Saint Anthony Air Station
| Saint Anthony Air Station | |
|---|---|
| Part of Pinetree Line | |
| Newfoundland, Canada | |
|
Emblem of the 921st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron | |
| Coordinates | 51°20′57″N 055°36′39″W / 51.34917°N 55.61083°W |
| Type | Radar Station |
| Code | N-26 |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |
Northeast Air Command Aerospace Defense Command |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1953 |
| Built by | United States Air Force |
| In use | 1953-1968 |
Saint Anthony Air Station (ADC ID: N-26) is a closed General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 292.5 miles (470.7 km) north-northwest of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.[1] It was closed in 1968.
History
The site was established in 1953 as a General Surveillance Radar station, funded by the United States Air Force, one of the many that would make up the Pinetree Line of Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) radar sites.
It was used initially by the Northeast Air Command 921st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, which was activated. It was equipped with the following radars:
As a GCI base, the 921st's role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit's radar scopes. These interceptors were assigned to the 64th Air Division at Goose AFB, Labrador.
The station was reassigned to the USAF Air Defense Command on 1 April 1957, and was given designation "N-26". In 1963, the site was connected to the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Direction Center (DC-31) at Goose AFB.[2]
In addition to the main facility, Saint Anthony operated an AN/FPS-14 manned Gap Filler site:
- La Scie Air Station (N-26B): 49°58′50″N 055°31′48″W / 49.98056°N 55.53000°W (Det 2 921st AC&W)
N-26B was built in 1957 about 95 miles south of the main station and was closed in 1961. The town of La Scie, located about 3 miles to the southwest provided living facilities to Detachment 2.
The 921st AC&WS squadron was inactivated on 18 June 1968, and Saint Anthony AS was closed on 30 June. Today the site remains intact, probably due to its isolated location. It apparently has been unused and abandoned since its closure, some have been reduced to concrete foundations only.
USAF units and assignments
Units:
- 921st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, Activated at Grenier AFB, New Hampshire, 26 May 1953
- Transferred to Saint Anthony Air Station, Northeast Air Command, 1 October 1953
- Reassigned to Air Defense Command, 1 April 1957
- Discontinued 18 June 1968
Assignments:
- 64th Air Division (NEAC), 1 October 1953
- 4731st Air Defense Group, 1 April 1957
- Goose Air Defense Sector, 6 June 1960
- 37th Air Division, 1 April 1966 – 18 June 1968
See also
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
- 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.
