The fog was drifting through the hills as National Geographic Orion slipped into Kiska Harbor early in the morning. This historical island was once home to the largest occupying enemy force on United States ground in North America during the Second World War. Kiska Island held a garrison of just under 8,000 Japanese soldiers at its peak. For just over one year the Japanese occupied Kiska until on August 15th, 1943, 34,400 American and Canadian troops stormed the beaches of Kiska to take it back. To their surprise the 5,300 Japanese troops that were still on the island just a few weeks before had vanished, carried away by the Japanese Navy under the cover of fog.
For the guests of the ship, this meant many relics of the war left behind for exploration. There were hikes and Zodiac tours around the harbor and the divers even explored a Japanese shipwreck. After the morning adventures the ship set off to sea again. Everyone was amazed to see thousands of sea birds surrounding the cliffs of Sirius Point. At the end of the day a large male sperm whale proceeded to wave goodbye as we continued on our journey west.
