These photos were taken in the summer of 1975, from the tower at Loran Station Hokkaido. The tower had been temporarily shut down for some sort of maintenance. I was a seaman at the time, cleaning toilets, painting and standing watches, so I don’t really remember the actual details as to why the tower was shut down for such a long period of time. Our commanding officer, out of nowhere, asked if anybody would like to climb to the top of the tower. I have no idea where he got this idea, but I am very glad that he had thought to offer us this amazing opportunity. I believe there were five or six of us that indicated interest in participating in this monumental event. The commanding officer was not amongst us. I had recently purchased a 35mm, state of the art, Japanese camera and slung it over my shoulder as I headed for the tower. As you can see from some of the photos, the view was absolutely spectacular. Nearly all of the color had faded from the prints, so they have been retouched using Photoshop. I hope you enjoy them!

USCG Storekeeper 3rd Class, Veteran
Jeff Howard

P.S. Our commanding officer at that time was really a great guy, and I sincerely hope that his career has gone in the direction in which he wished. If he should read this, I would love for him to contact me.

Click on any photo for a closer look