Adak

island, Alaska, United States

Also known as: Adak Station

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 16, 2026

Quick Summary

Adak Island Sweeper Cove of Adak Island, Aleutian Islands, southwestern Alaska.

Adak is an island located in the Andreanof group of the Aleutian Islands in southwestern Alaska, United States. It is the largest settlement within the island group and was historically significant during World War II as a staging point for military operations.12

Adak formerly hosted extensive U.S. naval facilities, but the base closed in 1997, leading to a significant population decline. The island is now primarily inhabited by native Aleuts and is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The Andreanof Islands, including Adak, experienced a major earthquake in 1957 that generated a Pacific-wide tsunami.2

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Aleutian Islands
History
Adak (formerly Adak Station) was the site of a naval station (1942–97), its military installations used as a base for mounting the Attu campaign in May 1943. Before the closure of the naval station, Adak was once Alaska’s sixth largest city, with some 6,000 people.…
Read More
Adak (formerly Adak Station) was the site of a naval station (1942–97), its military installations used as a base for mounting the Attu campaign in May 1943. Before the closure of the naval station, Adak was once Alaska’s sixth largest city, with some 6,000 people.…
Read More

Andreanof Islands
…important in World War II; Adak (formerly Adak Station) was used as a staging point to win back the Japanese-held islands of Attu and Kiska. In March 1957 the Andreanofs were the site of one of the largest earthquakes in the 20th century—with a magnitude of 8.6—and it set off…
Read More
…important in World War II; Adak (formerly Adak Station) was used as a staging point to win back the Japanese-held islands of Attu and Kiska. In March 1957 the Andreanofs were the site of one of the largest earthquakes in the 20th century—with a magnitude of 8.6—and it set off…
Read More