Bluie East Two Of Ikateq Fjord
Bluie East Two at Ikateq Fjord
August 2015
Rusted fuel drums, vehicles, machinery, and collapsed structures mark the remains of Bluie East Two at Ikateq Fjord in East Greenland. The United States established the military installation during World War II following the 1941 agreement permitting American defense facilities in Greenland.
Bluie East Two operated from 1942 to 1947 as a United States Army Air Forces airfield and support station. Rather than becoming a major transatlantic base, it served primarily as an alternate airfield and supported weather observation, navigation, and search-and-rescue operations. The installation was evacuated in 1947, leaving extensive equipment, fuel drums, buildings, and other material behind.
When these photographs were taken in 2015, large fields of rusting barrels and military wreckage remained across the site. The barrels became locally known as “American Flowers.” The debris remained for decades while responsibility for its removal was disputed.
Current Context
Denmark and Greenland formalized a cleanup agreement in 2018, and work at Ikateq began in 2019. Thousands of barrels have since been removed, but the cleanup remained incomplete as of July 2026, with funding retained for continued work.
