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|  | | | Western Pacific - Indian Ocean Deployment - 1979:
Port of call: Diego Garcia (British Indian Ocean Territory) |
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Diego Garcia, a remote, vee-shaped, island atoll, is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). It is one of over fifty islands in the Chagos Archipelago which covers about ten thousand square miles of the Indian Ocean. To find Diego Garcia on a world map intersect a southern line extending down from the center of India with a line running east from the top of Madagascar. By agreement the United States Navy utilizes the
thirty-seven mile long island as an Indian Ocean outpost. In the early nineteen-seventies, the US Navy primarily used the island as a radio communications facility. The base at that time consisted mainly of a communications center (2) and transmission site (5). By the time the USS LOS ANGELES (SSN688) visited Diego Garcia, the Seabees (United States Naval Construction forces) had added barracks, chow hall, outdoor theatre, the Diego Burger stand (1), and swimming pool to the airstrip (3) and basic support facilities. Prior to its modern use, Diego Garcia was the home of a copra plantation (6). Domestic donkeys were used to haul carts of coconuts (used to make copra) to waiting transports.
Today these wild donkeys roam the island amidst lush vegetation which they share with large coconut crabs, land crabs, hermit crabs, scorpions, and coconut rats. A crushed coral road connects the main facilities, communications site, airstrip, and transmitter site. The road passes through the "Donkey Gate"
(4) which keeps the several hundred or so donkeys from roaming the main facilities. The road ends at the remains of the old copra plantation which was used as a recreational retreat for the islands inhabitants and occassional visitors. The USS LOS ANGELES (SSN 688) had to anchor out in
the lagoon (7). The lagoon was about thirteen miles long and about six miles wide which made for a long liberty boat ride to and from the beach.The French Ship Bouvet was also visiting Diego Garcia while we were there. | | |  | |
| | Map Key - Diego Burger
stand.
- Communications center
- Airstrip
- Donkey Gate
- Radio transmitter site
- Copra plantation
- LA anchorage
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