Santa Rosa Island Air Force Station

Santa Rosa Island Air Force Station (1952-1963) - A Cold War U.S. Air Force Radar Station established during the Korean War. Located on Santa Rosa Island in Santa Barbara County, California. Assigned a Permanent ID of P-15. Closed in 1963 and relocated to Lompoc Air Force Station, RP-15. Construction After negotiating a lease with the Vail Company, owners of the island, for 336.5 acres in four parcels, the Air Force hired civilian contractors Morrison Knudsen to construct the facilities. The facilities included a radar operation site, transmitting and receiving sites located at the top of Vail Peak and a cantonment area near the shore at Johnson’s Lee. Also included was a permanent pier to also be located at Johnson’s Lee. The Air Force paid an annual fee of $20,000 for the 15-year lease. Radar Site Parcels Parcel Acres Use Location Notes A 155.0 Radar Operation Area Soledad Mountain and what would later be called Vail Peak B 131.6 Radio Sites Two knolls on Navy Hill C 30.0 Cantonment Area Johnsons Lee D 60.0 Joint use For one mile east of the housing area Transportation support was supplied by the Navy, which provided water transport between Port Hueneme and the construction site. Construction work was essentially completed by the end of 1951 and some squadron members worked on the island readying it for the full squadron. Operation The 669th Aircraft Control & Warning (AC&W) Squadron officially move in on 13 Feb 1952 and the site achieved Air Defense Net acceptance at 1100 hours on 16 Feb 1952. On activation, the site assumed the coverage of the Camp Cooke Lashup Radar Site (L-41) and Port Hueneme Lashup Radar Site (L-42) and they were then closed. In 1952 the site was operating two FPS-10 radars. In 1955 a FPS-3 search radar was added to the site and in 1956 a GPS-3 backup search radar was added. A MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1958. Closure Santa Rosa Island AFS was deactivated on 31 Mar 1963 and the 669th AC&W Squadron move to Lompoc Air Force Station, RP-15. The Air Force then abandoned the facility, leaving all buildings, utilities, and much equipment to Vail & Vickers (owners of the island). At the time of abandonment by the Air Force, the site consisted of at least forty buildings and structures. In the late 1980s, the Army Corps of Engineers removed asbestos and underground storage tanks, and the park service then burned most of the buildings. In the early 1990s the National Park Service buried the remaining foundations and revegetated the terrain. No buildings remain. Santa Rosa Island AFS Major Equipment List Search Radar HF Radar FPS-10 FPS-3 GPS-3 MPS-14 Unit Designations 669th Aircraft Control & Warning (AC&W) Squadron (1952-1963) 669th Assignments 1 Jan 1951 - Assigned at Ft. MacArthur, CA, assigned to 544th AC&W Gp. 6 Feb 1952 - Transferred to 27th AD. 11 Feb 1952 - Moved to Santa Rosa Island, CA. 1 Oct 1959 - Transferred to Los Angeles ADS. (Norton DC-17) 1 Apr 1963 - Moved to Lompoc AFS, CA. 1 Apr 1963 - Redesignated 669th Radar Sq (SAGE) (from AC&W Sq). 1 Apr 1966 - Transferred to 27th AD. (Luke DC-21) 18 Jun 1968 - Discontinued. Current Status All sites completely leveled. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Santa Rosa Island in Santa Barbara County, California. Maps & Images Lat: 34.00722 Long: -120.05028 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: ....' See Also: SAGE System Permanent System Radar Sites US Radar Sets Sources: Cornett, Lloyd H. & Johnson, Mildred W., A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization (1946-1980), Office of History ADC, Peterson AFB, Colorado, 31 Dec 1980, 179 pages, Pdf, page 159. Winkler, David F., Searching the Skies: the Legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program, USAF Hq Air Combat Command, 1997, 192 pages, Pdf, page 102. Links: Radomes - Santa Rosa Island Air Force Station Wikipedia - Santa Rosa Island Air Force Station Visited: No