- North Bend Air Force Station
-
North Bend Air Force Station Part of Air Defense Command (ADC) Type Air Force Station Coordinates 43°32′00″N 124°10′35″W / 43.5333333°N 124.17639°W Built 1952 In use 1952-1980 Controlled by United States Air Force Garrison 761st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron North Bend Air Force Station (ADC ID: P-12, NORAD ID: Z-12) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 3.9 miles (6.3 km) north-northeast of Hauser, Oregon. It was closed in 1980.
Contents
History
North Bend Air Force Station was one of twenty-eight stations built as part of the second segment of the Air Defense Command permanent radar network. Prompted by the start of the Korean War, on July 11, 1950, the Secretary of the Air Force asked the Secretary of Defense for approval to expedite construction of the permanent network. Receiving the Defense Secretary’s approval on July 21, the Air Force directed the Corps of Engineers to proceed with construction.
The 761st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was activated at Reedsport, Oregon, on 7 February 1951 with AN/FPS-3 and AN/FPS-4. With site P-12's activation, the temporary "lashup" site L-33 at Portland shut down. The site was re-designated as North Bend AFS on 1 December 1953, and initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and warning station. As a GCI station, the squadron's role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit's radar scopes.
In 1955 an AN/FPS-8 was installed. The radar subsequently was converted into an AN/GPS-3, and removed in 1956. In 1957 an AN/FPS-6 took over height-finder duties. An AN/FPS-6B was added in 1959. This site began operating an AN/FPS-7 search radar in 1960.
During 1960 North Bend AFS joined the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, feeding data to DC-13 at Adair AFS, Oregon. After joining, the squadron was re-designated as the 761st Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 15 July 1960. The radar squadron provided information 24/7 the SAGE Direction Center where it was analyzed to determine range, direction altitude speed and whether or not aircraft were friendly or hostile. By 1963 AN/FPS-26A and AN/FPS-90 radars were performing height-finding duties. On 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-12. The AN/FPS-7 was subsequently upgraded to an AN/FPS-107 model.
In addition to the main facility, North Bend operated several AN/FPS-14 Gap Filler sites:
- Port Orford, OR (P-12A) 42°44′13″N 124°30′35″W / 42.73694°N 124.50972°W
- Disston, OR (P-12B) 43°35′09″N 122°39′09″W / 43.58583°N 122.6525°W
- Placer, OR (P-12C) 42°41′31″N 123°13′48″W / 42.69194°N 123.23°W
Over the years, the equipment at the station was upgraded or modified to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the information gathered by the radars. In 1979 North Bend came under Tactical Air Command (TAC) jurisdiction with the inactivation of Aerospace Defense Command and the creation of ADTAC. The 761st Radar Squadron (SAGE) was deactivated 11 February 1980 as a result of budget restrictions, and the general phase down of air defense radar stations.
With the station's closure, the site was turned over to the statee of Oregon and it is now used as the Sutter Creek Institute (minimum-security prison)
Air Force units and assignments
Units:
- 761st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, Activated at Reedsport Air Force Station, Oregon, 7 February 1951
- Site re-designated as North Bend Air Force Station, 1 December 1953
- Re-designated as 761st Radar Squadron (SAGE), 15 July 1960
- Re-designated as 761st Radar Squadron, 1 February 1974
- Inactivated on 11 February 1980
Assignments:
- 505th Aircraft Control and Warning Group, 7 February 1951
- 25th Air Division, 6 February 1952
- 4704th Defense Wing, 1 January 1953
- 25th Air Division, 8 October 1954
- Portland Air Defense Sector, 1 March 1960
- 26th Air Division, 1 April 1966
- 25th Air Division, 15 September 1969
- 25th ADCOM Region, 8 December 1978-11 February 1980
See also
- List of USAF Aerospace Defense Command General Surveillance Radar Stations
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
- A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
- Winkler, David F. (1997), Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command.
- Information for North Bend AFS, OR
External links
Bases CONUSAdair · Beale · Bong (unbuilt) · Charleston · Davis-Monthan · Dobbins · Dover · Dow · Duluth · England · Ent · Ethan Allen · Fairfax · Fort Lee · Geiger · George · Glasgow · Grand Forks · Grenier · Griffiss · Gunter · Hamilton · Hancock · Homestead · Hurlburt · Imeson · K.I. Sawyer · Kincheloe · Kingsley · Kirtland · Larson · Luke · March · Malmstrom · McCoy · McChord · McClellan · McGhee Tyson · McGuire · Minneapolis-St. Paul · Minot · Mitchel · New Castle · Niagara Falls · Norton · O'Hare · Oklahoma City · Otis · Oxnard · Paine · Perrin · Peterson · Pittsburgh · Pope · Portland · Presque Isle · Richards-Gebaur · Selfridge · Seymour Johnson · Sioux City · Snelling · Stead · Stewart · Suffolk County · Tinker · Travis · Truax · Tyndall · Vandenburg · Webb · Westover · Willow Run · Wright-Patterson · Wurtsmith · Youngstown
OverseasErnest Harmon · Frobisher Bay · Goose Bay · Keflavik · Pepperrell · Thule · Topsham
Stations CONUSAlmaden · Charleston · Clear · Cross City · Benton · Empire · Mill Valley · Montauk · Mount Hebo · North Truro · Point Arena · Rye · Thomasville · Watertown
OverseasAlbrook
Air
Defense
unitsForcesAir
DivisionsSectorsAlbuquerque · Bangor · Boston · Chicago · Detroit · Duluth · Goose · Grand Forks · Great Falls · Iceland · Kansas City · Los Angeles · Minot · Montgomery · New York · Oklahoma City · Phoenix · Portland · Reno · Sault Sainte Marie · San Francisco · Seattle · Sioux City · Spokane · Stewart · Syracuse · Washington
WingsGroups1st · 4th · 10th · 14th · 15th · 23rd · 32nd · 33rd · 50th · 52nd · 53rd · 54th · 56th · 57th · 73rd · 78th · 79th · 81st · 82nd · 84th · 325th · 326th · 327th · 328th · 329th · 337th · 355th · 408th · 412th · 414th · 473rd · 475th · 476th · 478th · 500th · 501st · 502d · 503d · 507th · 514th · 515th · 516th · 517th · 518th · 519th · 520th · 521st · 525th · 527th · 528th · 529th · 530th · 533d · 534th · 564th · 566th · 567th · 568th · 575th · 678th · 701st · 4676th · 4700th · 4721st · 4722d · 4727th · 4728th · 4729th · 4730th · 4731st · 4732d · 4733d · 4734th · 4735th · 4756th
SquadronsAerospace Defense Command Fighter Squadrons · Aircraft Control and Warning Squadrons
Major
weapon
systemsElectronicFightersMissiles1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5
ShipsGuardian · Interceptor · Interdictor · Interpreter · Investigator · Locator · Lookout · Outpost · Pickett · Protector · Scanner · Searcher · Skywatcher · Tracer · Watchman · Vigil
Miscellaneous Air Defense Command Emblem Gallery (On Wikimedia Commons) · General Surveillance Radar StationsCategories:- SAGE sites
- Radar stations of the United States Air Force
- Aerospace Defense Command
- Closed facilities of the United States Air Force
- Military facilities in Oregon
- Buildings and structures in Coos County, Oregon
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.