Cold Bay, Alaska

Cold Bay Udaamagax
City
Aerial view of Cold Bay taken during the early 21st century. Cold Bay Airport's runways are visible.
Cold Bay Location in Alaska
Coordinates: 55°12′33″N 162°42′51″W / 55.20917°N 162.71417°W / 55.20917; -162.71417
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Borough	Aleutians East
Incorporated	January 1982
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
• Mayor	Candace Schaack
• State senator	Lyman Hoffman (D)
• State rep.	Bryce Edgmon (D)
Area
• Total	70.9 sq mi (183.7 km2)
• Land	54.4 sq mi (140.8 km2)
• Water	16.6 sq mi (42.9 km2)
Elevation	138 ft (42 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	109
• Estimate (2015)	60
Time zone	Alaska (AKST) (UTC-9)
• Summer (DST)	AKDT (UTC-8)
ZIP code	99571
Area code	907 (local prefix: 532)
FIPS code	02-16530
Website	http://www.coldbay.org

Cold Bay (Udaamagax in Aleut) is a city in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 108.

Cold Bay is one of the main commercial centers of the Alaska Peninsula, and is home to Cold Bay Airport.

There is evidence of prehistoric occupation by Aleuts and later Russian encampments. Cold Bay's American history began with the Japanese invasion of the Aleutians in World War II. General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. ordered the creation of Fort Randall, an airbase on the shores of Cold Bay, in 1942 as a part of a general expansion of American assets in the Aleutians. It (along with Otter Point) served as a base for the 11th Air Force to provide protection to the only deep water port in the Aleutians at the time, Dutch Harbor.

This protection was necessary when during Yamamoto's Midway Campaign a diversionary attack was launched against Dutch Harbor. The initial attack was repulsed by the surprise presence of P-40s stationed here. A second larger attack with its own fighter escort the next day caused minor damage. Later, with the victory in the Pacific, the forces grew to 20,000 troops. The quonset huts used to house this massive encampment still stand around the community. It also was a base of operations for the US Navy with the seaplane tender USS Casco (AVP-12) among the ships based in Cold Bay.

In the spring and summer of 1945, Cold Bay was the site of the largest and most ambitious transfer program of World War II, Project Hula, in which the United States transferred dozens of ships and craft to the Soviet Union and trained Soviet personnel in their operation in anticipation of the Soviet Union entering the war against Japan.