Aerial view of the Naval Air Station on Diego Garcia under construction around 1980. It is part of the Chagos Archipelago, administered by the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).  Note the MSC ships parked in the lagoon, at upper left. Situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean, this base serves as our gateway to the US CENTCOM (Persian Gulf) ops area.  We always referred to it as “Dodge”; as in Dodge City of the Wild Wild West.

Main runway approach at Diego Garcia. The U.S. Navy Support facility here was begun in 1977, but not enlarged significantly until after the abdication of the Shah of Iran in January 1979.  During the previous 130 years it was home to English coconut plantations.

Between 1979-86 the island’s military facilities were greatly expanded to provide a base of operations for contingencies in the Middle East, including Military Sealift Command ships with equipment for our Rapid Deployment Force.  This shows the “structures” side of the island, west of the runway.  When jogging I always found myself competing with thousands of red land crabs that inhabit the island.

Base headquarters at Diego Garcia.  The base was constructed by the Seabees in the late 1970s and early 1980s.  Arriving female sailors lasted an average of 6 weeks before they are either engaged or married.  Everyone got around in Chevy S-10 pick-ups, like the one pictured here, riding in back without seat belts.

The O Club at Dodge was filled with well-greased Maritime Sealift Command (MSC) officers whose hermetically sealed transports were anchored in the island’s gorgeous lagoon.  The ships holds are filled with equipment for our Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) in the Middle East, which was an integral part of both Gulf Wars and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Questions or comments on this page?
E-mail Dr. J David Rogers at rogersda@umr.edu.