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Adak Island (, ;; ) or Father Island is an island near the western extent of the Andreanof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Alaska's southernmost city, Adak, is located on the island. The island has a land area of , measuring long and wide, making it the 25th largest island in the United States.
Due to harsh winds, frequent cloud cover, and cold temperatures, vegetation is mostly tundra (grasses, mosses, berries, low-lying flowering plants) at lower elevations. The highest point is Mount Moffett, near the northwest end of the island, at an elevation of 3,924 feet (1,196 m). It is snow covered the greater part of the year. Adak is its largest and principal city.
The word Adak is from the Aleut language word adaq, which means "father".
After the war was over, some of the approximately 6,000 American military men who served on Adak during World War II recalled Adak's cold, foggy, windy weather; mud; ; few women and no trees; and a volcano that from time to time would issue puffs of smoke. Fresh food was a rarity.
Adak Naval Air Station continued to be a military base during the Cold War but was designated a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) site in 1995 and closed in March 1997. Shortly thereafter, the town of Adak was incorporated at the site of the former base. Down from a peak population of 6,000, the island recorded a 2010 census population of 326 residents, all in the city of Adak, in the northern part of the island. In 1980, the Aleutian Islands National Wildlife Refuge was created and much of Adak Island lies within its boundaries.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game introduced approximately 23 caribou calves to the island in the late 1950s, in part to help prevent famine emergencies. Adak Island, with its now large caribou herd of approximately 1,000 animals, according to a 2019 and 2022 count, has become a popular hunting destination.Traveler T. Terpening, Alaska, Bradt Travel Guides, 2010, , page 393.
At Adak, overcast conditions average nearly 75 percent of the time during June and July, dropping back to approximately 50 percent of the time from October through February. Adak averages 173 days per year with fog. The foggiest months are July and August, when an average of 26 of the 31 days have fog. This number drops dramatically toward the winter season, where the months of December through March have, on average, fewer than ten days with fog during any one month.
Gales occur in all months of the year at Adak, with the greatest chances being from December through March. A peak gust of occurred at Adak in March 1954.
Adak's average temperatures range from , with a record high of in August 1956 and a record low of in January 1963 and February 1964.
Average annual precipitation is about . October to January are the wettest months due to especially frequent and intense mid-latitude cyclonic storms, while May to July represent markedly drier months; thunderstorms, common in mid-latitude continental areas, are virtually unknown here. November is the average wettest month, while July is the average driest month. Average snowfall is , falling primarily on the upper reaches of the volcanoes. Adak has an average of 341 days per year with measurable precipitation.
In 2022, Netflix aired a docuseries about explorers seeking pirate gold on the island.
Alaska Airlines operates twice-weekly Boeing 737-800 passenger and cargo jet service from Anchorage. At present, flights operate each Wednesday and Saturday (weather permitting). Occasionally, extra seasonal flights are operated to meet the demand of the fishing season. Adak Airport was historically served for many years by Reeve Aleutian Airways (RAA), with scheduled passenger flights to Anchorage operated with Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop combi aircraft during the 1970s, followed by Boeing 727-100 jet combi aircraft during the 1980s and 1990s.
Other facilities in Adak include three deep water docks and fueling facilities. The city has requested funds to greatly expand the Sweeper Cove small boat harbor, including new breakwaters, a 315-foot (96 m) dock and new moorage floats
There are approximately of paved and primitive roads on Adak, all privately owned by the Aleut Corporation.
Adak National Forest is a small copse on the island jokingly referred to as a national forest.
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