Fire Island Air Force Station

Fire Island Air Force Station
Part of Alaskan Air Command (AAC)

1962 photo
Fire Island AFS
Location of Fire Island AFS, Alaska
Coordinates 61°08′28″N 150°13′05″W / 61.14111°N 150.21806°W / 61.14111; -150.21806 (Fire Island AFS F-01)
Type Air Force Station
Site information
Controlled by  United States Air Force
Site history
Built 1951
In use 1951-1969
Garrison information
Garrison 626th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron

Fire Island Air Force Station (AAC ID: F-01) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 11.9 miles (19.2 km) west-southwest of Anchorage, Alaska, on Fire Island. It was closed in 1969.

History

Fire Island AFS was a continental defence radar station constructed to provide the United States Air Force early warning of an attack by the Soviet Union on Alaska. Contracts were awarded during the spring of 1950, and work was started shortly afterwards on construction.

During World War II, the three by six mile Fire Island was accessible only by water, and served as a lookout site for United States Army Artillery units for sighting submarines. The station was located 2 miles west of the Anchorage International Airport, in Cook Inlet. All but the northwest corner of Fire Island was reserved. Improvements constructed by the Air Force included 33 buildings and structures utilized for operations, administration, maintenance, communications, a multi-purpose dormitory, radome towers, utilities, and an airstrip, which provided a means of getting personnel and supplies to the island by air.

The station was opened in September 1951, and the 626th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was activated, 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. Radars operated were AN/CPS-6B, AN/FPS-8, AN/CPS-4, AN/FPS-20A, and AN/FPS-6B.

Fire Island AFS also operated as a Manual Control Center (MCC) site. With the creation of NORAD in 1957, Fire Island AFS became one of four NORAD Control Centers in Alaska. Its mission was to feed air defense data to the Alaskan NORAD Region Control Center (ROCC) at Elmendorf AFB where it was analyzed to determine range, direction, altitude, speed, and whether aircraft were friendly or hostile.

The USAF shared its radars with the United States Army Air-Defense Command Post (AADCP) for Nike missile-defense system (Anchorage Defense Area).

During the 1964 Alaska earthquake, the geography of the island was altered and the airfield on the island was lowered enough to put it under water during high tides, rendering it unusable. Major transportation to and from the station and resupply of perishable items had to be made by helicopter from Elmendorf AFB.

In 1969, the Joint Chiefs of Staff directed a reduction in air defense forces. As a result, the Fire Island NORAD control center was deactivated on 30 September 1969. The Army Air-Defense Command Post was moved to King Salmon AFS (F-03).

The station was transferred to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after site closure. FAA terminated its use when the Long Range Radar (LRR) station at Kenai (A-14) became operational as a joint-use site in 1980.

In 1998 Pacific Air Forces initiated "Operation Clean Sweep", in which abandoned Cold War stations in Alaska were remediated and the land restored to its previous state. After years of neglect the facilities at the station had lost any value they had when the site was closed. The site remediation was carried out by the 611th Civil Engineering Squadron at Elmendorf AFB, and remediation work was completed by 2005. Today, very little remains of the former Fire Island Air Force Station.

Air Force units and assignments

Emblem of the 626th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron

Units:

Inactivated 15 October 1969

Assignments:

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

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