| Charleston Air Force Station | |
|---|---|
| Part of Aerospace Defense Command | |
| Charleston, Maine | |
Overview of the Station |
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| Type | Long Range Radar Site |
| Location code | ADC ID: P-65 NORAD ID: Z-65 |
| Built | 1950-1951 |
| Built by | U.S. Air Force |
| In use | 1952-1980 |
| Controlled by | United States Air Force |
| Garrison | Charleston, Maine |
| Occupants | 765th Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron |
Charleston Air Force Station is a defunct Air Force Station that operated from the 1952 until 1980. It was located in Charleston, Maine. It is the site of a radar station and other buildings. It was redeveloped into the a jail for the state of Maine.
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In late 1950, construction began on Charleston Air Force Station. Known as Bull Hill for its location in the town, the station was one of twenty-eight stations built as part of the second segment of the permanent Air Defense Command national radar network. Prompted by the start of the Korean War, on July 11, 1950, the Secretary of the Air Force asked the Secretary of Defense for approval to expedite construction of the second segment of the permanent network. Receiving the Defense Secretary’s approval on July 21, the Air Force directed the Corps of Engineers to proceed with construction.
Completed in early 1951, and fully manned and operational when the 765th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron brought Charleston AFS to life in April 1952 and assumed coverage that had been provided by a temporary Lashup radar site at Dow AFB (L-l). The site initially had AN/FPS-3 and AN/FPS-5 radars, and initially the station functioned as an aircraft control and warning station.
In 1957 an AN/FPS-6 replaced the AN/FPS-5 height-finder radar. Another height-finder radar came in 1958 along with an AN/FPS-20 search radar that replaced the AN/FPS-3. During 1959 Charleston AFS joined the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, feeding data to DC-05 at Topsham AFS, Maine. After joining, the squadron was re-designated as the 765th Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 October 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.
In 1963 the site became the first in the nation to receive an AN/FPS-27 radar and on 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-65. This radar subsequently was upgraded to become an AN/FPS-27A. The AN/FPS-26A was then converted into an AN/FSS-7 submarine-launched ballistic missile radar in 1966 for Detachment 6, 14th Missile Warning Squadron to monitor for Ballistic Missile launches by submarines.
In addition to the main facility, Charleston operated two unmanned Gap Filler sites:
Topsfield was equipped with an AN/FPS-18; Control of Sedgwick was transferred to Charleston AFS after Brunswick AFS (Z-13) closed in 1965 and was equipped with the AN/FPS-14.
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. Because it also served the Backup Interceptor Control (BUIC) mission, from 1970 to 1974 the 765th Radar Squadron was replaced by a like-numbered group. The 765th Radar Squadron was inactivated on 29 June 1979 as part of a general draw down of air defense forces by Aerospace Defense Command and the transfer of the mission to Tactical Air Command. The 14th MWS detachment was inactivated a year later.
After the base closed, the radar site was abandoned, with several radar towers still standing. The station area was transformed into the Charleston Correctional Facility, which opened in 1980. The family-housing area has been entirely demolished.
765th Squadron
765th Group
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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