Loring Air Force Base

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Loring Air Force Base
Loring International Airport


1970 aerial photograph of Loring Air Force Base
IATA: none – ICAO: ME16
Summary
Airport type Military/Public
Owner Loring Development Authority
Location Limestone, Maine
In use 1953 - 1994
Occupants 42nd Bomb Wing
Elevation AMSL 745 ft / 227 m
Coordinates 46°57′00″N 67°53′00″W / 46.95, -67.883333
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
1/19 12,101 3,688 Asphalt/Concrete
1/19 (Alternate) 13,209 4,026 Asphalt
Source: http://www.airnav.com/airport/ME16

Loring Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located near Limestone, Aroostook County, Maine. It is treated for statistical purposes by the United States Census Bureau as a census-designated place. At the 2000 census, the base had a total population of 225. It was named for Major Charles J. Loring, Jr., USAF, a Medal of Honor recipient during the Korean War.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Beginnings

Original plans for Loring
Original plans for Loring

Loring AFB was carved out of the woods of Maine in 1953. It was named after Charles J. Loring, Jr., who was killed in the Korean War. Along with the nearby Presque Isle Air Force Base, some of its roads were named after states in the Union. It was the closest Air Force base on the east coast to Europe. It was originally built with a capacity of 100 B-36 Peacemaker bombers. It was built to be big and it was.

[edit] 42nd Bomb Wing

The base was under the command of the 42nd Bomb Wing. The wing originally flew the B-36 Peacemaker, upgrading later to the B-52 Stratofortress. The wing also flew the KC-135 Stratotanker.

[edit] Weapons Storage Area

The Nuclear Weapons Storage Area at Loring once operated as a separate, top-secret base. Originally called Caribou Air Force Station, the remote area to the northeast of Loring’s property was the first U.S. site specifically constructed for the storage, assembly, and testing of atomic weapons.[1]

A parallel ribbon of four fences, one of which was electrified, surrounded the heart of the storage area. This area was nicknamed the “Q” area, which denoted the Department of Energy’s "Q" level security clearance required to enter.

In June 1962, the Atomic Energy Commission released its custody and ownership of the weapons to the Air Force. The personnel and property of Caribou Air Force Station were absorbed into that of the adjacent Loring Air Force Base.

On the nights of October 28th and 29th in 1975, there were two sightings of unidentified helicopters breaching the base perimeter in the area of the WSA just north of Loring AFB. One of the helicopters reported landed within the weapons storage area. [2]

[edit] Closure

Loring AFB was first targeted for closure in 1976. The Air Force's primary rationale at that time was the poor condition of Loring AFB's facilities. In 1976, it was estimated that Loring AFB needed up to $300 million in facilities improvements. Between 1976 and 1979, considerable debate took place over the strategic importance of Loring AFB, resulting in a reversal of the Air Force decision to close the base. When the decision to keep Loring AFB open was made in 1979, Congress committed itself to upgrading the base facilities. Since 1981, nearly $300 million in military construction and operations and maintenance funds have been spent to upgrade the facilities.

In 1991, the Secretary of Defense, upon the recommendation of the Secretary of the Air Force, identified six Strategic Air Command bases for closure. Loring Air Force Base was one of the six bases on the closure list.

The official base closure date was September 30, 1994.

[edit] Things Unique to Loring[3]

  • Contained 14,300 acres (58 km²), making it the biggest SAC base in the country
  • 2 runways, only two other SAC bases had two runways
  • The largest capacity for weapon storage and for fuel storage in all of SAC (Its overall capacity ranked second among all 21 SAC bases)
    • Weapons storage capacity was 10,247,882 NEW (Net Explosive Weight) (the highest in all of SAC)
    • 1st in all of SAC in fuel storage capacity (9,193,374 gallons)
  • Ramp space exceeds 1.1 million square yards. (2nd among all SAC bases in total ramp space, 1st in excess ramp space)
  • One of two fully capable conventional weapons storage facilities in CONUS maintained by SAC.
  • A small downhill ski area provided recreation for personnel and their dependents, operating on the base from the early 1960s until the base's closure in 1994.[4]

[edit] Units Based at Loring

[edit] Planes Based at Loring[5]

[edit] Post Base Usage

The 9,472-acre (38.33 km²) base property is now administered by the Loring Development Authority of Maine. The base is now called the Loring Commerce Center and is marketed as an "aviation and industrial complex and business park".

Military Users to the old base include:

Civilian users of the facility include:

  • Loring Job Corps Center
  • U.S. Fish & Wildlife National Wildlife Refuge (administering 4,700 acres (19 km²) of the base property)
  • various call centers, food processing and forestry operations, light manufacturing, and aviation services

The airfield at Loring Commerce Center was used by the popular jam-band Phish, to hold its massive festival concerts, "The Great Went" in 1997, the Lemonwheel in 1998 and "It" in 2003. Estimated attendance was 65,000 and 60,000 concert-goers respectively and Phish was the only band at both events. Fans camped on-site in tents, creating a community of fans that became the largest city in Maine during both events.

[edit] Gallery

Copy of 1970 aerial photograph of Loring Air Force Base. Photograph located at air force base conversion agency, Loring Air Force Base, Maine. Haer me,2-lime.v,1a-11 (Library of Congress photo)

View showing northwest corner of Building 8250 (Arch Hangar), with Building S251 (Aircraft Maintenance and Repair Shops Building addition) in foreground.

Interior view of Building 8250 (Arch Hangar), looking northwest.

Detail of structure over south door of Building 8250 (Arch Hangar).

View of Building 8280 (Double Cantilever Hangar) looking northwest, with Building 8250 (Arch Hangar) in background.

View of Parking Apron looking southwest from South Runway Observation Building toward Building 8280 (Double Cantilever Hangar).

Interior view of Building 8280 (Double Cantilever Hangar) looking northeast. Showing three story concrete shop structures dividing hangar into three work bays.

View of Alternate Runway (Taxiway J) looking northwest from south runway observation building toward Building 8250 (Arch Hangar) and flightline buildings.

View of North-South Runway from north overrun, showing runway obstruction lights in foreground.

Aerial photograph of west side of base.

Aerial photograph of Flightline showing Building 8280 (Double Cantilever Hangar) at left. Photo dated January 18, 1968.

Aerial photograph showing Weapons Storage Area (originally called Caribou Air Force Station), from Master Plan of Caribou AS. Photograph, probably taken in the 1960's.

Northwest Corner of Building 216 (Ammunition Maintenance Shop) in Assembly Area showing shape of Earthen Mound Covering and Retaining Wall.

View of Igloo Fields taken from Guard Tower. View looks southwest and shows Buildings 279-273.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Historic American Engineering Record. Loring Air Force Base, Weapons Storage Area, Northeastern corner of base at northern end of Maine Road, Limestone vicinity, Aroostook County, ME. On file with The Library of Congress.
  2. ^ http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/ufo/assort1.pdf
  3. ^ Loring AFB - 42nd Bomb Wing - B-36, B-52
  4. ^ Loring AFB
  5. ^ 42nd Air Base Wing: History: Aircraft Assigned

[edit] External links

Languages