Palermo Air Force Station
| Palermo Air Force Station Air Defense Command (ADC) | |
|---|---|
  Palermo AFS Location of Palermo AFS, New Jersey | |
| Coordinates | 39°13′19″N 074°41′14″W / 39.22194°N 74.68722°W |
| Type | Air Force Station |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |  United States Air Force |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1948 |
| In use | 1948–1970 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 770th Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron (1952–1961) 680th Radar Squadron (1961–1970) |
Palermo Air Force Station (ADC ID: P-54, NORAD ID: Z-54) is a closed United States Air Force (USAF) General Surveillance Radar station. It was located in Palermo, New Jersey, 4.8 miles (7.7 km) north of Sea Isle City, in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It was closed in 1970.
History
In 1948 USAF directed
Prompted by the start of the Korean War, on 11 July 1950, the Secretary of the Air Force asked the Secretary of Defense for approval to expedite construction of additional stations, and it received the Defense Secretary's approval on 21 July, the Air Force directed the Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with construction of Palermo Air Force Station. The 770th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron was activated to control the site.[3]
Because of difficulties with new production radar equipment, Palermo AFS initially received radar equipment from the former Lashup site to expedite operational status. Thus it was designated as site LP-54, 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 1951
During 1958 Palermo AFS joined the
On 1 October 1961, the 770th Radar Squadron and the site designation (RP-54) left for
The 680th was inactivated and the Air Force closed the facility in May 1970.[4] Palermo's GATR (Ground Air Transmitter Receiver) site (R-28) remained active until 1975, becoming a detachment of the 770th Radar Squadron at Fort Meade, Maryland. The housing reportedly was transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard after site closed.
For many years, the site was abandoned and overgrown, with deteriorating buildings and former radar towers dominating the site. Palermo AFS was demolished in 2003 and was redeveloped into the "Osprey Point" single-family housing development, with no evidence of the former military radar station.
Units and Assignments
Units
- Constituted as the 770th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron on 14 November 1950
- Activated on 27 November 1950
- Redesignated as the 770th Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 October 1958
- Moved to Fort Meade, MD on 1 October 1961[3]
- Organized as Detachment 1, New York Air Defense Sector on 1 October 1961
- Discontinued on 1 June 1962
- 680th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron activated at Yaak AFS, MT on 1 March 1951
- Inactivated on 1 June 1960
- Redesignated 680th Radar Squadron (SAGE) and activated at Palermo AFS on 1 June 1962
- Inactivated on 30 May 1970[4]
- Organized as Detachment, 770th Radar Squadron on 30 May 1970
- Discontinued in 1975
Assignments
- 503d Aircraft Control and Warning Group, 27 November 1950[3]
- 26th Air Division, 6 February 1952[3]
- 4710th Defense Wing (later 4710th Air Defense Wing) 16 February 1953[3]
- 4709th Air Defense Wing, 1 March 1956[3]
- 26th Air Division, 18 October 1956[3]
- New York Air Defense Sector, 8 January 1957[3]
- 21st Air Division, 1 April 1966[4]
- 35th Air Division, 1 December 1967[4]
- 33rd Air Division, 1 April 1968[4]
- 20th Air Division, 19 November 1969[4] – 1975
See also
- List of United States Air Force aircraft control and warning squadrons
- United States general surveillance radar stations
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980 (PDF). Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center.
- Winkler, David F.; Webster, Julie L (1997). Searching the skies : the legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program. Champaign, IL: US Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories. ]
- Information for Palermo AFS, NJ
