Fortuna Air Force Station
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| Fortuna Air Force Station | |
|---|---|
| west of Fortuna, North Dakota | |
 Circa 1977 historical photograph |
|
| Type | Air Force station |
| Coordinates | |
| Built | |
| In use | April 1952–July 1979 (main site), April 1952–1984 (GATR) |
| Current owner |
sold to civilians, subsequently forfeited to county auditors |
| Controlled by | United States Air Force |
| Garrison | 780 AC&W Sqdn |
Fortuna Air Force Station (Fortuna AFS) was an 33-acre Aircraft Control and Warning (AC&W) facility at approximately 2285' elevation AMSL, located west of Fortuna and north of Alkabo in north-western North Dakota. It was active from 1952 through 1979 as an AC&W facility, and from 1979 through 1984 as a Long-Range Radar (LRR) facility. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) opened a new minimally-manned radar facility about half-way between Sidney, Montana, and Watford City, North Dakota, (just off of Highway 68) before the Fortuna radars were decommissioned.
Contents |
[edit] History and lineage
- Activated c. April 1952 as Pinetree Line site P-27;
- Redesignated as USAF site Fortuna Air Force Station;
- Reallocated as a BUIC II site;
- Reallocated to SAGE in 1961 as site Z-27;
- Reallocated c. 1969–1 January 1974 as a BUIC III site;
- Main site inactivated on 1 July 1979, GATR facility retained for Long-Range Radar (LRR) network operations;
- GATR site inactivated c. 1984.
[edit] Buildings and facilities
Buildings on the station include:
- Recreational Services
- Gymnasium, tennis courts, horseshoe pits
- Motor Pool
- Headquarters Building
- Library
- Dining Hall
- Medical Aid Station
- Base Housing
- 45 houses
- 3 dormitories
- NCO dorm
- 6 BOQ (Bachelor Officer Quarters) units
- trailer court (20 units)
- Officer's Lounge ("Hilltop Inn")
- NCO Open Mess
- Radar Tower
- Radome
- Dental Clinic
- Base Exchange
- Auto Hobby Shop
- Base Theater
The Ground to Air Transmitter-Receiver (GATR) facility was located off-station at , roughly one mile south of the main station.
[edit] Assigned units
[edit] Current use
The station was bought by private investors that pillaged the site and stripped the site of anything of value and sold it off. After this "salvage", the site was forfeited to Divide County over a valuation dispute, and now sits half-demolished, useless as a facility, and abandoned.
[edit] References
- Winkler, David Frank (1997). Searching the skies : the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program, Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, VA: Headquarters Air Combat Command. LCCN 97-20912.
[edit] External links
