Ruins of the USAF base Camp Drake in Japan
Camp Drake was a joint US Army/Air Force base in Saitama, active until the 1970`s. It contained a hospital which handled troops coming out of Vietnam and also a communications array. Now about half of it remains, an overgrown jungle with only a few remaining buildings set back behind several layers of fencing. The other half has been eaten up by parks and a junior high school.
Tanks in a shed by the commissary.
Camp Drake was one of my last haikyo to explore with Mike before he left for Canada last month. Compared to other US bases around Tokyo- those in Fuchu and Tachikawa, there wasn`t a lot to see, though of course we couldn`t know that until we ventured in. Access seemed harder than either of the other bases, but as ever there were weak spots. Once in though we had to climb one more fence, and actually crawl through a tiny hole cut into a third fence to get close to a building.
I don`t know why security was so tight, as there was very little to see. The main building remaining seems to have been a mess hall / commissary, and its now flooded, so we couldn`t explore inside. There were chairs and desks lying around in the jungle.
Mike got a bit bored/wary and decided to high-tail it, so I ventured forth and looked into one more building, kind of an industrial room- probably gas and/or hot water heaters. I know now there was another building deeper in with more industrial stuff, but we were on a schedule (headed for the Gan Kutsu cliff face hotel) so I didn`t take the time.
You can see more about Camp Drake on these sites-
About the 249th hospital.
About the barracks.
Guardpost after the second fence, before the third.
Guardhouse int.
Defunct moped.
Expired desk.
Do Not Enter – vault-like entrance to the mess hall / commissary.
Interior of what I think is commissary (because of COMM on the wall, yes- please correct me if wrong).
Some big troughs.
Bunker-entrance.
Lonely forest chair.
Back entrance.
CAMP DRAKE UPS POWER WITH PRIDE
Warehouse space.
Big forest flue.
Hole we crawled through.
Machine shed.
Tanks that remind me of Anakin`s racing pod.
Some HDR-ed engine.
Tanks BW.
See a curation of world ruins in the ruins gallery.
See my collection of Japanese ruins (haikyo) in the galleries:
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I was at North Camp Drake for 9 months in 1963 when Kennedy was shot. The Agency sent me to Ft. Monmouth for Fixed Station Transmitter Repair (172.?). I was trained as a Tech Controller (173.?) in ASA Criticom Control Pac as there was no school yet at Monmouth. ASA Criticom Control Pac was in the the (first?) comm center. We had our own backup generator in the building called a No Break System which I would run up periodically as part of my duties. I loved playing with that thing. This comm center like the latter was behind a big vault door. I experienced my one and only earth quake in that building which was weird. ASA had it’s own MP’s who checked our badges and let us in. What happened in the comm center STAYED in the comm center! I learned that lesson when I was called to the office of the captain in charge of security. I never saw NSA people only Army ASA. I believe all of the Officers were Signal Corp attached to the Agency and that is where we ended up when we came back stateside if there was no slot for us. Criticomm which stood for critical communications was a super secret version of the Army Starcom run by the signal corp. We transmitted messages on sig intel, war messages to the War Room, and other stuff that was Top Secret and above. I’m sure that some of it was for the CIA but I never say them and wonder why they would come the the Comm Center anyway as it was strictly a technical operation. On to 177th ASA, Korea.
Hats off to all the service members. My family lived on Mutsumi Dai from 1967-69, and my younger brother went to Camp Drake Middle School.
Can some of you who were there in the 60s do me huge favor by answering a few questions about Camp Drake? We are trying to create a web site of all the places we’ve lived for our 93-year old mom.
1. Exactly where was Momote Village? Was it actually on the grounds of South Camp Drake, or off the camp to the east? How far away?
2. Was Drake Middle School on South or North Camp Drake?
3. Did both S and N Camp Drake have their own commissary, theater, stores, etc., or only on N. Camp Drake? I assume that most people who lived in Momote Village did their shopping there.
4. Was the 249th hospital on South Camp Drake?
Thanks VERY much. I hope some of you can reply.
David Collett, Seattle (dcollett.seattle@gmail.com)
Hi David,
I went to Drake Jr. High back in the day, and lived in Momote Village (house #1804, I think). Momote was separate from Drake, I remember there were shuttle buses. School was in South Camp Drake, I believe. There was a little convenience store/drug store in Momote but main shopping at Grand Heights. Hope this helps a bit. Best, Toni
Toni, the above website has people who were at narimasu/grant heights and drake
I lived in Grant Heights from July ’68 until Jan ’70. I went to Drake Middle School 8th grade from ’68-’69, then Narimasu High School on Grant Heights. Anyone else?
I have several pictures taken by a soldier in the mid 50′s i purchased them at an auction..It’s a complete album he must have been stationed at North Camp Drake..Every picture is detailed with a description from him amazing pictures several of him personally..There’s also pictures of Nikko Kanaya Hotel,Ryuzu Fall,Mt.Asami,Karulzaiua,Okinawain dancers,Omiya Area,Daruma doll factory,Bonsai garden,Hikawa Shrine a picture of a Daruma head finished…If anyone knows how i can contact family members (if any still around)would gladly make sure that it got back to them… His names PFC/Sp4 Paul D. Dillow pictures are from mostly 1956 era….Thanks