Gap Filler Detail

1961 – National Archives of Canada

SECRET

S10-136-80/5 (DCEP)

Victoria Island,
Ottawa, Ontario

9 February 1961

Defence Construction (1951) Limited
56 Lyon Street
Ottawa, Ontario

Attention: Mr A G Bland

Re: Proposed Tender Calls, Spring 1961
Gap Filler Radar Stations, General

Dear Sirs:

In order for Defence Construction Limited to be aware of the general impact of the Gap Filler Radar Stations Programme, we wish to take this opportunity of advising you of the following details.

1. Plans and specifications for approximately 21 sites will be forwarded to DCL during March and April, 1961, for a spring tender call and construction commencing early in the summer.

2. Due to the difficulty of winter access to the majority of the Gap Filler sites, the construction period has been set down as June to December, with the contractor using a mobile camp and local facilities when available.

3. The "southern" sites will normally consist of the Radar Building (28' x 48' Steelox) , the Power and Accommodation Building (28' x 36' Steelox), a three-legged 70 ft tower (to be supplied by USAF and erected by Telecom Contractor), commercial power, one standby diesel generator, 1,500 gallon fuel oil storage, fencing and local snowploughing.

4. The "northern" sites will normally consist of the Radar Building (28' x 48' Steelox), the Power and Accommodation Building (28' x 36' Steelox), a four-legged 100 ft joint radar and forestry tower (to be suppled by USAF and erected by Telecom Contractor), two diesel generators, 50,000 gallon fuel oil storage, fencing and NO snowploughing. In order to gain access to these sites in the winter, a tracked vehicle will be used and this vehicle will be stored in a Steelox garage at the junction of the access road and the highway.

5. There will be some sites which are a combination of the descriptions given in (c) and (d). On all sites the accommodation provided will be of the emergency over-night type, consisting of two double bunk beds, table, chairs, combined kitchenette unit comprising sink, stove, refrigerator, cupboards, chemical toilet, hot water, pressure tank, rainwater storage tank. Fresh drinking water will be hand carried to the sites by maintenance personnel from a well or other source along the access road. A Steelox wellhouse will be used to protect the water supply when necessary.

6. Some of the Steelox components will be supplied by RCAF depots and other parts obtained from Armco. The diesel generators will be prepurchased in order to maintain standardization.

7. It is necessary for this first group of sites to be substantially finished by December 1961 in order to permit the installation of the electronic equipment early in the summer of 1962. Prebuilding construction work will depend on site conditions and vary from nil on farmer's fields to clearing and grubbing of the site and minor and major improvements to existing logging roads and construction of new roads. On the attached appendix, the amount of access road construction work is described for each site. All sites may be located on provincial road maps except for the following:
   1. St Joseph, NS - between Concession and Corberrie.

   2. Scotch Settlement, NB - near Belleisle Cr

   3. Todd Mtn, NB - near Boiestown

8. A copy of the General Location Plan (1" = 100 miles) showing the location of all Gap Filler Radar Stations was given to Mr Bland during his visit to CCE, Victoria Island, on 7 February 1961.

Yours truly,

(JW Griffith)
Group Captain
for Chief of the Air Staff

SECRET

APPENDIX to

S10-136-80/5 (DCEP)

9 February 1961