Island of Kyska (Bering Sea, USA): description, history

The island of Kyska is part of the Aleutian Islands,which arc drawn from the American state of Alaska to the Russian Kamchatka. The coasts of their southern part are washed by the cold waters of the Bering Sea. The number of islands is impressive - 110. The length of the island arc is 1,740 km. Let's consider them more closely.

Aleutian Islands on the map

These islands are divided into five main groups: Near, Krysya, Andreyanovskie, Four-solitary, Fox. They stretched in this order from west to east. The islands were formed thanks to the active action of volcanoes on the archipelago. In our time, 25 craters continue their life activity. Of these, the most famous volcanoes are Shishaldina, Vsevidova, Tanaga, Big Sitkin, Garela, Kanaga, Segula.

The Aleutian Islands on the map closely approach the Commander. Some geographers propose to unite these two groups of islands into a single whole under the common name of the Commander-Aleutian ridge.

Life on the island

The harsh climate of the islands did not prevent violentgermination motley grass. This is arnica unalashkinskaya, and cereal meadows. Above a hundred-meter height, one can find thickets of a heather and a willow. Even higher are the loaches and the mountain tundra.

Earlier on the islands were arctic foxes, sea otters,Steller sea lions and foxes. Now there are huge flocks of birds, completely captured the rocky coast, the so-called bird markets. The main part of this variegated community is the Beringian sandpiper and Canadian goosefish, arriving on the coast of the island of Kyska (Alaska).

To preserve the uniqueness of this place, with1980 The Aleutian Islands are included in the protected state protected areas - the Alaskan Marine National Reserve. The islands are inhabited. The indigenous inhabitants of these places - the Aleuts - form an insignificant part of the population. A little more than 6000 people settled on the islands of the archipelago. They are engaged mainly in fishing. But part of the population is involved in servicing the US military base.

Kyska - volcano

The island of Kyska, like all other parts of the Aleutianridge, has a volcanic origin. It consists of a group of islands under an interesting name - the Rat. When Fyodor Petrovich Litke in 1827, during the voyage around the world, found himself on an island, he invented such a name for him. All because at every step he came across small animals, similar to rats. There is a version that it was such a kind of gophers, who lived in those parts at that time. The island's islands consist of several uninhabited rocky parts. There are no permanent residents on them, therefore these places are considered uninhabited.

Kyska is also a rocky island withsteep banks, the main part of which is occupied by the volcano of the same name with a height of 1,229.4 meters. The last time the eruption occurred in 1964. It is located on the northern part of the island of Kyska USA and, as it were, separated from the main territory by a narrow isthmus. Three lakes were formed nearby: Western, Khristina and Vostochnoe.

The volcano of Kyska is considered a stratovolcano, orlayered. A feature of this type is the explosive nature of the eruption, in which the lava has a dense structure and hardens before it manages to cover large areas of the earth's surface. Eruption occurs quickly, and the frozen lava forms a specific layered structure of the volcano on the island of Kyska. Description stratovolkanov usually the same throughout the world. These are symmetrical mountains with a wide base, having steeper slopes near the crater. During the eruption magma almost does not flow down the slopes, but densely clogs the crater. On the sides of the volcano, pyroclastic flows of hot material and clouds of ash and gas are lowered downward. When such a mud falls on the snow cover of the mountain, volcanic mud flows.

The discovery of Kyski

The island was discovered by the famous researcher of Siberia,Kamchatka and the northern islands of the Pacific - George Steller (in 1741). He was a German doctor, botanist and natural scientist, working the last years of his life for the Academy of Sciences of Petersburg. I went to the second Kamchatka expedition of Vitus Bering. He went down in history as the first European to set foot on the land of Alaska.

Russian expedition

Somewhat later, a Russian vessel with industrialistson board under the name "Saint Capiton", also reached the above-named island, but the sailors failed to set foot on the shore, since they were attacked by the Aleuts. After that, the ship could not stand the test by storm and was thrown out on an unfriendly shore. Russian industrialists wanted to escape and tried even to camp on the shore, but the attack of the Aleuts prevented them from doing so.

After a small loss of native peopleretired to a neighboring island, leaving uninvited guests to spend the winter alone on the uninhabited island of Kyska. During the wintering period, the Russians continued to pursue their failures. From famine and scurvy, 17 passengers of the ship were killed. The survivors barely survived, having reached summer on the wrecks of an old ship to the shores of their native Kamchatka. After such an unsuccessful expedition, the Russians for a long time did not dare to go to the deserted wild islands in the cold, inhospitable sea. And already in 1867, after America was sold to Alaska, the island of Kyska also became part of the United States.

Events of the Second World War

In the summer of 1942, Japanese paratroopersMarines landed on the island and immediately destroyed the American meteorological station of the Navy. After that, there was located a huge contingent of Japanese troops. According to information obtained during the reconnaissance operation, the Japanese numbered about 10 thousand soldiers.

At the very beginning of the operation to seize the islandsThe Bering Sea was brought to the coast by military units and large-scale workers' detachments. There is a base of submarines and communications and air defense. On the small island of Kyska, the population was 5,400 Japanese at that time. For a whole year the enemy occupied the territory in fact with impunity. The actions of US servicemen were limited to infrequent and insignificant raids of military aviation and constant patrolling of the territory from submarines. The purpose of such sorties was to isolate the Japanese island military units from the rest of the enemy's armed forces.

But already in August 1942 the US military courtsThey dealt the first decisive blow to the enemy stationed on the American island of Kyska. The history of the liberation of the territory occupied by the enemy was just beginning. After a decisive strike by the sea, which the friendly efforts of the cruisers and destroyers did, during the following months, air strikes of America and Canada were carried out over the captured islands.

The beginning of repulse

At first the first bombardments did not render specialinfluence on the Japanese command. However, the invaders nevertheless decided to strengthen the defense, dig well, but the military faced a number of unsolved problems. The harbor of the island was always in a fog, and the constant dead swell also created great problems. The Japanese had only seaplanes, which contained light weapons and did not have any armor at all. They could not make heavy American bombers competitive.

The enemy's floating bases did not dare constantlyStay close to the coastline because of the constant attacks of Allied aviation. The Japanese kept them in the open sea and only near the cover of the night darkness or in the bad weather they approached the island in order to unload equipment or seaplanes. At the beginning of the operation off the coasts of the Aleutian Islands, Japanese aircraft carriers left their location in a month.

The accumulation of resistance forces

The Americans accumulated their military potential in thethe nearest islands. On about. Adah was built in the shortest time the airfield, which became the largest in the region. The submarines were activated. So, the American submarine vessel "Triton" in the middle of summer sunk the Japanese destroyer "Nenochi", taking the lives of 200 people who were on board. At the same time, three destroyers were destroyed, which moored the cruiser Tiiyoda into the harbor. The submarine Growler managed to release three torpedoes, which exactly struck the ships. The fog of the coastal zone helped.

Strengthening the defense of the Japanese

The Japanese had an ardent desire to leave dataisland itself. In the autumn of the same year, they began to actively strengthen their positions. By order of the Imperial Command, troops were sent to the islands in order to build defensive structures. They were to build an airfield on the island of Kyska and next to Fr. Attou, on a small unnamed island. By the end of winter, work was planned to be completed, but the Allied forces did not give them that chance.

Although these desert islands had absolutely nofor America it does not matter, they did not intend to give their lands. Preparations were under way for the offensive with the aim of finally destroying the Japanese troops. Completely cut off from the rest of the world, the invaders lacked supplies, and the cold of the inhospitable islands of the Aleutian arc did not bode well.

Battles for Attou

On May 11, the Allies launched a grandiose operation toliberation of the island of Attou. Bloody battles lasted for three weeks. Hundreds of soldiers were killed, more than a thousand were injured and injured, but most of all they lost people from frostbite. The harsh climate of the Aleutian Islands could not stand the warriors not used to such conditions.

The Japanese also killed about 3,000, severaldozens were taken prisoner. After such a difficult battle for Attu, the Allied Command decided to release Kyski. Such an operation to clean up the last island played a big role, as it opened the way for the allies to the shores of Russia. If the path were free, the Americans would be able to transfer military equipment to support our troops. A large-scale operation was planned, and huge funds were collected for the decisive battle.

Operation "Cottage"

According to intelligence received, Americansbelieved that on the island gathered more than 10,000 military. For the assault operation more than 100 American and Canadian ships were drawn to the shores of the bay. The number of military personnel exceeded 34,000, of whom 5,300 were Canadian citizens. From the air, aviation in every way provided support, making frequent shuttle bombing.

Early in August, early in the morning, the expeditionparatroopers landed on the island. The Japanese were not visible. The military believed that the enemy was entrenched in the mountains in order to occupy defensive positions. The next day more troops were sent to help. Only at the end of the second day it became clear that the Japanese are not on the island. They left him. How did this happen?

Escape under the cover of fog

After foreseeing the enemy's attack on their positions,the Japanese, under the cover of a strong fog, carried out a lightning operation to withdraw troops from the Aleutian arc. On the afternoon of July 29, at a tremendous speed, two cruisers and a dozen destroyers circled the island of Kyska from the north and anchored. To go on board, the Japanese spent only 45 minutes. During this short time, 5400 soldiers entered the ships.

Going to their base, they are swiftlyleft the place of deployment, while there was a strong fog, and the aircraft of the American aircraft could not go up in the air, and sentinels at that time replenished the fuel reserves. The Japanese at that time quietly and brilliantly conducted an operation to rescue their military, who were safely transferred to Paramushir.

Reproaches and disputes

As a result, the Americans in the many thousandsarmy and 100 ships, not counting aviation, had a fight with an empty island. At the same time as a result of the so-called "friendly" fire, several hundred people were killed. Operation "Cottage" some call a failure. But we must bear in mind that, firstly, the winners are not judged, and secondly, the Japanese have escaped from such a terrible force, fearing to engage in an open battle.

It is also necessary to take into account the harsh conditions of the islandKyska, the description of which is given above. The constant thick fog and severe colds caused a lot of trouble for the soldiers, who had to conduct the operation in such harsh conditions. To this day, the whole island is covered with remains of destroyed guns, in the bays are semi-submerged rusted ships. The island reminds, rather, an open-air museum, which tells people who visit it about the terrible days of war.