Shemya

In 1956, Northwest Airlines leased Shemya Island from the U.S. government to use as a refueling station on their North Pacific route.

"[2] Northwest was operating Lockheed Constellation L-1049G model propliners on its "Orient Express" service between the U.S. and Asia in 1956.

[3] During the height of the Cold War, the United States Air Force airborne intelligence platforms "Cobra Ball", "Rivet Amber," and "Rivet Ball" flew intercontinental ballistic missile tracking flights from this island near the Soviet Union, especially the Kamchatka Peninsula.

This radar was built in 1976 and brought on-line in 1977 for the primary mission of intelligence gathering in support of verification of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) II agreement.

Its two 120-foot (37 m) parabolic reflectors and 50 kW transmitter output bridged the nearly 400 miles (640 km) gap to Adak, Alaska.

Reeve Aleutian Airways (RAA) operated scheduled passenger service into Shemya for many years.