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Since its closure in June 1994 the base was abandoned and has been vandalised and looted. Walking around the roads of the base the majority of the buildings are empty and deserted with many identifiable in their original use. There are electrical power generation buildings, multiple barracks, a cinema, fire station, watch towers and guard posts. Around the base are lamp posts, fire hydrants and a central memorial site dedicated to a previous commander consisting of trees and columns around a missing plaque. The centre of the base consists of a large amounts of antennae masts used for intelligence gathering that are all still standing near to the shoreline.
The whole base is surreal with so many buildings stopped in time for the last twenty years, slowly falling apart, decaying but with the feeling of ghosts of the past still around. There are now some signs of rejuvenation on the base with a new visitor attractions of the Cretaquarium sea life centre & a Dinosauria Park exhibition Centre.
Iraklion US Air Station, Gournes, Crete, Greece
The United States Intelligence Air Station located on the island of Crete near Gournes is a strange experience deserted for the last twenty years. The base was originally opened by the US Air Force in 1954 as the first US air base in Greece. It was a non flying facility used for intelligence gathering and data analysis with a total staff level of around 1500 personnel.