History of Cold Bay
A popular hunting and fishing destination, Cold Bay was home to the Unangax Native people of the greater Aleutian Islands for over 10,000 years. However, during the 1800s most of the Aleuts who occupied Cold Bay disappeared as a result of Russian aggression. The Russian Era ended in 1867 when Russia sold all of its Alaskan territories to the United States.
World War II
In 1942, the U.S. established Fort Randall airbase in Cold Bay in response to the Japanese invasion of the Aleutian Islands. Cold Bay served as a base for the 11th Air Force and its mission to protect Dutch Harbor, which was the only deep water port in the Aleutians at that time. Cold Bay’s strategic location and hangar full of Curtiss P-40 Warhawks enabled it to play a significant role in combating Yamamoto in his Midway Campaign. At one point, Cold Bay was home to more than 20,000 U.S. troops and the Quonset huts used to house the soldiers can still be seen in the community today.
Project Hula
In 1945, Cold Bay served as the site of Project Hula, the largest transfer program of World War II. During this project, the U.S. used Cold Bay to train Soviet soldiers to help fight the war against Japan. The U.S. also equipped the Soviet navy with dozens of ships.
Cold Bay Airport
After the war ended, Cold Bay’s airport was given to civil authorities, who used it as a refueling and emergency landing spot for flights between the west coast of the U.S. and East Asia.
Cold Bay Today
Situated in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska, the city of Cold Bay offers travelers a prime location on the Alaskan Peninsula for fishing, boating, hunting, hiking, camping and other outdoor pursuits. It is also a great stopping point for flights en route to nearby islands, Seattle or Anchorage.