View source for Calumet Air Force Station

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'''{{PAGENAME}}''' (1951-1988) - A [[Cold War]] Air Force Radar Station first established in 1950 as [[Keweenaw Radar Site]] near Calumet in Keweenaw County, Michigan. Renamed Calumet Air Force Station on 1 Dec 1953 after the nearby town. Initially assigned a Permanent ID of P-16, later a Sage ID of Z-16 and a JSS ID of J-59. Abandoned as a radar station by the Air Force in 1988.
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== History ==
Established in 1950 and became operational 1 May 1951 as [[Keweenaw Radar Site]] manned by the 665th AC&W Squadron. The station initially had both a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and early warning mission. The early warning mission involved tracking and identifying all aircraft entering their airspace while the GCI mission involved guiding Air Force interceptors to any identified enemy aircraft. Controllers at the station vectored fighter aircraft at the correct course and speed to intercept enemy aircraft using voice commands via ground-to-air radio.

Initial equipment included the [[FPS-5]] and [[FPS-3]] search radar. The FPS-3 was upgraded to an [[FPS-20]]. On 1 Dec 1953, the site was renamed Calumet Air Force Station. (Note: Local history indicates that the name was changed on 23 Apr 1954, and that may be the date that the Squadron was notified.)
== [[SAGE System]] Transition ==
{{SageTransition}}
== [[SAGE System]] Operation ==
{| class="wikitable" width="100%" align="center"
|+ Calumet SAGE Direction Centers & Sectors
|-
! Assigned
! Direction Center
! Sector
|-
| 1 Apr 1960 - 1 Oct 1963 || [[K.I. Sawyer SAGE Direction Center DC-14]] || Sault Ste Marie Air Defense Sector
|-
| 1 Oct 1963 - 1 Apr 1966 || [[Duluth SAGE Direction Center DC-10]] || Duluth Air Defense Sector
|-
| 1 Apr 1966 - 19 Nov 1969 || [[Duluth SAGE Direction Center DC-10]] || 29th Air Divison
|-
| 19 Nov 1969 - 1 Oct 1979 || [[Duluth SAGE Direction Center DC-10]] || 23rd Air Division
|-
| 1 Oct 1979 - 13 Jul 1981 || [[Duluth SAGE Direction Center DC-10]] || 23rd Air Division (TAC)
|-
| 13 Jul 1981 - 23 Sep 1983 || [[Hancock SAGE Direction Center DC-03]] || 21st Air Division (TAC)
|-
| 23 Sep 1983 - 30 Sep 1988 || [[Griffiss JSS ROCC]] || 24th Air Division (TAC)
|}

The site began operation as a SAGE site in April 1960 initially feeding the [[K.I. Sawyer SAGE Direction Center DC-14]]. On 15 Jul 1960, the squadron designation was changed from the 665th AC&W Squadron to 665th Radar Squadron (SAGE) indicating the new [[SAGE System]] role.

The search radar was upgraded to an [[FPS-64]] in 1961. By 1963 the site had an [[FPS-27]] search radar, an [[FPS-26|FPS-26A]] height finder and an [[FPS-90]] height finder. 

With the closure of [[K.I. Sawyer SAGE Direction Center DC-14]] in 1963, Calumet came under the control of the [[Duluth SAGE Direction Center DC-10]] in October 1963. On 1 Oct 1979, the air defense assets of the Air Defense Command (ADC) were transferred to the Tactical Air Command (TAC) and a period of reorganization and consolidation began. On 13 Jul 1981, Calumet AFS came under the control of the [[Hancock SAGE Direction Center DC-03]] until that direction center closed in September 1983 when the [[SAGE System]] was deactivated. On 23 Sep 1983, Calumet AFS came under the operational control of the new [[Griffiss JSS ROCC]] facility at [[Griffiss Air Force Base]], New York. The site remained under the control of the [[Griffiss JSS ROCC]] until the site closed in 1988.

== Gap Filler Radars ==
Calumet AFS was responsible for the maintenance of two remote unattended gap filler radar sites.{{GapFillerCommon}} The Calumet AFS gap filler radars were located at Painesdale, MI, and Upson, WI.
{{CalumetAFSGFS}}

== [[BUIC System]] ==
Calumet AFS became a BUIC I NORAD Control Center site in 1962 and went operational as a BUIC II site in 1965. It was selected as a BUIC III site and in 1970 the 665th Radar Squadron (SAGE) became the 665th Air Defense Group (BUIC). The BUIC III system provided a backup for a SAGE direction center and provided the ability to display sector-wide radar data on consoles for local weapons controllers. The system duplicated the functionality of the vacuum tube direction center computers with more up-to-date computers and replaced the [[FST-2]] with a more up-to-date coordinate data transmitter, the [[FYQ-47]]. 

== Deactivation ==
As the threat from a Soviet bomber fleet lessened the decision came to mothball the BUIC system in 1974. Calumet became a surveillance radar site again still feeding data to the SAGE System. In 1979 the Air Defense Command (ADC) was deactivated with the Tactical Air Command (TAC) assuming air defense responsibilities. TAC began the process of deactivating Calumet AFS. Height finder operations ceased on 1 Oct 1979 and search operations ceased on 18 Oct 1983. 

== Reactivation ==
For some reason, the closure decision was reversed and a mobile MPS-11 search radar operated at the site between 1 Dec 1983 and 1 Oct 1984. New fixed search [[FPS-91|FPS-91A]] and [[FPS-116]] height-finder radars were commissioned on 5 Apr 1985. 

== Closure ==
Calumet AFS and the 665th were finally deactivated on 30 Sep 1988. The local newspaper indicated that the last AFS personnel turned in their keys on the evening of 1 Dec 1988 and that only a maintenance crew of seven remained.

== Physical Plant ==
[[File:Calumet AFS Plan Map.png|thumb|center|800px|Calumet Air Force Station Composite Plan.]]
The physical plant of the site was divided into the main site, a cantonment area, three housing areas and a radio site. The main site housed the operations buildings, the radar towers, and the backup generators. The cantonment area housed the enlisted barracks, the bachelor officer's quarters, the orderly room, the dining hall, the motor pool and other support buildings. Apart from the main site were three small housing areas for married personnel totaling 45 units. 

A separate radio site housed the radio equipment for directing aircraft intercepts. {{GATRSite|AFS=Calumet}}

{{CalumetAFSStructures}}
----
{| width="800px"
|-
| valign="top" width="60%" |
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Calumet AFS Major Equipment List
|-
!Search Radar
!HF Radar
!Data Systems
!Comm
!IFF/SIF
|-
| valign="top" |
* [[FPS-5]]
* [[FPS-3]]
* [[FPS-20]]
* [[FPS-64]]
* [[FPS-27]]
* [[MPS-11]]
* [[FPS-91|FPS-91A]]
* [[FPS-18]] GF
| valign="top" |
* [[FPS-6]]
* [[FPS-6|FPS-6A]]
* [[FPS-90]]
* [[FPS-26|FPS-26A]]
* [[FPS-116]]
| valign="top" |
* [[FST-1]]GF
* [[FST-2|FST-2/A/B]]
* [[FYQ-47]]
* [[GSA-51]]
| valign="top" |
* [[GRT-22]]
* [[GRR-24]]
* [[GRR-23]]
* [[GRT-21]]
* [[GRC-171]]
| valign="top" |
* [[UPX-14]]
* [[UPX-21]]
|}
| valign="top" width="40%" |
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Unit Designations
|-
|
* 665th Aircraft Control & Warning (AC&W) Squadron (1951-1960)
* 665th Radar Squadron (SAGE) (1960-1970)
* 665th Air Defense Group (1970-1974)
* 665th Radar Squadron (1974-1979)
* 665th Radar Squadron (TAC) (1979-1988)
|}
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ 665th Assignments
|-
|
* 1 Jan 1951 - Established as the '''665th Aircraft Control & Warning (AC&W) Squadron''' at Keweenaw, MI
* 1 Jan 1951 - 6 Feb 1952  Assigned to 541st AC&W Group
* 6 Feb 1952 - 16 Feb 1953  Assigned to 30th AD
* 16 Feb 1953 - 8 Jul 1956  Assigned to 4706th Defense Wing
* 1 Dec 1953 - Site renamed Calumet Air Force Station
* 8 Jul 1956 - 1 Apr 1960  Assigned to 30th AD
* 1 Apr 1960 - 1 Oct 1963  Assigned to Sault Ste Marie ADS (K.I. Sawyer)
* 15 Jul 1960 - Redesignated '''665th Radar Squadron (SAGE)'''
* 1 Oct 1963 - 1 Apr 1966  Assigned to Duluth ADS (Duluth)
* 1 Apr 1966 - 19 Nov 1969 Assigned to 29th AD
* 19 Nov 1969 - 1 Oct 1979 Assigned to 23rd AD
* 1 Mar 1970 - Redesignated as '''665th Air Defense Group'''
* 1 Jan 1974 - Redesignated as '''665th Radar Squadron'''
* 1 Oct 1979 - 13 Jul 1981 Assigned to 23 AD (TAC) (Duluth)
* 1 Oct 1979 - Redesignated '''665th Radar Squadron (TAC)'''
* 13 Jul 1981 - 23 Sep 1983 Assigned to 21st AD (TAC) (Hancock)
* 23 Sep 1983 - 30 Sep 1988  Assigned to 24th AD (TAC) (Griffiss)
* 30 Sep 1988 - Deactivated
|}

{{CalumetAFSCmdrs}}
== Current Status ==
Abandoned in Calumet, Keweenaw County, Michigan.
----
{|
|
<googlemap version="0.9" lat="47.3716667" lon="-88.1705556" zoom="16" width="500" scale="yes" overview="yes" controls="large" icons="http://www.fortwiki.com/mapicons/icon{label}.png">
(R) 47.3716667, -88.1705556, Calumet Air Force Station
(1951-1988)
(G) 47.3712465, -88.1733942, GATR Radio Site
(H) 47.3739676, -88.1707442, Housing Area
(C) 47.3719005, -88.1691939, Cantonment Area

</googlemap>
|valign="top"|
'''Location:''' Near Calumet in Keweenaw County, Michigan.

{{Mapit-US-cityscale|47.3716667|-88.1705556}}
* Elevation: 1512'
|}

'''See Also:'''
* [[BUIC System]]
* [[Permanent System Radar Sites]]
* [[US Radar Sets]]
* [[K.I. Sawyer SAGE Direction Center DC-14]]
* [[Duluth SAGE Direction Center DC-10]]
* [[Hancock SAGE Direction Center DC-03]]
* [[Griffiss JSS ROCC]]

'''Sources:''' 
* {{Cornett}}, page 85, 158.  <!--ADC Organization-->
* {{Winkler}}, page 123.  <!--Searching the skies-->
* {{NORAD1966HistoryBUIC}}  <!--BUIC II Implementations-->
* {{GNIS|ID=2086952}}

'''Links:''' 
* [http://www.radomes.org/cgi-bin/museum/acwinfo2x.cgi?site=%22Calumet+AFS,+MI%22&key=CalumetAFSMI&pic=CalumetAFSMI&doc=CalumetAFSMI Radomes - Calumet Air Force Station]
* [http://www.radomes.org/museum/documents/665th%20Radar%20Squadron%20Welcome%20Guide.pdf Radomes - May 1987 Welcome Brochure] (includes history and equipment list)
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calumet_Air_Force_Station Wikipedia - Calumet Air Force Station]

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