Wake Island Driving tour

Driving around Wake starting from the north by Peale island and going all the way to Wilkes island.

If you'd like to see the related pictures, find them here.

2:44- Billeting area for DVs
3:25-3:30 Maintenance facilities/water treatment plant
3:45 Satellite dishes
4:40 Original chapel from WW2....just past this (south) is the white memorial for the Marines who died in the attack. Check out corresponding pictures IMG0043-IMG0047. There is a monument to the Japanese who died during the attack as well. You can't see this in the vid, but pics IMG0050-IMG0055.
4:50 Base Ops. Its where all personnel must process when landing or leaving the island. You can get a Wake Island stamp in your passport here. Unforutnately, as I explained, you must be on official orders to get to Wake Island.
5:04-5:17 Just further south down the road from base ops....basically the bottom of the horseshoe part of Wake. Some old bunkers here.
5:19-5-24 Plaque marking the spot of the famous MacArthur/Truman meeting. See IMG0224 for the full story. Look at IMG0234 for the full plaque.
5:25 The voice of Colin Bradley, the communications civilian, explaining the MDA site.
5:41-5:44 Base Ops from the other side of the Wake Island harbor
6:45 IMG0076 explains what I was talking about in the video.
7:00 IMG 0097 shows the bunker sign in detail. "Japanese Aircraft Revetment built by American Civilian POWs Completed 1943".
7:10-7:40 Moving up the southern leg of Wake island
7:44 I am zooming in on the gap between Wake and Peale islands. There used to be a bridge connecting the two islands, but it burned down in 2000. No one really knows why the fire started but it's assumed that a cigarette or possibly someone barbequing on the bridge started the fire. All that is left are the rusty supports. See IMG0069, IMG0071, IMG0183 and IMG0207 for the supports. As an interesting side note to the elevated bridge, If you look at IMG0197, you can see what is left of the Japanese built "walking bridge". I believe the elevated bridge was not completed at the time of the Wake Island takeover by the Japanese so the Japanese chose to build a walking bridge between Wake and Peale that could be used at low tide. Parts of it still remain to this day and can be used during low tide. I walked on it myself the day before I took this picture and it is quite an experience.
8:08-9:25 A newly discovered, American built bunker. Colin's guys had just found this right before I arrived. I was there in Aug 2012, so his guys must have found it June/July 2012.
11:00 Marina for barges
14:00 More interesting info about the marina area.
14:40 The old barges they used to use at Wake
15:15 Driving on the causeway
16:26 Colin talking about the old PAN AM terminal

[iAmSupermanmmkay]

Im getting ready to head there for work next month for the rest of the year and beyond. Thanks for giving me an idea of what to expect!

[rossbeezee]

Thank you so much sharing your amazing video of Wake Island. I was there from 1966 through 1972 under contract with Facilities Mgmt Corp (FMC). It was fun in the islands during those days with lots of activities that replaced ones homesickness!
The islands are in shambles ... No bridge to cross Peale. I am now 75 y/o and enjoying my retirement.

[Foldisfitch]

Thanks for the movie & great pics you made available for download!

[marciano]

Worked there in 1979- 1980 paving the runway and repair of the south end of the runway. Nice to see this island again in your video.

[papabear]

I love these kinds of videos. I wonder how simple life would be there. Very good work!

[edwinpeckens]

I lived on Wake Island for 6 months in 1958 working for Pan American Airways.The island looked a heck of a lot different thenthan it does in you video.Had a great time, fishing was very good.Movies every night in the outdoor movie we called the "windy palace"

[thomasclark]

I was through a few times no time to see anything but flight line and chow hall.

[billjohnson]

I saw the tour about a year ago and commented. I first visited Wake Island in March of 1973. I was in the US Navy, In February of that year, President Nixon ordered a cease to all bombing during the Vietnam War, bringing that war to an end. Afterward, I was given a final assignment  to help ferry damaged war planes back to the USA and during that task we stopped and spent the night at Wake Island. Then in 1991, I went back to help install and commission facilities for use by the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command. I spent most of that decade as a resident supporting the airfield, launch facilities. Your commentary was especially enjoyable to me. So many stories about our operations are in my mind that it could fill a small library, With only about 2.5 square miles of surface, it is one of the most isolated places on earth. Despite it's remoteness, it felt more like home than any other place that I've visited. Again thanks for having the insight to record this tour.

[JohnJacobson-sx]

What happened to Rick's sailboat? Did it set sail yet?

[DougWH]

Spent about 2 hours there during a refueling stop on our way to the Philippines 1987.

[pasittriyakhun]

i still miss i love wake island but only shot time my life but waiting to WAKE ISLAND AGAIN AND AGAIN

[chipfields]

I'm flying to Wake in October 2015 for 2 weeks. Thanks for the pre-tour.

[johnwayne]

I would love to fly in and visit Wake. I have fascinations/day dreaming flying in on a  PBY into the lagoon there. I wouldn't mind staying there for a week or so but I guess any given time can be boring after awhile. 

[billjohnson]

Another bit of information of the tour. The revetment at 6:28 was converted to a storage for rocket motors during 1992 and 1993. We did the work including pouring a new floor and adding the roofing. We installed air conditioning to control humidity. It's not mentioned in the tour but the roadway along the runway is Elrod Drive. It was named for Henry Elrod, a USMC aviator who was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in defense of the island. He was the first aviator to sink a japanese ship. The first weather station along the drive was installed to monitor for lightning during missile program events. I was the U.S. Army's technical support manager during the first launch in 1993. It was a pre-dawn launch and we all gathered next to the chapel area next to "downtown" to watch. The whole island shook when it lifted off.

[harryjoebatdorf]

I was on a Navy ship in 1975 that stopped at Wake. We were sniffed by drug dogs leaving the pier. Two officers and two enlisted rode a jeep the whole length and said that they saw where jeeps and other stuff from WW2 had been dozed into the ocean. They said you could see rusty iron below the surface. I had no idea at the time what happened there in the war. Recently I have been reading about it. I wish I could go back there.

[gooneybird]

Really enjoyed this.  I've always been curious about Wake.   Back in the 40's & 50's Transocean Airlines (RIP) had a whole operating facility there, much to the dissapointment of Pan Am.  Thanks for posting this.

[billjohnson]

Just found your vid. It brought many memories back. I left the island in October of 99' after an 8 year tour. I was pleased to see that Rick had his boat in the water. From what I could see, many changes were made by typhoon Ioki. From the earth sat it looks as if the bowling alley is gone, the bridge to Peale is gone. Thanks for the tour.

[billjohnson]

Hello my friend. Your video has created a lot of interest! You were wanting some historical info to offer your viewers. In August, 1991 I arrived at Wake Island with a construction group to refurbish barracks and launch facilities for the "Star Wars" program to test ballistic missile defense programs. I arrived on a chartered FedEx Boeing 747 so I can safely say that I've been FedExed. During that fall we worked 12 hour/7 days a week until just before Christmas. After that, I returned to Wake Island after some time spent on Guam, to support the missile testing program. We launched the target missiles from Wake and the inteceptors were launched from Kawjalein about 800 miles south. We would get a test program from USASMDC which was "U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command" in Huntsville, Alabama. Our mission was to support the infrastructure to complete the mission and then repair any damages during launch and then mothball the launcher and control buildings for the next mission. This was the main mission but other missions included the housing of Chinese Nationals that were intercepted on the high seas with continental USA as their destination. Also, the USAF and USMC units rotating from the far east to the USA would stop and refuel. I have many stories that I could share, some humorous, some somber but always entertaining to those around me that ask me how I could live on such a small island. Someone had to do it and I'm glad that I was chosen.

[ShmooyShmoo]

ive seen that sailboat when i was in wake island.. WHAT A BEAUTY!!!! im a catamaran lover / trimaran... BUT that one i loved!

[tailwalker]

I first came across wake in reading about the Pacific theatre, after checking it out on Google earth (tons of really good pics) I have wanted to go there for the better part of 10 yrs. This has been one of the closet vids I've seen to actually getting there, really appreciate you putting this on the net!!