Sundance Air Force Station: Difference between revisions
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'''{{PAGENAME}}''' (1962-1968) - A [[Cold War]] Air Force Radar Station | '''{{PAGENAME}}''' (1962-1968) - A [[Cold War]] Air Force Radar Station established in 1960 on Warren Peak near Sundance, Crook County, Wyoming. Named Sundance Air Force Station after the nearby town of Sundance. The main site was powered by a portable nuclear power plant. The site was initially assigned a Permanent ID of '''TM-201''', later a Sage ID of '''Z-201'''. The operation was discontinued in 1968. | ||
{|{{FWpicframe}} | {|{{FWpicframe}} | ||
|- valign="top" | |- valign="top" | ||
|width="50%"|[[ | |width="50%"|[[File:Sundance AFS Cantonment HQ.jpeg|350px|thumb|left|Sundance AFS Headquarters & Orderly Room in 2020.]] | ||
|width="50%"|[[ | |width="50%"|[[File:Sundance AFS Cantonment Mess-Bks.jpeg|350px|thumb|right|Sundance AFS Mess Hall (left) & Barracks (right) in 2020.]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|colspan="2"|[[ | |colspan="2"|[[File:Sundance AFS Main (1).jpeg|795px|thumb|center|Former Sundance Air Force Station Main Site in 2020, now a communications site.]] | ||
|} | |} | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
Established in 1960 | [[File:Sundance AFS PM1 Nuclear Power Plant.jpeg|thumb|left|250px|Sundance AFS Main Site with PM1 Nuclear Power Plant (bottom of picture).]] | ||
Established in 1960 as Sundance Air Force Station manned by the 731st Radar Squadron (SAGE). The Air Force Station was located on four different sites along Warren Peak Road (Hwy 208) near the City of Sundance, Wyoming. The main site was located on Warren Peak itself while the housing area and the cantonment area were located at the base of the peak. The radio site was located beyond the main site still on Warren Peak Road. | |||
Initial radar equipment included the [[FPS-7|FPS-7C]] search radar and [[FPS-6]] and [[FPS-26]] height-finder radars. Primary electrical power on the main site was provided by an experimental one-of-a-kind PM-1 transportable nuclear power plant which also provided steam heat for the main site. The PM-1 reactor installation began in June 1961 and the power plant was dedicated on 18 Sep 1962. | |||
The site and the unit initially came under the command of the 29th Air Division at [[Malmstrom Air Force Base]] and the [[Malmstrom Manual Direction Center P-83]] but the site was not yet operational. The additional testing required for the power plant contributed to a delayed operational date. | |||
[[File:Sundance AFS Main Site Plan.jpeg|thumb|center|800px|Sundance AFS Main Site Plan from Reactor Study.]] | |||
== [[SAGE System]] Transition == | == [[SAGE System]] Transition == | ||
The transition of the site into the automated SAGE system began with the installation of the [[FST-2]] coordinate data transmitter and search radar upgrades. The [[FST-2]] equipment digitized the radar returns and transmitted the digital returns to the SAGE direction center. Under the SAGE System, interceptor aircraft were directed to their targets by the direction center computers and controllers, greatly reducing the need for local controllers and equipment at every radar station. | |||
The [[FST-2]] was a very large digital system using vacuum tube technology. Over 6900 vacuum tubes were used in each [[FST-2]] requiring 21 air-conditioned cabinets, 40 tons of air conditioning, 43.5 kva of prime power, and usually a large new addition to the operations building. The [[FST-2|FST-2B]] modification added two more cabinets but with newer solid-state (transistor) technology to process coded responses from aircraft transponders. | |||
[[Category:FST-2]][[Category:SAGE Radar Sites]] | |||
== [[SAGE System]] Operation == | == [[SAGE System]] Operation == | ||
The site began operation as a SAGE site on 1 Nov 1962 initially feeding data to the [[Minot SAGE Direction Center DC-19]]. With the deactivation of the Minot SAGE Direction Center in 1963, Sundance AFS began feeding data to the [[Sioux City SAGE Direction Center DC-22]]. | [[File:Minot SAGE Direction Center.jpg|795px|thumb|center|Minot SAGE Direction Center DC-19 Repurposed.]] | ||
{| class="wikitable" width="100%" align="center" | |||
|+ Sundance SAGE Direction Centers & Sectors | |||
|- | |||
! Assigned | |||
! Direction Center | |||
! Sector | |||
|- | |||
| 1 Dec 1960 - 1 Jan 1961 || [[Malmstrom Manual Direction Center P-83]] || 29th Air Division | |||
|- | |||
| 1 Jan 1961 - 25 Jun 1963 || [[Minot SAGE Direction Center DC-19]] || Minot Air Defense Sector | |||
|- | |||
| 25 Jun 1963 - 1 Apr 1966 || [[Sioux City SAGE Direction Center DC-22]] || Sioux City Air Defense Sector | |||
|- | |||
| 1 Apr 1966 - 18 Jun 1968 || [[Sioux City SAGE Direction Center DC-22]] || 30th Air Division | |||
|} | |||
The site began operation as a [[SAGE System]] site on 1 Nov 1962 initially feeding data to the [[Minot SAGE Direction Center DC-19]]. With the deactivation of the Minot SAGE Direction Center in 1963, Sundance AFS began feeding data to the [[Sioux City SAGE Direction Center DC-22]]. | |||
== Closure == | == Closure == | ||
| Line 24: | Line 49: | ||
== Physical Plant == | == Physical Plant == | ||
The physical plant of the site was divided into the main site, a cantonment area, a housing area, and radio sites. | The physical plant of the site was divided into the main site, a cantonment area, a housing area, and a radio site. | ||
{{Clr}} | |||
[[File:Sundance AFS Cantonment Rec Hall.jpeg|thumb|left|250px|Sundance AFS Recreation Hall in the Cantonment Area, 2020.]] | |||
[[File:Sundance AFS Cantonment Motor Pool.jpeg|thumb|right|250px|Sundance AFS Cantonment area Motor Pool & Snow Plow Storage in 2020.]] | |||
The main site housed the operations buildings, the radar towers, backup generators, and uniquely, a nuclear power plant. The PM-1 transportable nuclear power plant was installed at Sundance as a test of the feasibility of powering remote radar sites with nuclear power. The PM-1 generated 1,000 KW of high-quality electrical power and 7,000,000 Btu's per hour of steam used to heat the buildings. Testing delayed the operational date of the site until 1962 and necessitated a special team of reactor operators in a 24-7 operation. | |||
{{Clr}} | |||
[[File:Sundance AFS GATR.jpeg|thumb|250px|left|Sundance AFS GATR Site remains, just two slabs survive in 2020. The pool on the large slab provides water for stock and wildlife. The Radar Station Main Site can be seen in the background.]] | |||
[[File:Sundance AFS Housing.jpeg|thumb|250px|right|Sundance AFS Housing Area in 2020. Homes are now privately owned.]] | |||
A separate Ground to Air Transmitter/Receiver (GATR) radio site north of the main site housed the radio equipment for directing aircraft intercepts. | |||
The | 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. | ||
Just south of the cantonment area was a small 27 unit housing area for critical married personnel. The Cantonment Area and the Housing Area were directly adjacent. The housing area originally had just 9 units that were constructed on-site as a part of the original site plan. In 1963, 18 additional units were built on-site from prefabricated packages designed to be relocatable should mission needs change. | |||
{{Clr}} | {{Clr}} | ||
| Line 50: | Line 84: | ||
* [[FST-2|FST-2/A/B]] | * [[FST-2|FST-2/A/B]] | ||
|} | |} | ||
| valign="top" width="50%" | | | valign="top" width="50%" | | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
|+ Unit Designations | |+ Unit Designations | ||
| Line 63: | Line 97: | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | | ||
* 1 Dec 1960 - Activated at Sundance AFS, WY, assigned to 29th AD. | * 1 Dec 1960 - Activated at Sundance AFS, WY, assigned to 29th AD. [[Malmstrom Manual Direction Center P-83]] | ||
* 1 Jan 1961 - Transferred to Minot ADS. | * 1 Jan 1961 - Transferred to Minot ADS. [[Minot SAGE Direction Center DC-19]], 1 Jan 1961-25 Jun 1963 | ||
* 25 Jun 1963 - Transferred to Sioux City ADS. | * 25 Jun 1963 - Transferred to Sioux City ADS. [[Sioux City SAGE Direction Center DC-22]], 25 Jun 1963- 1 Apr 1966 | ||
* 1 Apr 1966 - Transferred to 30th AD. | * 1 Apr 1966 - Transferred to 30th AD. [[Sioux City SAGE Direction Center DC-22]], 1 Apr 1966 – 18 Sep 1968[2] | ||
* 18 Jun 1968 - Discontinued. | * 18 Jun 1968 - Discontinued. | ||
|} | |} | ||
| Line 73: | Line 107: | ||
== Current Status == | == Current Status == | ||
The main site has been repurposed with communications facilities and fenced off. The cantonment area and the housing area are under private ownership. | |||
---- | ---- | ||
{| | {| | ||
| Line 109: | Line 143: | ||
* {{Cornett}}, page 162. <!--ADC Organization--> | * {{Cornett}}, page 162. <!--ADC Organization--> | ||
* {{Winkler}}, page 169. <!--Searching the skies--> | * {{Winkler}}, page 169. <!--Searching the skies--> | ||
* {{SundanceStudy}} | |||
* {{GNIS|ID=2090210}} | * {{GNIS|ID=2090210}} | ||
| Line 115: | Line 150: | ||
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundance_Air_Force_Station Wikipedia - Sundance Air Force Station] | * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundance_Air_Force_Station Wikipedia - Sundance Air Force Station] | ||
{{Visited| | {{Visited|5 Jun 2020}} | ||
__NOTOC__ | __NOTOC__ | ||
| Line 125: | Line 160: | ||
[[Category:Wyoming Crook County]] | [[Category:Wyoming Crook County]] | ||
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]] | [[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]] | ||
[[Category:Starter Page]] | [[Category:Starter Page]] | ||
[[Category:2020 Research Trip]] | |||
[[Category:USAF Radar Sites]] | [[Category:USAF Radar Sites]] | ||
[[Category:SAGE Sites]] | [[Category:SAGE Sites]] | ||
[[Category:FPS-7]] | |||
[[Category:FPS-6]] | [[Category:FPS-6]] | ||
[[Category:FPS-26]] | [[Category:FPS-26]] | ||
[[Category:FST-2]] | [[Category:FST-2]] | ||
Latest revision as of 16:14, 13 July 2020
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Sundance Air Force Station (1962-1968) - A Cold War Air Force Radar Station established in 1960 on Warren Peak near Sundance, Crook County, Wyoming. Named Sundance Air Force Station after the nearby town of Sundance. The main site was powered by a portable nuclear power plant. The site was initially assigned a Permanent ID of TM-201, later a Sage ID of Z-201. The operation was discontinued in 1968.
History Established in 1960 as Sundance Air Force Station manned by the 731st Radar Squadron (SAGE). The Air Force Station was located on four different sites along Warren Peak Road (Hwy 208) near the City of Sundance, Wyoming. The main site was located on Warren Peak itself while the housing area and the cantonment area were located at the base of the peak. The radio site was located beyond the main site still on Warren Peak Road. Initial radar equipment included the FPS-7C search radar and FPS-6 and FPS-26 height-finder radars. Primary electrical power on the main site was provided by an experimental one-of-a-kind PM-1 transportable nuclear power plant which also provided steam heat for the main site. The PM-1 reactor installation began in June 1961 and the power plant was dedicated on 18 Sep 1962. The site and the unit initially came under the command of the 29th Air Division at Malmstrom Air Force Base and the Malmstrom Manual Direction Center P-83 but the site was not yet operational. The additional testing required for the power plant contributed to a delayed operational date.  SAGE System TransitionThe transition of the site into the automated SAGE system began with the installation of the FST-2 coordinate data transmitter and search radar upgrades. The FST-2 equipment digitized the radar returns and transmitted the digital returns to the SAGE direction center. Under the SAGE System, interceptor aircraft were directed to their targets by the direction center computers and controllers, greatly reducing the need for local controllers and equipment at every radar station. The FST-2 was a very large digital system using vacuum tube technology. Over 6900 vacuum tubes were used in each FST-2 requiring 21 air-conditioned cabinets, 40 tons of air conditioning, 43.5 kva of prime power, and usually a large new addition to the operations building. The FST-2B modification added two more cabinets but with newer solid-state (transistor) technology to process coded responses from aircraft transponders. SAGE System Operation
The site began operation as a SAGE System site on 1 Nov 1962 initially feeding data to the Minot SAGE Direction Center DC-19. With the deactivation of the Minot SAGE Direction Center in 1963, Sundance AFS began feeding data to the Sioux City SAGE Direction Center DC-22. ClosureThe Sioux City SAGE Direction Center DC-22, Sundance AFS, and the 731st Radar Squadron (SAGE) were all deactivated on 18 Jul 1968. The closure of the site took some time, not only to remove the radar and radio equipment but because of the required decontamination and precautions taken with the nuclear reactor. Physical PlantThe physical plant of the site was divided into the main site, a cantonment area, a housing area, and a radio site.
  The main site housed the operations buildings, the radar towers, backup generators, and uniquely, a nuclear power plant. The PM-1 transportable nuclear power plant was installed at Sundance as a test of the feasibility of powering remote radar sites with nuclear power. The PM-1 generated 1,000 KW of high-quality electrical power and 7,000,000 Btu's per hour of steam used to heat the buildings. Testing delayed the operational date of the site until 1962 and necessitated a special team of reactor operators in a 24-7 operation.
  A separate Ground to Air Transmitter/Receiver (GATR) radio site north of the main site housed the radio equipment for directing aircraft intercepts. 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. Just south of the cantonment area was a small 27 unit housing area for critical married personnel. The Cantonment Area and the Housing Area were directly adjacent. The housing area originally had just 9 units that were constructed on-site as a part of the original site plan. In 1963, 18 additional units were built on-site from prefabricated packages designed to be relocatable should mission needs change.
Current StatusThe main site has been repurposed with communications facilities and fenced off. The cantonment area and the housing area are under private ownership.
See Also:
Sources:
Visited: 5 Jun 2020
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