But these days, GPS (Global Positioning System) technology has supplanted LORAN. The satellite-based GPS doesn't require an expensive network of ground stations like the six in Alaska, including one that is way out in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean, on Attu Island.
On Attu, an otherwise uninhabited island, the Coast Guard has 20 personnel running a station that includes a 625-foot tower, which routinely has to withstand 100 mph winds. Other Alaska stations are in St. Paul, Tok and Kodiak, along with ones near Nome and Ketchikan.
LORAN sites on Attu and near Ketchikan will keep running until later in the year, as required by international agreements. The other four will go offline Feb. 8.
Even with GPS systems becoming so cheap and so popular, LORAN still had its defenders. They said GPS is not reliable enough and touted LORAN as a valuable backup navigation system that could help protect national security if GPS systems go down. They had some experts and reports on their side.
Congress and President Obama decided otherwise -- a rare case where lawmakers weren't hesitant to pull the plug on spending, despite pleas to the contrary. Shutting down LORAN will save about $36 million a year nationwide ... and leave things a lot quieter on Attu Island and in a few other remote outposts in the state.
BOTTOM LINE: In Alaska, new technology will save the feds a little money.
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