| Casco Cove Coast Guard Station LORAN Station Attu |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Closure of Casco Cove Coast Guard Station, August 2010 | |||
| IATA: none – ICAO: PAAT | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Coast Guard Air Station | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 88 ft / 26 m | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 02/20 | 5,998 | 1,828 | Asphalt (Closed) |
Casco Cove Coast Guard Station (ICAO: PAAT, TC LID: ATU) is a former military airport located 1,481 miles (2,383 km) west of Anchorage, Alaska, on the Aleutian Island of Attu. It was closed on 27 August 2010.
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The Casco Cove Airport was a LORAN navigation station operated by the United States Coast guard. The Coast Guard personnel lived in a group quarters facility. There were no families stationed at Attu. All services needed for staff in this facility are available. Electricity is provided by U.S. Coast Guard Generator. Auxiliary health care is provided by U.S.C.G. emergency medical staff.
Casco Cove is one of the most isolated and remote airports in the United States. Flying into and taking off from the airport was hazardous, as the weather is characterized by persistently overcast skies, high winds, and frequent cyclonic storms. Winter squalls produce wind gusts in excess of 100 knots. During the summer, extensive fog forms over the Bering Sea and North Pacific.
The island is protected as part of the National Parks Trust territory and few people visit the island or area, as it is restricted. Gun emplacements for over twenty guns are still present around the airfield.
The airport was built by the United States Army in November, 1943 as Casco Cove Army Airfield. It was a base of operations for Eleventh Air Force to conduct long range bombardments of the Kurile Islands, Northern Japan and operations against Japanese shipping in the north Pacific.
Known World War II units assigned were:
Other Eleventh Air Force units were assigned temporarily as needed. It was closed by the USAAF in 1946. The Coast Guard activated the station in August 1949.
On 1 January 1945 2nd Lt. Robert L. Nesmith flying from Alexai Point, crashed his Lockheed P-38G-10-LO Lightning in Temnac Valley, just west of Attu Station, while on a low-level training mission over Attu. This aircraft was recovered in 1999 and is now static-restored and on display at Elmendorf AFB.[1]
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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