Fort Pickens WWII Radar Site (1)

Fort Pickens WWII Radar Site (1) (1943-1946) - A World War II U.S. Army Radar Site established in 1943. Used to provide target information to large caliber (6" and above) coastal gun batteries in the Harbor Defense of the Pensacola against enemy warships. Located on Fort Pickens near Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida. Closed in 1946. File:Fort Pickens WWII Radar Site Plan.jpg Fort Pickens WWII Radar Site Plan. History Part of the Harbor Defense of Pensacola. File:SCR-582 Installation.jpg SCR-582 Typical Radar Set Installation. Constructed and transferred for use on 12 May 1943 as Fort Pickens WWII SCR-582 Radar Site. Construction costs to date of transfer were $11,025. The physical plant consisted of an SCR-582 radar set, mounted atop a fire control tower, a powerhouse with one generator and a 1000 gallon fuel tank. The powerhouse was placed in an existing facility (Battery Worth) installed by the Corps of Engineers. The radar equipment was installed by the Signal Corps. It required 3.7kW of 120/240 AC, 1 phase, 60 cycle power furnished by post power backed up by a single on-site generator. One 5 kW generator was furnished and installed by the Signal Corps. Site Operation In operation, the SCR-582 search radar provided an overview of all potential targets within its range. Once enemy targets were identified and plotted at the harbor HECP/HDCP command posts, target assignments were passed by telephone to the appropriate SCR-296 tracking radar site, citing the approximate range and azimuth of the target. Each gun battery 6" or larger had an associated SCR-296 radar site to track specific targets. The SCR-296 radar operators would then find the assigned target and pass the precise range and azimuth to the plotting room at the gun battery by phone. The radar operators would continue to track the target and update the plotting room as the range and azimuth changed. SCR-582 to SCR-697A Radar, Seacoast Battery Communications Paths. Closure Closed circa 1946. Current Status The tower footings remain and the HECP/HDCP structure also remains. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Fort Pickens on the western tip of Santa Rosa Island in Escambia County, Florida. Maps & Images Lat: 30.32355 Long: -87.27971 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Antenna Elevation: 115' Site Elevation: 35' See Also: Fort Pickens US Radar Sets SCR-582 Radar Set Gulf Coast WWII Radar Sites Sources: U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project of Pensacola, (HDPEN-AN-45), 1 Jul 1945, CDSG RCW-Corrected to 1 Jan 1944, CDSG. Links: Visited: 25 Apr 2013, 30 Dec 2011, 16 Dec 2009