 25 Mitchells assumed the primary responsibility for searching for Japanese shipping , as the Mitchells were very suited for low - level attacks . However , within a few weeks , IX Strategic Command was disestablished and all Eleventh Air Force units came under the direct control of HQ Eleventh Air Force , now at Davis AAF on Adak . The spring of 1944 brought improving weather and the B - 24s and PV - 1s to fly more missions over the Kuriles . Most flights were photo - reconnaissance or the occasional bombing attack to keep the Japanese off - guard and were flown at night using flash bombs for night photography . In early April , the 2d Photographic Charting Squadron arrived with four F - 7 Liberator s , from Peterson Field , Colorado , configured for photo - reconnaissance and mapping . Over the next five months , over 3 , 000 photographs of the Kuriles were taken and highly detailed and accurate maps of the islands were created . By August , Eleventh Air Force B - 24s were carrying out successful and accurate attacks on the Japanese military installations and the B - 25s were successful in driving the Japanese fishing and much of the shipping out of the North Pacific . In October , in an effort to cripple the Japanese food supply , the B - 25s were ordered to fly missions against canneries and other food processing plants in the Kuriles . By the end of 1944 , several hundred American airmen had been interned by the Russians after their crippled aircraft landed on Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula . These interned fliers were interrogated by the Russians and held in conditions which were not much better than Prisoner of War camp s . This was due to the fact that the Soviet Union was not at war with the Japanese Empire and the Soviets did not want to provoke a war with the Japanese in the east while fighting Nazi Germany in the west . The Russians kept the damaged aircraft and transported the American fliers to Kazakhstan and from there they were secretly transported to Iran , where the United States could retrieve them and move them back to the United States . Additional aircraft and personnel reductions occurred in 1945 and almost all air bases other than Alexi Point , Shemya and Davis in the Aleutians were reduced to caretaker status . Weather hampered missions over the winter , although new B - 24Js were received by the 404th Bomb Squadron and longer - range P - 38L Lightnings were received by the 54th Fighter Squadron . Along with the mission against the Kuriels , the P - 38s were assigned the mission of shooting down Japanese bomb - carrying Fire balloon s which were launched from Japan along great circle routes near the Aleutians . The balloons were designed to carry incendiary bombs over the United States and start fires in the Pacific Northwest . Although they floated above 38 , 000 feet , several were shot down , and one landed on Amchatka where intelligence personnel recovered it for inspection . The limited resources assigned to the Eleventh Air Force meant only a limited number of missions could be carried out over the Kuriles . The 404th Bomb Squadron , consisting of a dozen B - 24s by May 1945 , carried out missions over Paramushiro and lost two aircraft . The 77th Bomb Squadron flew a B - 25 mission over the Minami Cape Radar Station and lost two aircraft ; both crews captured by the Japanese . Two other B - 24 missions over the Kuriles were flown without loss . During the summer of 1945 , more missions were flown against the Kuriles the command losing eight B - 25s . The 404th lost its last B - 24 in June . Missions continued through July , the last combat mission taking place on 13 August , a few days after the United States atomic bomb attacks on Japan . In August , after the Soviet Union declared war against the Japanese Empire , B - 24s were dispatched on reconnaissance and intelligence - gathering missions to observe the Russian activity in the Kuriles . Photographic missions were flown beginning on 4 August and continued until 4 September when the B - 24s encountered some Russian fighters and turned back without incident . Although Allies , the message from the Soviets was clear : The Kuriles were now in Russian hands and off - limits to American aircraft . The news of the surrender of the Japanese was met with enthusiasm , the biggest topic was " When do we go home ? " . Shemya was rapidly reduced to standby status by demobilization and by the end of 1945 and the base was essentially abandoned . Postwar era . With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit , Shemya was abandoned after the war . The island was littered with abandoned Army and Navy aircraft wrecks and deteriorating station structures . Abandoned vehicles , warehouse stores of all types , rations , clothing and all the other tools of war , including ammunition and bombs were simply left out to the elements . A small Radar squadron was assigned briefly then was moved out and the last operational combat unit , the 66th Fighter Squadron , left the airfield on 30 May 1947 . For a time the Air Force considered transferring the island to the Civil Aeronautics Authority , the forerunner of the Federal Aviation Administration . However , the Air Force decided to retain Shemya because its location provided an ideal refueling stop on the Great Circle Route from Japan to McChord Field , Washington . The Korean War brought extensive use by the Military Air Transport Service ( MATS ) for the logistical support of Korea and Japan . Its strategic location drastically shortened the air route to the orient . With the development of Trans - Pacific airlifters ( C - 124 ) , Shemya was declared surplus and the base was inactivated on 1 July 1954 . The facilities were turned over to the Civil Aeronautics Authority in 1955 . They were then leased to Northwest Orient Airlines who remained on the island until 1961 . Cold War . In 1958 , the Air Force resumed operations on Shemya in support of various Air Force and Army strategic intelligence collection activities . Shemya also continued to support the Great Circle Route for MATS and later Military Airlift Command transports between Japan and Elmendorf AFB . The 5040th Air Base Squadron was activated on 15 July 1958 to provide base support . The stations initial use was that of a long range weather station , with WB - 50D Superfortress es being flown from the base by the MATS 7th Weather Group , Air Weather Service . It also became a Strategic Air Command refueling site for B - 52 Stratofortress bombers and KC - 135 tankers as part of Operation Chrome Dome . SAC would have the tankers rotated to Shemya where they were re - fueled prior to taking off and refueling the loitering B - 52s over Alaska which would loiter outside the Soviet Union to provide rapid first strike or retaliation capability in case of nuclear war . Shemya also supported various SAC Boeing RC - 135 " Rivet " reconnaissance aircraft flying along the Soviet Pacific Coast with on - board sensors which enable the crew to detect , identify and geolocate signals throughout the electromagnetic spectrum . The base host squadron was re - designated the 5073rd Air Base Squadron on October 1962 , and upgraded to a group on 15 October 1974 in recognition of the number and complexities of the tenant units it supported . Shemya was re - designated from an Air Force Station to an Air Force Base on 21 June 1968 . In 1966 the Air Defense Command 9th Air Division assumed jurisdiction of the base . ADC organized the 16th Surveillance Squadron with AN / FPS - 17 Detection and AN / FPS - 80 Tracking Radars to monitor Soviet missile tests on the Kamchatka Pensula and to support the Air Force Spacetrack System . Soviet fishing trawlers were a common sight in the offshore waters of the island , monitoring the squadrons ' s activities . In July 1973 , Raytheon won a contract to build a system called COBRA DANE on Shemya . Cobra Dane replaced the AN / FPS - 17 and AN / FPS - 80 radars with a more powerful AN / FPS - 108 phased - array radar . Cobra Dane was declared operational on 1 August 1977 . Its primary mission of intelligence gathering in support of verification of the SALT II arms limitation agreement . The station was also used by SAC Cobra Ball and other related projects which monitored missile - associated signals and tracks missiles during boost and re - entry phases to provide reconnaissance for treaty verification and theater ballistic missile proliferation . The aircraft used were extensively modified C - 135 Bs . In August 1988 , at least one Aries rocket was launched , relating to the Queen Match program , for anti - ballistic missile testing . Jurisdiction of Shemya AFB was transferred from the Aerospace Defense Command to the Strategic Air Command when the former was inactivated on 1 October 1979 . It was transferred to the Air Force Space Command on 1 May 1983 . During the 1980s the facilities on Shemya were upgraded . Many of the old World War II structures were replaced with modern buildings and new facilities were built . Modern era . On 27 January 1992 the 5073rd Air Base Group located at Shemya AFB was re - designated as the Pacific Air Forces Eleventh Air Force 673d Air Base Group . The 673d and the base were then reassigned from Eleventh Air Force to the 11th Air Control Wing . The Cobra Dane radar was integrated into the Joint - Service DOD Ballistic Missile Defense System ( BMDS ) . On 1 July 1994 , the 11th Air Control Wing was inactivated and the 673d ABG was reassigned to Eleventh Air Force . The 673d Air Base Group provided base support to various tenant units assigned to other Air Force commands , such as the Air Force Space Command and other agencies involved in intelligence gathering activities directed by the National Command Authority . On 1 April 1995 , Eareckson AS was converted to contractor operations and maintenance , providing all support on the island . Effective 1 June 2005 CMI became the BOS contractor . The contract is due to run out on 30 September 2012 . Major units assigned . United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force