| Watertown Air Force Station | |
|---|---|
| Part of Air Defense Command (ADC) | |
| Town of Watertown, New York | |
Main entrance gate and guard shack, 1975 |
|
| Type | Long Range Radar Site |
| Built | 1950s |
| Built by | U.S. Air Force |
| In use | 1952-1979 |
| Controlled by | United States Air Force |
| Garrison | Watertown, New York |
| Occupants | 655th Radar Squadron |
Watertown Air Force Station (ADC ID: P-49 NORAD ID: Z-49) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south of Watertown, New York. It was closed in 1979.
It was a part of the 21st RCC (NORAD Regional Control Center) a SAGE network, located at Hancock AFB, Syracuse, New York. The station was not connected or affiliated with Fort Drum, which was located on the opposite side of Watertown. After its closure, it was redeveloped into a jail for New York State.
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Watertown Air Force Station was one of the first of twenty-four Air Defense Command radar stations of the permanent network established during the early years of the Cold War. On 2 December 1948, the Air Force directed the Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with construction of this and the other twenty-three sites. These sites were activated over a period covering late 1951.
The initial radar station was established at Pine Camp, NY (Site L-6) in June 1950 when the 655th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron using an AN/TPS-10A radar. When Watertown AFS became usable after construction in June 1952, the squadron moved to the permanent facility. At Watertown, the 655th AC&W started operating AN/FPS-3 and AN/FPS-5 radars, 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.
In 1958 this site was operating with AN/FPS-20 search radar and AN/FPS-6 height-finder radar sets. During 1959 Watertown AFS joined the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, initially feeding data to DC-03 at Syracuse AFS, New York. After joining, the squadron was re-designated as the 655th Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 February 1959. The radar squadron provided information 24/7 the SAGE Direction Center where it was analyzed to determine range, direction altitude speed and whether or not aircraft were friendly or hostile.
A second AN/FPS-6 height-finder radar was added during 1959. In 1961 the search radar was upgraded and redesignated as an AN/FPS-66. One height-finder radar was replaced by an AN/FPS-26A frequency-diverse radar in 1963. In 1964 the AN/FPS-66 was replaced by an AN/FPS-27 frequency-diverse radar. The other AN/FPS-6 height-finder radar was retired also in 1964.
In addition to the main facility, Watertown operated two unmanned AN/FPS-14 (P-49A) and AN/FPS-18 (P-49B) Gap Filler sites
Over the years, the equipment at the station was upgraded or modified to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the information gathered by the radars. Watertown came under Tactical Air Command jurisdiction on 1 September 1979 with the inactivation of Aerospace Defense Command and the formation of ADTAC. The 655th Radar Squadron (SAGE) was deactivated 1 November 1979. The GATR site (R-49) was retained until the FAA Joint Surveillance System (JSS) switchover in late 1983 / early 1984.
In 1980, the main station was turned into a jail for the state of New York. The jail opened around 1983.
Units:
Assignments:
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.