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| | #REDIRECT[[Cape Lisburne Air Force Station#Cape Lisburne Long-Range Radar Site]] |
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| | {{DEFAULTSORT:Cape Lisburne Long-Range Radar Site}} |
| '''{{PAGENAME}}''' (1953-1983, 1985-Present) - A [[Cold War]] U.S. Air Force Station, part of the Alaska AC&W Radar Network. Initially functioned as an Early Warning radar site, with a Permanent System ID of F-07. Later redesignated a surveillance site feeding manual track data to the Campion Direction Center. Became a minimally attended radar site in 1985 and was redesignated as [[Cape Lisburne Long-Range Radar Site]] with a JSS ID of A-13. {{Alaska-Now|ZLUR}}.
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| |width="50%"|[[Image:.jpg|350px|thumb|left|Cape Lisburne Air Force Station]]
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| |width="50%"|[[Image:.jpg|35px|thumb|right|Cape Lisburne Air Force Station]]
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| |colspan="2"|[[Image:.jpg|795px|thumb|center|Cape Lisburne Air Force Station]]
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| == Cape Lisburne Air Force Station (1953-1983) ==
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| The site for Cape Lisburne Air Force Station (AFS) was surveyed in 1949 by the AAC and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In June 1950, a construction contract was awarded to Gaasland & Company Cape for Lisburne Air Force Station. Construction started on 21 Jun 1951. The company completed both the upper and lower camps and a connecting aerial tramway in August 1952 at a cost of $4,468,751. The site became operational on 11 Feb 1953 as Cape Lisburne Air Force Station manned by the 711th AC&W Squadron which had been activated on 8 Dec 1952 to operate and maintain the site. The site had been built without weatherproof connecting walkways between buildings and those were added in 1954. The site was designed for 89 personnel with a standard 21 wood frame building plan, each building designed for a 15-year life expectancy.
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| Initial equipment on 11 Feb 1953 included an [[FPS-3]] search radar. The [[FPS-3]] radar was upgraded with a GPA-27 modification kit to an [[FPS-20|FPS-20A]] search radar during the summer of 1958. Also in 1958, the far more capable UPA-35 radar scopes were installed. Later in the 1960s, the FPS-20A was upgraded to a [[FPS-93|FPS-93A]] search radar.
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| Aircraft track data from these radars was manually plotted on plotting boards and passed to the Murphy Dome Manual Direction Center on voice circuits. In 1965 the FYQ-9 Semiautomatic Data Processing and Display System was implemented on Alaska AC&W radar sites automating the passing of track data to the direction centers. The result was reduced manpower requirements and increased efficiency.
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| Further reductions came on 1 Oct 1977 when the Alaska Air Command (ACC) contracted with RCA Services for site support services. This was a part of an Air Force effort to reduce remote tours. Some 94 military positions were originally authorized and that was reduced to 15 military positions that were primarily in operations.
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| JSS [[FYQ-47]] common digitizers were installed on the AC&W radars sites, including Cape Lisburne, by 1982. This upgrade enabled transmission of radar track data via satellite to the new Elmendorf JSS Regional Operations Control Center (ROCC) near Anchorage. The Elmendorf ROCC was activated on 14 Jun 1983 and that event triggered a series of events that included the closure of the AC&W sites, the disbandment of the AC&W Squadrons, and the creation of Long-Range Radar Sites (LRRS) with full contractor operation and maintenance and new FPS-117 3D radars.
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| The Cape Lisburne AFS was deactivated on 1 Nov l983 even before the FPS-117 radars were installed.
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| == [[Cape Lisburne Long-Range Radar Site]] (1985-Present) ==
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| A new FPS-117 Minimally Attended Radar (MAR) was installed was installed between May-July 1985. The site was operational on 3 Jul 1985 and re-designated as Cape Lisburne Long-Range Radar Site (LRRS) operated and maintained by contractors. The Long-Range radar site was connected to the Elmendorf JSS Regional Operations Control Center (ROCC) which was activated on 14 Jun 1983. The FPS-117 radar fed data to the ROCC FYQ-93 computers via satellite.
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| {{2015FPS-117Udate|LRRS=Cape Lisburne}}
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| == Physical Plant ==
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| The physical plant of the site was originally divided into an upper main site and a lower cantonment site. The upper main site housed the radar towers and the backup generators. The lower cantonment area housed the operations area, the enlisted quarters (BAQ), the bachelor officer's quarters (BOQ), the orderly room, the dining hall, and other support areas. The two sites were connected by an overhead tramway and later by a road. The tramway was decommissioned in 1971. No family housing was provided as this was considered a remote unaccompanied tour (1 year).
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| An airstrip was added in 1953. In 1955, the upper camp was improved to include 12 person crew quarters and an inflated radome. The inflatable radome was replaced in 1961 with a rigid radome. In June 1965 the AFS had 26 buildings including both the upper and lower camps. The new main composite building (No. 150) was constructed starting in 1968 and occupied in June 1970. Annual resupply of the site was accomplished in the summer month by a sealift program known as Mona Lisa, later Cool Barge, until 1995.
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| A good portion of the Cape Lisburne installation was demolished in 2001 and 2002
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| == Communications ==
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| Separate radio facilities housed the radio equipment for communicating with aircraft.
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| == White Alice (1955-1979) ==
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| After HF radio systems proved inadequate for command and control communications, the Air Force implemented the White Alice Communications System. This was a system of tropospheric scatter and microwave radio relay sites constructed during the mid-1950s to provide reliable communications to Alaska Air Command (AAC) AC&W system.
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| The Cape Lisburne White Alice tropo site was activated on 29 Aug 1957 after one year of construction. The original equipment and power building was 2,960 sq foot This was replaced by a 'showplace'composite building in 1968-70, which boasted a two-story foyer with colorful interior and lavish lighting. The building cost $6.5 million to build in 1968-70. It was inactivated in May 1979 and replaced by an Alascom-owned satellite earth terminal.
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| {| width="800px"
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| | valign="top" width="50%" |
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| {| class="wikitable"
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| |+ Cape Lisburne AFS Major Equipment List
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| !Search Radar
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| !HF Radar
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| !Data Systems
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| !Radio
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| * [[FPS-3]]
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| * [[FPS-20]]
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| * [[FPS-87|FPS-87A]]
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| * [[FPS-93|FPS-93A]]
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| * [[FPS-117]]
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| | valign="top" |
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| | valign="top" |
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| * [[FYQ-9]]
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| * [[FYQ-47]]
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| | valign="top" |
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| |}
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| | valign="top" width="50%" |
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| {| class="wikitable"
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| |+ Unit Designations
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| |-
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| * 711th Aircraft Control & Warning (AC&W) Squadron (1953-1983)
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| |}
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| |}
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| {| class="wikitable"
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| |+ 711th Assignments
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| |-
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| * 8 Dec 1952 - Established at Cape Lisburne, AK
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| |}
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| {{CapeLisburneAFSCmdrs}}
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| == Current Status ==
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| Active long-range radar site but most of the old AC&W site buildings have been demolished. The site has also had an environmental remediation project that has further erased signs of the old AC&W site and the White Alice tropo site. See the list below for remaining facilities.
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| {| class="wikitable" width="75%"
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| |+ Remaining Facilities
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| !AC&W System Facilities
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| !MAR System Facilities
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| |- valign="top"
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| * No. 116 - Recreation building
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| * No. 117 - Heated auto storage
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| * No. 120 - Electrical switching station
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| * No. 130 - Water pump station
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| * No. 151 - Industrial building
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| * No. 155 - Waste treatment building
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| * No. 200 - Water supply tank.
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| * No. 300 - Radome tower
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| * No. 75339 - Airfield
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| * No. 85017 - Road system
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| * No. N/A - Gravel pads
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| * No. 153 - Civilian camp
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| * No. 154 - Solid Waste Disposal Facility
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| |}
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| <!--{{CapeLisburneAFSStructures}}-->
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| ----
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| {|
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| <googlemap version="0.9" lat="68.87050" lon="-166.15085" zoom="16" width="500" scale="yes" overview="yes" controls="large" icons="http://www.fortwiki.com/mapicons/icon{label}.png">
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| (R) 68.87050, -166.15085, Cape Lisburne Air Force Station
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| (1953-Active)
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| </googlemap>
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| |valign="top"|
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| '''Location:''' Near Point Hope in North Slope Borough, Alaska.
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| {{Mapit-US-cityscale|68.87050|-166.15085}}
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| * Elevation: 1,585'
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| |}
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| '''See Also:'''
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| * [[Alaska Manual System Radar Sites]]
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| * [[Permanent System Radar Sites]]
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| * [[US Radar Sets]]
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| * [[JSS System]]
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| * [[Battle Control System-Fixed|Battle Control System-Fixed (BCS-F)]]
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| * [[FYQ-9]]
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| * [[FYQ-93]]
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| * [[FYQ-156]]
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| '''Sources:'''
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| * {{DenfeldUSACE}}, page 150-151, 230. <!--The Cold War In Alaska-->
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| * {{AC&WArgonne}}, page 43-47. <!--History of the Aircraft Control and Warning System in Alaska-->
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| * [http://www.frontiernet.net/~marshagantz/UTO/topcover.pdf Top Cover and Global Engagement - A History of the Eleventh Air Force]
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| '''Links:'''
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| * [https://www.radomes.org/museum/showsite.php?site=Cape+Lisburne+AFS%2C+AK&squadron=&country= Radomes - Cape Lisburne Air Force Station]
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| * [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Lisburne_Air_Force_Station Wikipedia - Cape Lisburne Air Force Station]
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| {{Visited|No}}
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| __NOTOC__
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| {{PageFooter}}
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| {{DEFAULTSORT:Cape Lisburne Air Force Station}}
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| [[Category:All]] | | [[Category:All]] |
| [[Category:Alaska All]] | | [[Category:Alaska All]] |
| [[Category:Alaska Radar Sites]] | | [[Category:Alaska Radar Sites]] |
| [[Category:Alaska North Slope Borough]] | | [[Category:Alaska North Slope Borough]] |
| [[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
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| [[Category:Alaska Not Visited]]
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| [[Category:Starter Page]]
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| [[Category:USAF Radar Sites]] | | [[Category:USAF Radar Sites]] |
| [[Category:FPS-3]] | | [[Category:FPS-117]] |
| [[Category:FPS-20]]
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| [[Category:FPS-6]]
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| [[Category:FPS-90]]
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| [[Category:FPS-93]]
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| [[Category:FYQ-9]]
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