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I was lucky on a couple of accounts concerning this property. 1. It's like a 15-minute drive away from me and 2. I had full access to the property for over a year and a half before it was sold off to a private individual. Maybe one of these days, I'll return... 1. This building has since been demolished
2. This building has since been demolished
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Interesting history; in this case using the site's proper name is probably irrelevant. Guess the radar tower is long gone? Gen room gone... the 60's or 70's been the time to see this piece of cold war history. What is #41, a cistern? Thanks for sharing, I like old mil sites
Just when I thought I was out... they pulled me back in. |
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Posted by blackhawk Interesting history; in this case using the site's proper name is probably irrelevant. Guess the radar tower is long gone? Gen room gone... the 60's or 70's been the time to see this piece of cold war history. What is #41, a cistern? Thanks for sharing, I like old mil sites
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Yeah, both radome towers were ripped out sometime in the 1990s and the only thing left up there are a couple of UHF repeaters. Yes, #41 is a concrete cistern, approximately 12 feet high and 38 feet in diameter. It also makes me wonder a little bit since there are (what looks like) 4 pump houses littered across the property. Was it just used as a contingency to operate independently in case of crisis or were they pumping it to help keep something cool...
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Cool place! Was it part of the Pine Tree Line defense network? It looks similar to another Air Force radar base I visited a couple years ago that was part of the Pine Tree Line.
"Sorry, I didn't know I'm not supposed to be here," he said, knowing full well he wasn't supposed to be there. |
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Posted by Aran Cool place! Was it part of the Pine Tree Line defense network? It looks similar to another Air Force radar base I visited a couple years ago that was part of the Pine Tree Line.
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Not too sure about that...it's possible. This is what I've found, which isn't much. "The 662nd AC&W Squadron began operating AN/FPS-3 and AN/FPS-5 radars from this site in April 1952. This operation allowed Lashup site L-18 at Ravenna, OH, to shut down. In 1957 the AN/FPS-5 height-finder radar was replaced with an AN/FPS-4, and then the AN/FPS-4 was replaced with an AN/FPS-6 in 1958. The P-62 site designation and the 662nd Radar Squadron were transferred to Oakdale, Pennsylvania, when radar operations ceased at Brookfield AFS on 1 Nov 1959. This site at Brookfield became a gap-filler radar site (RP-62E). The Brookfield site operated as a gap-filler annex from Feb 1964 until June 1968. The GATR site (R-12) at Brookfield also remained in operation until 1973."
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Posted by Laythrom Media
Yes, #41 is a concrete cistern, approximately 12 feet high and 38 feet in diameter. It also makes me wonder a little bit since there are (what looks like) 4 pump houses littered across the property. Was it just used as a contingency to operate independently in case of crisis or were they pumping it to help keep something cool...
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Interesting theory. Think most of the equipment was air cooled or had smaller sealed liquid systems however not 100% sure that was the only approach especially on the primary cooling side. The Nike Missile Masters used massive AC units and blowers to provide cool dry air to cool the computer room and the blue room circa 1955 or so. It's an interesting find. Water could have been used for cooling on the equipment AC condenser or intercooler. Probably part of the regular infrastructure as they base housed a fair number of people.
Just when I thought I was out... they pulled me back in. |
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Nice!
RIP Blackhawk |
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Great photos and a cool looking place to explore. I love Cold War era stuff. I remember being stationed on a foreign base where I guarded nuclear warheads for Nike Hercules missiles. Yeah, go ahead and say "OK Boomer."
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More about the v8ase history, units and it's radars: https://en.m.wikip..._Air_Force_Station Been fun to see soon after it's closure. The early 90's was getting to be late in the game to see many of these cold war sites. Many were in ruins by then, some fairly intact due to 3rd party non-military tenants. A few remain almost untouched as museums or abandoned/repurposed on active military bases.
Just when I thought I was out... they pulled me back in. |