Watertown Air Force Station
| Watertown Air Force Station | |
|---|---|
| Part of 1951-1968: Air Defense, Tactical Air Command | |
| Watertown, New York | |
 2 radomes and the main gate with guard shack (1975) | |
  Watertown Air Force Station | |
| Coordinates | 43°55′31″N 075°54′33″W / 43.92528°N 75.90917°W |
| Type | Long Range Radar Site |
| Code | RP-49: 1950 ADC permanent network[2][3] Z-49: 1963 July 31 NORAD network |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |  United States Air Force |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1952 |
| Built by | U.S. Air Force |
| In use | 1952-1979 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | Watertown, New York |
| Occupants | 655th Radar Squadron |
Watertown Air Force Station is a closed
ADCOM General Surveillance Radar station 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south of Watertown, New York. Prior to the Air Defense squadron inactivating on 1 November 1979, the station was reassigned to Tactical Air Command which maintained the Ground Air Transmitter Receiver until early 1984 (now a firefighter training site).[4]
A New York State jail opened at the site c. 1983.
It was a part of the 21st RCC (
SAGE network, located at Stewart AFB.[3]
History
Lashup Radar Network site L-6 was established in June 1950AN/FPS-20 search radar and General Electric AN/FPS-6 Radar for height-finding.
During 1959 Watertown AFS began providing
Avco AN/FPS-26 Radar in 1963. In 1964 the AN/FPS-66 was replaced by a Westinghouse AN/FPS-27 Radar. The other AN/FPS-6 height-finder radar was retired in 1964.[7][verification needed
]
In addition to the main facility, the Watertown squadron operated two unmanned
AN/FPS-18
(P-49B) Gap Filler sites:
- Suttons Corner, NY (P-49A) 43°21′17″N 076°17′09″W / 43.35472°N 76.28583°W
- Oswegatchie, NY (P-49B) 44°10′01″N 075°07′08″W / 44.16694°N 75.11889°W
Air Force units and assignments
Units:
- 655th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, activated 8 December 1949 at Pine Camp, NY (L-6)
- Moved to Watertown AFS, NY, 1 February 1951
- Redesignated 655th Radar Squadron (SAGE), 1 February 1959
- Redesignated 655th Radar Squadron, 1 February 1974
- Inactivated 1 November 1979
Assignments:
- 540th Aircraft Control and Warning Group (32d Air Division), 18 Dec 1949
- 32d Air Division, 6 February 1952
- 4711th Air Defense Wing, 16 February 1953
- 32d Air Division, 1 March 1956
- Syracuse Air Defense Sector, 1 September 1958
- Boston Air Defense Sector, 4 September 1963
- 35th Air Division, 1 April 1966
- 21st Air Division, 19 November 1969 - 31 December 1979
References
- McChord AFBfrom June 1, 1950, to April 1, 1960.)
- ^ "Google".
- McChord AFBfrom June 1, 1950, to April 1, 1960.)
- ^ a b c Winkler, David F; Webster, Julie L (June 1997). Searching the Skies: The Legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program (Report). U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-26.[verification needed]
- ^ "Information for Watertown AFS, NY". Air Defense Radar Stations. Radomes.org. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
- ^ [specify]
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ compiled by EM, Marc. "[untitled webpage 5]". A History of the Jefferson County Region. MarcMNY.tripod.com. p. 5. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
- Peterson Air Force Base: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. p. 33 ("1961…1 April - Los Angeles ADS became operational."). Retrieved 2012-03-26.
External links
- [dead link]https://web.archive.org/web/20091023220116/http://geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/3548/facility/watertown.html
