Wake Island Driving tour

• published: 21 May 2013
• views: 6797

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. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/trea253tlh93u27/9Zf-3nbIAZ 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