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There have been several different Blackhawk Islands over the years.

Blackhawk Island is the home base for the Blackhawks, a paramilitary group founded during World War II. Blackhawk Island houses the members of the Blackhawk Squadron, their planes, maintenance equipment, storage facilities and more.[28]

History

There have been several different Blackhawk Islands over the years.

Quality Universe

The first independent Blackhawk Island was in the North Atlantic Ocean, somewhere between Canada and Ireland.[1] It was not listed on any navigational charts, nor was its location officially known to any government. The Gestapo, however, learned the island's location before 1941 was even over.[2] In the following year, the Luftwaffe were able to parachute-deliver a written message to Blackhawk Island, followed soon afterward by a squadron of heavy bombers.[3] An American adventuress found her way to Blackhawk Island, and tried to join up.[4]

Midway through 1943, the Blackhawks observed that the war was moving southward, ever farther away from their North Atlantic secret base, so they surveyed some Mediterranean Sea islands, scouting for a new base site. They found a secret German airbase, and ended up taking it over. At the end of that operation, the Squadron was preparing to move from their old base to this new one, starting the next day.[5]

But very shortly later, the Blackhawks adopted a new island base in the Western Pacific Ocean.[6] This base remained in use throughout most or all of the Cold War, and it afforded access to a large number of isolated Pacific islands and little-known Asiatic dictatorships. At the same time, it was within reach of the continental United States, at least for the Blackhawks' long-range Lockheed interceptors. This afforded them quick access to their "mainland barracks," which seemed to be on the west coast of the the U.S., and they could respond quickly to emergency calls which mostly came from the U.S.

Despite their purported secrecy, the various Blackhawk Islands have over the years been subject to a large number of air raids,[7] land raids,[8] sea raids,[9] and invasions,[10] by Nazis,[3] Imperial Japanese,[11] and Communists,[10][12][13] along with visits from ambitious admirers,[4] desperate messengers,[14] flying saucers,[15] Gestapo stooges,[2] giant armored walking machines,[15] insidious infiltrators,[16] jaded thrill-seekers,[17] murderous saboteurs,[18] mysterious seductresses,[3] nosy photographers,[19] paratroopers,[12] pirates,[9] would-be conquerors[20] and actual aliens.[21]

  • In 1942, Hans Oberst's squadron of heavy bombers destroyed all the buildings on the North Atlantic Blackhawk Island.[3]
  • In 1944, Captain Hitsu's Suicide Squadron demolished the Western Pacific Blackhawk Island.[11]
  • The next Blackhawk Island was established in the Southern Pacific. Japanese reconnaissance planes were able to map the island's location, but this base had a decoy airfield, at the other end of the island, with the real aerodrome very well camouflaged.[22]
  • Later in 1944, that base also had to be abandoned, after its location was tipped to the Japanese by an unethical, fame-seeking, American news photographer.[19]
  • In 1951 Blackhawk Island was raided by a large team of murderous saboteurs, who converted much of the base's facilities and equipment into deadly booby traps.[18]
  • In 1952 all the structures on Blackhawk Island were laid waste by a tsunami.[23]
  • Since 1952 Blackhawk Island has proudly been a charter member of the Island Federation.[24]

Earth-One

Like its other-worldly counterpart, Blackhawk Island in the late 1950s was located in the tropical latitudes of the south-western Pacific Ocean.

  • In 1957 the location of Blackhawk Island was known to the Tigress and her Tigresses; it is not revealed how they learned it. The Tigresses had an airbase, in the Tropics, that was closely modeled after Blackhawk Island, and which they apparently abandoned after one adventure.[25] Blackhawk Island's location also was known to an ordinary smuggler gang leader named Paston.[26]
  • Until 1957 it was customary for the Blackhawks to hold an annual press conference on Blackhawk Island, and fly the reporters there in a remote-controlled passenger liner.[27]

Points of Interest

  • Quality Universe:
    • There is a tunnel from the sea cove to their underground laboratories, under Blackhawk Island.[29] There are also underground caverns that are used for storage of supplies.[8]
    • The nearest doctor to Blackhawk Island, circa 1951, worked on Lapato Island.[8]
    • Starting some time before 1955, Blackhawk Island had at least one guest cabin.[13]
    • Blackhawk Island has its own observatory.[30]
  • Earth-One:
    • The Blackhawk Museum is on Blackhawk Island.[31]
    • The Hawksub is docked at an unconcealed pier.[32]

Residents

Notes

  • Until 1944, Blackhawk Island was usually in the Atlantic Ocean.
  • After 1944, Blackhawk Island was usually in the Pacific Ocean.
    • In Blackhawk #34 (1950), the island is one half hour's flying time (for a Lockheed F-90B) away from Olahu Island, site of a U.S.A.F. base.
    • In Blackhawk #41 (1951), the island is said to be "just off the regular shipping routes," in the vicinity of "Latitude 47, Longitude 166." According to LATLONG.NET:
      • "47 lat, 166 long" is in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean, just south of the Bering Sea.
      • "47 lat, -166 long" is in the empty middle of the northern Pacific Ocean, near nothing.
      • "-47 lat, -166 long" is in the empty bottom of the southern Pacific Ocean, near nothing.
      • "-47 lat, 166 long" is in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean, just south of New Zealand, and right on the eastern edge of the Tasman Sea. Of the four possible readings of "at latitude 47, longitude 166", this one seems to be the likeliest. It also affords the best access to Southeast Asia,[33] and the sites of several other Blackhawk battles.
    • In JSA #11, Blackhawk Island is said to be an atoll in the South Pacific, although its appearance does not resemble an atoll in any way, shape or form.
    • Ormolu Island is the largest island in the uninhabited Mokara Group, a 20-minute fighterjet flight due south from Blackhawk Island.[33]
  • Blackhawk Island receives regularly scheduled air-drops of mail,[15] so the Post Office knows its location.
  • In Blackhawk #39 (1951), Blackhawk Island is invaded by a civilian pirate, in the 2nd story, then bombed by a Red air raid, in the 3rd. The means by which either of these enemies learned the island's location is not revealed.
  • In 1955 Blackhawk Island was shown to be located at or near "Longitude 180, Latitude 15," which would place it in the northern, tropical part of the southern half of the Pacific Ocean, near to the International Date Line.[13] But later in 1955, this location was learned, and attacked, by the Soviet Communists.[34]

See Also

Links and References

Blackhawk Island at the DC Animated Universe Wiki

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