20 Spectacular Military Abandonments of the World

20 abandoned military bases aircraft graveyards vehicles1 20 Spectacular Military Abandonments of the World

Forgotten military bases, aircraft graveyards, vehicles and other objects present some of the most compelling and historically intriguing abandonments. And due to conflict throughout the 20th Century and beyond, virtually every continent on Earth offers a rich repository of military relics and modern ruins. In remote corners of the world where shipwrecks abound, aircraft lie where they crash landed decades earlier, weeds sprout from the cracks of long-disused runways, and lonely control towers betray the location of forgotten airbases returned to farmland. In this article, we’ll explore 20 examples of such historic abandonments and more.

Tu 22 Backfire Vozdvizhenka 20 Spectacular Military Abandonments of the World (Image: Maks Maydachenco, reproduced with permission)

Browse the gallery via the thumbnails below each image or click the “return to the main article” link to come back to this page. To begin exploring, simply click on any of the images below.

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Abandoned Gun Emplacement, Midway Atoll	Downed F-117 Stealth Fighter, Kosovo War	Maid of Harlech: The Periodically Reappearing P-38	Johnston Atoll: The World’s Most Isolated Military Airbase?
Pointe du Hoc: Abandoned German Coastal Defences near Omaha Beach, Normandy	Deserted Guam Northwest Field in the Marianas	Abandoned Military Runway, Bulgaria	Mothballed Sea Shadow Stealth Ship, Suisun Bay
Abandoned Control Tower: RAF Coleby Grange, UK	Abandoned Radar Dishes, RAF Stenigot, UK	Abandoned Midget Submarines, Aberlady Bay, Scotland	Wreck of Russian Battlecruiser Murmansk, Norway
Russian Surveillance Ship Wreck, Red Sea	Abandoned Chieftain Tank, Lulworth Firing Range, UK	Crash Landed (Intact) B-17 Flying Fortress, Papua New Guinea	Derelict Hawker Hunter at Former Airfix Factory in Hull, England
Dismantling Vulcan XM652 at RAF Waddington	Crashed Harrier GR3, Goose Green, Falklands	Russian Aircraft Graveyard, Moscow	Wrecked F-4 Phantom Jet, Hanoi

Someguy

I think your code is broken. None of the thumbnails are working links.
Someguy

I think your code is broken. None of the thumbnails are working links.
http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com Tom

Thanks for letting us know. I can see the thumbnails fine on my machine but have checked and can’t see them on other computers. Are you using a Mac? We’re working to resolve the issue, hopefully it’ll be sorted asap.
http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com Tom

Thanks for letting us know. I can see the thumbnails fine on my machine but have checked and can’t see them on other computers. Are you using a Mac? We’re working to resolve the issue, hopefully it’ll be sorted asap.
guest

Same issue, Windows 7
guest

Same issue, Windows 7
Duncan

Tom,
I am disappointed that the Newark Electric Lightening is not mentioned. Granted, there can’t be much of it left these days, but think it should get a mention for old times sake. Keep up the great work.
Duncan

Tom,
I am disappointed that the Newark Electric Lightening is not mentioned. Granted, there can’t be much of it left these days, but think it should get a mention for old times sake. Keep up the great work.
Duncan

Tom,
I am disappointed that the Newark Electric Lightening is not mentioned. Granted, there can’t be much of it left these days, but think it should get a mention for old times sake. Keep up the great work.
Kreso

Zeljava airport is not listed here.
It is a military airport, which is located on the border between Croatian & Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Construction started about 1960, and the entire complex was at that time cost 4 billion dollars.

Today, the whole complex is in ruins, the surrounding area is mined, but the tunnels are passable
http://zeljava-lybi.com/Zeljava-index2_eng.html