Patrick Space Force Base

Coordinates: 28°14′06″N 80°36′36″W / 28.23500°N 80.61000°W / 28.23500; -80.61000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Patrick Space Force Base
Near Cocoa Beach, Florida in the United States
HC-130 Hercules of the 920th Rescue Wing based at Patrick SFB
HC-130 Hercules of the 920th Rescue Wing based at Patrick SFB
Patrick SFB is located in Florida
Patrick SFB
Patrick SFB
Patrick SFB is located in the United States
Patrick SFB
Patrick SFB
Patrick SFB is located in North Atlantic
Patrick SFB
Patrick SFB
Coordinates28°14′06″N 80°36′36″W / 28.23500°N 80.61000°W / 28.23500; -80.61000
TypeUS Space Force Base
Site information
OwnerDepartment of Defense
OperatorUnited States Space Force
Controlled bySpace Launch Delta 45
ConditionOperational
Websitewww.patrick.spaceforce.mil Edit this at Wikidata
Site history
Built1940 (1940) (as Naval Air Station Banana River)
In use
  • 1940 – 1947
  • 1948 – present
Garrison information
Current
commander
Maj Gen Stephen G. Purdy, Jr.
Garrison
AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
03/21 2,744.1 metres (9,003 ft) Asphalt/Concrete
11/29 1,219.2 metres (4,000 ft) Asphalt
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Patrick Space Force Base (

USAAC. It is home to Space Launch Delta 45 (SLD 45), known as the 45th Space Wing (45 SW) when it was part of the Air Force. In addition to its "host wing" responsibilities at Patrick SFB, the 45 SW controls and operates Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) and the Eastern Range
. It was originally opened and operated from 1940 to 1947 as Naval Air Station Banana River, a U.S. Navy airfield. It was then deactivated as a naval installation in 1947 and placed in caretaker status until it was transferred to the Air Force in late 1948.

Additional tenant activities at Patrick SFB include the 920th Rescue Wing, the Air Force Technical Applications Center, and the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI). Total employment is 10,400. There are 13,099 military, dependents, civilian employees, and contractors on base.[2]

The base is a

2010 census.[3]

The base also administers the

Malabar Annex
in Palm Bay.

The facility was due to be renamed Patrick Space Force Base in February or March 2020,[4][5] but this was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] The facility was finally renamed by Vice President Mike Pence on 9 December 2020.[7]

History

Naval use in World War II

Authorized by the Naval Expansion Act of 1938, Naval Air Station Banana River was commissioned on 1 October 1940 as a subordinate base of the Naval Air Operational Training Command at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida. The Navy bought 1,900 acres (770 ha) of scrub land south of Cocoa Beach.[8]

PBM-3Cs
of Patrol Squadron 201 (VP-201) at NAS Banana River, late 1942

With the advent of war with Japan and Germany in December 1941, the Navy began anti-submarine patrols along the Florida coast using

POWs from Camp Blanding worked at NAS Banana River on cleanup details. At its peak, the base complement included 278 aircraft, 587 civilian employees, and over 2800 officers and enlisted personnel.[9]

Units

Transition Training Squadron emblem while at Naval Air Station Banana River
VS-1D7 Squadron emblem while at Naval Air Station Banana River

Flight 19 probe

Three months after the end of World War II, on 5 December 1945, NAS Banana River had an ancillary role in the search for

TBM Avenger torpedo bombers that had departed Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale, Florida on a routine over-water training mission. When the flight failed to return to home station, multiple air and naval units undertook a search and rescue operation. After sunset on 5 December, two PBM Mariner seaplanes from NAS Banana River, originally scheduled for their own training flights, were diverted to perform square pattern searches in the area west of 29°N 79°W/29, -79. One of these aircraft, a PBM-5, Bureau Number (BuNo) 59225, took off at 19:27 Eastern Time from NAS Banana River, called in a routine radio message at 19:30 Eastern Time, and was never heard from again.[11]

At 19:50 Eastern Time, the tanker SS Gaines Mills reported seeing a mid-air explosion, then flames leaping 100 feet (30 m) high and burning on the sea for 10 minutes. The position was 28°35′N 80°15′W / 28.59, −80.25. Captain Shonna Stanley of the SS Gaines Mills reported searching for survivors through a pool of oil but found none. The escort carrier

USS Solomons (CVE-67) reported losing radar contact with an aircraft at the same position and time. No wreckage of PBM-5 BuNo 59225 was ever found.[12]

NAS Banana River patch

During a board of inquiry investigation regarding the entire Flight 19 incident, attention was given to the loss of the NAS Banana River-based PBM. Several witnesses from both NAS Banana River and other PBM Mariner operating locations were questioned concerning occurrences of

aviation gasoline (AvGas) fumes collecting in the bilges of PBM series aircraft and associated no-smoking regulations, which were reportedly well-posted and rigidly enforced aboard all PBMs. Although the board's report is not a verbatim record and no accusations were made, there seems to be enough inference present to cause one to suspect that the board was aware of the PBM's nickname as "the flying gas tank." As such, it is possible that the PBM-5 was destroyed by an explosion resulting from either (a) violation of the no-smoking regulations in the aircraft or (b) a stray electrical spark in the lower aircraft hull that may have ignited AvGas fumes in the bilges.[11]

Land pollution

The Navy buried its solid waste southeast of the base, on private land, from 1942 to 1947. The dump was estimated at up to 52 acres (21 ha), of which 25 acres (10 ha) may be eligible for a federal government funding cleanup. Discarded material probably included munitions and practice bombs.[13]

Contractors bought the land, naming it "South Patrick Shores". They constructed housing on it from 1956 to 1961. Homeowners had no mandatory solid waste removal until 1982.[13]

Residents reported health complaints starting in the 1990s and again in 2018. Responding to these complaints, the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers investigated the site to determine whether a cleanup was necessary.[13]

Transition

Aerial view of NAS Banana River in the mid-1940s

NAS Banana River closed in September 1947 after a gradual deactivation and was placed in a caretaker status.[14] In September 1948, the facility was transferred to the U.S. Air Force.[15] Several of NAS Banana River's original structures, including runway segments, particular hangars, support buildings, seaplane parking areas and seaplane ramps into the Banana River remain part of modern-day Patrick Space Force Base.[citation needed]

United States Air Force use

NAS Banana River was transferred to the

Joint Long Range Proving Ground on 10 June 1949.[16] The installation was renamed Patrick Air Force Base in August 1950.[17]

From 1966 to 1975, the Space Coast was the second most visited spot by

VIPs, after Washington, DC, due to the Space Program. A protocol officer was assigned to Patrick to coordinate these visits, about three weekly, consisting of 10 to 150 people.[18]

In 1971, the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI) was established at Patrick AFB.[citation needed]

Five of the victims of the

Moody AFB, Georgia, in 1997.[19]

The 9/11 attacks prompted the Air Force to close the heavily used four-lane State Road A1A, which ran immediately in front of the AFTAC Headquarters building. A1A was later reopened to two-lane traffic with car inspections, followed by two-lane traffic without inspections until a barrier was constructed in front of the building, and the building was reinforced with steel and concrete with the windows sealed.[20]

In February 2005, the Patrick AFB Officers Club was destroyed by an accidental fire.[21]

In 2010, the Air Force announced its intention to replace the existing AFTAC building in front of State Road A1A with a new facility costing $100 to $200 million. At the time of this announcement, this constituted the largest single military construction (MILCON) project in the United States for the Air Force. Completed in 2014, the new facility is a 276,000-square-foot (25,600 m2) multistory command and control building with a 38,000-square-foot (3,500 m2) radiochemistry laboratory, 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m2) central utility plant and a 600-space 180,000-square-foot (17,000 m2) parking garage located approximately .25 miles (0.40 km) west of the original AFTAC headquarters building.[20]

US Navy

VC-137 Presidential aircraft (i.e. Air Force One), which looks similar.[22]

Operational history

On 17 May 1950, the base was renamed the "Long Range Proving Ground Base" but three months later was renamed "Patrick Air Force Base", in honor of Major General Mason Patrick.[23]

On 3 May 1951, the Long Range Proving Ground Division was assigned to the newly created Air Research and Development Command (ARDC). The following month the division was redesignated the Air Force Missile Test Center (AFMTC).[23]

Cost comparison studies in the early 1950s indicated the desirability of letting contractors operate the station. Pan American World Services signed the first range contract on 31 December 1953. The Air Force Missile Test Center began transferring property and equipment to

Pan American World Services at the end of that year. Pan American operated under contract to the Air Force for the next 34 years (until early October 1988). In 1988, the old range contract was divided into the Range Technical Services (RTS) and the Launch Base Services (LBS) contracts. The RTS contract was awarded to Computer Sciences Raytheon (CSR) in June 1988, and the LBS contract was awarded to Pan American World Services (later known as Johnson Controls
) in August 1988.

Air Force Space and Missile Museum
at Cape Canaveral SFS.

The

Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). On 12 November 1991, ESMC was inactivated, and the 45th Space Wing (45 SW) assumed its remaining functions.[25]

Aerospace Defense Command use

In 1961, Patrick AFB began hosting a joint

Gunter AFB
, Alabama.

Aerospace Defense Command (ADC) operated the radar until 25 April 1976, when it was replaced by a detachment of the 20th Air Defense Squadron (OLA-A). The USAF radar was removed around 1988. After its closure by the Air Force, the facility was turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The former ADC site was replaced by a new site near

ARSR-4 radar.[27]

Strategic Air Command use

The

McCoy AFB until that installation's closure in 1975.[28]
Detachment 5 was inactivated at Patrick AFB in 1992.

Major commands assigned

  • Air Proving Ground Command, 1 October 1949
  • Air Research and Development Command, 14 May 1951
Redesignated: Air Force Systems Command, 1 April 1961
  • Air Force Space Command
    , 1 October 1991–present

Major units assigned

HC-130
P of the 920 RQW's 39 RQS.
  • 2770th Standby Squadron, 20 November 1948 – 1 October 1949
  • Joint Long Range Proving Ground, 11 May 1949
Redesignated: Florida Missile Test Range, 30 June 1951
Redesignated: Atlantic Missile Range, 1 July 1958
Redesignated: Air Force Eastern Test Range, 1 July 1964
Redesignated: Eastern Range, 12 November 1991–present
  • Advance HQ, Joint Long Range Proving Ground, 1 October 1949 – 15 August 1950
Redesignated, 4820th Air Base Squadron, 15 August 1950 – 4 September 1951
  • Air Force Eastern Test Range, 1 October 1949 – 1 February 1977
Det. 1 Space and Missile Test Center (SAMTEC), 1 February 1977 – 1 October 1979
Eastern Space & Missile Center (ESMC), 1 October 1979 – 1 November 1991
  • 4800th Guided Missiles Wing
    , 3 December 1950
Redesignated: 6555th Guided Missile Wing, 14 May 1951
Redesignated: 6555th Guided Missile Group, 1 March 1953 – 7 September 1954
  • 2d Mobile Communications Group, 1 October 1975
Redesignated: 2nd Combat Communications Group, 24 March 1976 – 30 June 1990
  • 4802d (later 6555th) Guided Missile Squadron, 10 April 1951 – 15 August 1959
Inactivated and reactivated as: 6555th Guided Missile Group, 15 August 1959
Redesignated: 6555th Test Wing, 21 December 1959
Redesignated: 6555th Aerospace Test Wing, 25 October 1961
Redesignated: 6555th Aerospace Test Group, 1 April 1970 – 1 October 1990
  • 4800th Guided Missiles Wing
    , 3 December 1950
Redesignated: 6555th Guided Missile Wing, 14 May 1951
Redesignated: 6555th Guided Missile Group, 1 March 1953 – 7 September 1954
Inactivated and reactivated as: 6555th Guided Missile Group, 15 August 1959
Redesignated: 6555th Test Wing, 21 December 1959
Redesignated: 6555th Aerospace Test Wing, 25 October 1961
Redesignated: 6555th Aerospace Test Group, 1 April 1970 – 1 October 1990
  • 6550th Air Base Wing, 4 September 1951 – 1 March 1953
Redesignated: 6550th Air Base Group, 1 March 1953 – 1 October 1990
Redesignated: 1040th Space Support Group, 1 October 1990 – 12 November 1991
Redesignated: 45th Support Group, 12 November 1991 – present
  • Air Force Eastern Test Range, 1 October 1949 – 1 February 1977
Det. 1 Space and Missile Test Center (SAMTEC), 1 February 1977 – 1 October 1979
Eastern Space & Missile Center (ESMC), 1 October 1979 – 1 November 1991
  • 6541st Missile Test Wing, 4 September 1951 – 7 September 1954
  • Space Launch Delta 45 (previously 45th Space Wing) on 12 November 1991–present
45th Support Group became subordinate of Wing
Eastern Space & Missile Center became subordinate of Wing
Established as 920th Rescue Group, 15 April 1997
Redesignated 920th Rescue Wing, 1 April 2003

Reference for history summation, major commands assigned and major units assigned[25][29][30]

Role and operations

45th Space Wing

The host wing for Patrick SFB is the

War in Afghanistan (2001-2021) and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[31]

Air Force Technical Applications Center

The Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC) is a tenant command headquartered at Patrick SFB. Previously an activity of the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency (AFISRA), AFTAC became a subordinate unit of Twenty-Fifth Air Force (25 AF) and now the Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber), both of Air Combat Command (ACC). AFTAC is the sole Department of Defense agency operating and maintaining a global network of nuclear event detection sensors.

920th Rescue Wing

The

Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force (AEF) operating concept. Under this concept, the bulk of the wing deployed to Iraq in 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Subsequent AEF deployments have included Djibouti and Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.[35]

US State Department

The

C-27 aircraft at Patrick SFB to help detect and interdict the drug trade in Bolivia, Colombia, Peru
and Afghanistan.

Based units

Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which, although based at Patrick, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.[36][37][38]

See Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for units of the 45th Space Wing permanently based there.

United States Space Force

Infrastructure and facilities

Buildings

The base has the Space Coast Inn for visiting personnel, dormitories for permanent party single enlisted personnel, quarters for families in three separate housing areas, recreational housing on the beach, beach access, combined officers and enlisted clubs,

AAFES base exchange (BX), library and numerous Morale, Welfare and Recreation
(MWR) facilities.

Facilities are used by 4,000 military men and women, 11,500 civilian workers, contractors, and dependents, 43,000 military retirees, and 82,000 members of retirees' families.[39]

There are several chapels, including Chapel One, Chapel Two, South Chapel at the South Housing area, and Seaside Chapel (Building 440). A "45th Space Wing Chapel" travels with the Wing when it is deployed. The Catholic Group is called "St. George Parish" and meets in Chapel One or Two. While the buildings are owned by the Space Force, the Catholic Parish is under the spiritual direction of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.

In 2009, base housing was privatized and, in addition to active duty personnel and their families, also became available for lease by members of the Reserve and Guard, military retirees, Department of Defense civil service employees, and DOD contractors.[40]

In 2010–2012, the 74,000 square feet (6,900 m2) medical clinic underwent a major remodel project. It was estimated to cost $18.5 million.[20]

In 2020, the Satellite Pharmacy and Dental Clinic were remodeled to bring current with today's standard of care under DHA (Defense Health Administration), and the construction of a new 74,000 square feet (6,900 m2) medical clinic was started. It was expected to cost $18.5 million.[20]

Access

Patrick Space Force Base lies on a barrier island. It is primarily accessed from the mainland by the Pineda Causeway (State Road 404) in Satellite Beach, or State Road A1A which runs the entire length of Patrick SFB.

Water

The base obtains potable water from the city of Cocoa. A single potable water line from Cocoa runs under the Sykes Creek Bridge at Sea Ray Drive.[41][42]

Media

The Missileer was published by the base weekly until 28 September 2012. It was discontinued due to defense budget cutbacks due to

sequestration. A local paper, Florida Today, publishes The Shark Pride weekly as a replacement for the former publication.[43]

Amateur radio restrictions

The US Code of Federal Regulations specifies that amateur radio operators within 322 kilometers of Patrick must not transmit with more than 50 watts of power on the 70-centimeter band.[44]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Airport Diagram – Patrick AFB (KCOF)" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  2. ^ Moody, R. Norman (13 February 2010). "New Commander takes the flag". Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today. pp. 1A.
  3. ^ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Patrick AFB CDP, Florida". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  4. ^ "Patrick Air Force Base, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to be Renamed Patrick Space Force Base, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station |". spacecoastdaily.com. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Patrick AFB in Florida will be first facility renamed under Space Force". UPI. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  6. ^ Dunn, Marcia (26 March 2020). "Space Force launches its first mission with virus precautions". CTV News. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  7. ^ Vice President "Mikey" Pence announces official name change of Patrick Space Force Base
  8. ^ Brotemarkle, Ben (17 May 2016). "WWII Roots". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. pp. 1A, 5A – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 December 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^ Melissa Williford Euziere. From Mosquito Clouds to War Clouds: The Rise of Naval Air Station Banana River (master's thesis Florida State University, 10 November 2003), p. v. An electronic copy of this thesis is available for download at Florida State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations website Archived 21 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ a b Flight 19 Archived 14 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine. History.navy.mil. Retrieved on 18 September 2013.
  12. ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Martin PBM-5 Mariner 59225 Cape Canaveral, FL, USA". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  13. ^ a b c Waymer, Jim (28 March 2020). "News". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. pp. 1A, 8A. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  14. ^ Melissa Williford Euziere. From Mosquito Clouds to War Clouds: The Rise of Naval Air Station Banana River (master's thesis Florida State University, 10 November 2003), p. v. An electronic copy of this thesis is available for download at Florida State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations website Archived 21 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  15. ^ [1] Archived 15 March 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ Cliff Lethbridge. "Chapter 2: The Missile Range Takes Shape (1949–1958)", The History of Cape Canaveral, Spaceline, Inc. website, 2000. Retrieved on 16 November 2007.
  17. ^ Eriksen, John M. Brevard County, Florida : A Short History to 1955. Chapter 13 refers to an article in Cocoa Tribune, page 3 of 3 Aug 1950: "LRPG Air Base Renamed Patrick AFB."
  18. ^ England, Annie (4 May 2015). "Social director greeted dignitaries from all over the world". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. pp. 1A. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  19. ^ "None". Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  20. ^ a b c d Moody, R. Norman (15 October 2010). "Major construction planned at Patrick". Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today. pp. 1A.
  21. ^ "PAFB Officers Club Destroyed by fire". forums.firehouse.com. February 2005. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
  22. ^ Moody, R. Norman (8 February 2011). "President's plane was not Air Force One". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. pp. 2B.
  23. ^ a b Lethbridge, Keith. "THE MISSILE RANGE TAKES SHAPE (1949–1958)". Retrieved 24 February 2008.
  24. ^ "OCRegister blog: Travels with Gary - post: Ooooooh Master! A night in Jeannie's Dream Town". Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2007.
  25. ^ a b "Fact Sheets : EVOLUTION OF THE 45TH SPACE WING". Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2008.
  26. ^ Cornett & Johnson, p. 156
  27. ^ Winkler, David F. (1997), Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for the United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command.
  28. ^ "9th RECONNAISSANCE WING" (PDF). 13 November 2010.
  29. ^ Moody, R. Norman (12 May 2007). After days of delay, airmen return from deployments. Florida Today.
  30. ^ "45th Space Wing > Home". www.patrick.af.mil. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  31. ^ Factsheets : 920th Rescue Wing Archived 17 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine. 920rqw.afrc.af.mil. Retrieved on 18 September 2013.
  32. ^ "Air Force Reserve". www.afreserve.com. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  33. ^ Moody, R. Norman (12 May 2007). "After days of delay, airmen return from deployments". Florida Today.
  34. ^ "Aircraft and Squadrons of the US Air Force". United States Air Force Air Power Review 2018. Key Publishing: 83 and 93. 2018.
  35. ^ "Mission Partners". Patrick AFB. US Air Force. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  36. ^ "Fact Sheets". Patrick AFB. US Air Force. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  37. ^ Saggio, Jessica (21 January 2018). "10 things you probably don't know about the Space Coast". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. pp. 3A, 4A.
  38. ^ Calkins, Chris (29 January 2009). "Base housing policy changes Feb. 2". 45th SW Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2009.
  39. ^ "Irma leaves Sykes Creek Bridge in limbo". floridatoday.com.
  40. ^ Harris, Michael Williams, David. "Brevard barrier island at risk of losing water source after Hurricane Irma". orlandosentinel.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  41. ^ "Missileer". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  42. ^ "47 CFR §2.106 - Footnote US270". Retrieved 26 April 2023.

Other sources

External links