Radio Barrigada
Radio Barrigada, formally Communications Site Barrigada and previously Communications Annex Barrigada,[1] refers to two adjacent U.S. military transmitter facilities located in the villages of Barrigada and Mangilao on the western Pacific territory of Guam. The larger facility is Naval Computer and Telecommunications Site (NCTS) Barrigada, operated by Naval Base Guam,[2] located entirely within Barrigada.
To its south, the Barrigada Transmitter Site, operated by
History
It is assumed that the area was inhabited before Spanish contact, as many
During the Japanese occupation of Guam (1941-1945), local residents were forced to labor building the Japanese airfield at Tiyan, which later became Naval Air Station Agana and Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport. After U.S. forces secured the southern island in the Battle of Guam in July 1944, remaining Japanese forces decided to make a stand at Mount Barrigada to delay the U.S. victory as much as possible. The resulting Battle of Barrigada on August 2 and 3 was the fiercest fighting of the latter part of the battle.[3]
After the U.S. victory, the military decided that the location would be used for military facilities, and a military golf course. The Barrigada village center was relocated farther west, where the Navy laid out new streets and plots.[3] The new facilities included Naval Radio Station (Transmitter) (NAVRADSTA (T)) Barrigada.[4] From 1945 to 1946, the Navy operated a shortwave radio communications station NU5Q at Barrigada. More than 200 correspondents accredited to the headquarters of Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet/Pacific Ocean Areas in Nimitz Hill Annex were allowed to file stories through NU5Q.[5]
During the first six weeks of the
As of 2012, 15 acres (0.061 km2) of Radio Barrigada is leased to the Guam Army National Guard for training.[1] The two facilities share boundaries through the Navy's Admiral Nimitz Golf Course. There is no direct road directly connecting the two. NCTS Barrigada is accessed via Guam Highway 16 in Barrigada. The Air Force's Barrigada Transmitter Site is accessed to the south via Guam Highway 15 in Mangilao.
Radio Barrigada is under construction through at least the year 2025, including the installation of new antennas at Building 51[7] and new ground radio equipment for military command and control.[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (Final) (PDF). Joint Region Marianas. September 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ "Barrigada". Joint Region Marianas. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ a b c Clement, Michael R. Jr. (January 10, 2021). "Barrigada (Barigåda)". Guampedia. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ "NAVRADSTA (T) Barrigada Guam". navy-radio.com. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ "US Navy Radio NU5Q Guam". navy-radio.com. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ "US Navy Radio NU5Q Guam". navy-radio.com. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ "Contracts for March 30, 2023". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
- ^ "Contracts for August 29, 2022". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 2023-04-14.