Frobisher Bay, NWT

History
of
926^th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (N-31)
(Frobisher Bay, Baffin Island, Canada)

1 April 1955 - 30 June 1955
(RCS) AU-D5 (64-1)

Prepared for Officer of Information Services,
64^th Air Division (Defense),
by Captain John E Wildman (Historical Officer), and
Staff Sergeant Louis A Des Rochers (Historical Technician)
11 July 1955

64^th Air Division (Defense) Northeast Air Command

The 926^th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was activated at Grenier Air Force Base, New Hampshire, on 13 June 1953, with an authorized strength of 10 officers and 120 airmen. The squadron was moved to Site Number 31, Frobisher Bay, Canada, between 19 August 1953 and 2 December 1953. The authorized strength of this organization was changed to 7 officers and 102 airmen and 12 civilians by Unit Manning Document dated April 1955.

The primary mission of the 926^th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was to provide early warning surveillance of the assigned area of responsibility. The secondary mission was to provide navigational assistance to friendly aircraft.

The purpose of this squadron was to serve as a member of a group of similar organizations providing a system of early warning against the infiltration of enemy aircraft into the defense areas of the United States and Canada.

It was the responsibility of the Administration Section to maintain all records pertaining to assigned personnel and to perform the duties pertinent to the office of the Squadron Commander.

On 20 May, Second Lieutenant Richard H Roberts was assigned duty as Adjutant, vice First Lieutenant Thomas A Reynolds who had served in this capacity for 17 months.

On 15 June, Lt. Roberts and Airman First Class Burnett Denanberg inaugurated a revised report suspense file which incorporated Northeast Air Command reports control cards and a kardex file built by First Sergeant Arthur S Thomas. By 30 June, all sections were notified of reports suspense dates and the latest directives pertaining to them. This system provided one week delivery time to higher headquarters and it was anticipated that it would eliminate any possibility of delinquent reports.

In May, Sergeant Thomas inaugurated a new system of recording and filing incoming and outgoing classified documents. According to this method, all such documents would be given two numbers prior to departure from this unit; one number was the system filing number and the other was the squadron registered mail number. A card file was incorporated into the system which contained the names and location of all holders of classified documents. This system was expected to provide a ready reference as to the disposition of all classified material.

During this period the orderly room was beautified with curtains, picture frames for the pictures and identification signs for the desk which indicated the individual functions being performed there.

In June, Airman First Class Fred Feldstein, Airman’s Records and Classification Clerk, presented a plan to Goose Air Base, Pipeline Section, which was expected to save rotating personnel as much as five days processing time. This plan included the forwarding of copies of all pertinent orders and finance clearing papers to Goose Air Base at least a week prior to an individual’s rotation. By 30 June, this plan had already proven its merit.

Action was taken to change isolated station assignment, Yak Air Force Station, Montana, received by Staff Sergeant Joseph R Reil, who was rotated in June. This change was favorably considered by Headquarters, 64^th Air Division (Defense).

The policy concerning leaves, from this station, was changed during this period. As of 30 June, morale leave were granted only to borderline emergency type cases. Such leaves did not extend the individuals tour of duty in this theater. Ordinary leave was no longer granted. It was anticipated that a plan to shorten tours by 15 days would be granted personnel that do not take morale or emergency leave.

In June, the policy concerning the promotion of Second Lieutenants was revised by Headquarters Northeast Air Command. According to the new policy, Second Lieutenants were eligible for promotion 24 months after their commission date whether they served in the active reserve or not; but, this time was to include at least 6 months active duty. As a result of this change, Second Lieutenants William A Rush, John C Newman and Ted H Hodge were recommended for promotion by Major John S Foster, Commander.

During April, Mr. LeRoy Miller, Site Sub-Exchange Manager assisted Captain John E Wildman in rectifying the Exchange account. Technical Sergeant Edgar H Neibert was employed as Exchange manager and he re-warehoused all stocks and inaugurated new accounting procedures which simplified inventorying. Further, Sergeant Neibert had all surplus stocks returned to Goose Air Base and removed all Exchange items out of the dockside Warehouse. During this period, numerous items were traded with the Sub-Exchange on Frobisher Air Base in order to provide more equal distribution of items in demand, such as candy, soft drinks and beer. The Sub-Exchange inventory in May was successfully rectified.

During this reporting period, thirteen (13) airmen were promoted; five (5) to Airman First Class, eight (8) to Airman Second Class. Five (5) Officers and four (4) Airmen took leaves during this period. Also, three (3) Officers and six (6) Airmen were rotated and one (1) Officer and sixteen (16) Airmen arrived as replacements.

From 1 April through 30 June, several fire drills were held. These drills were successfully completed in an efficient manner and in a minimum amount of time.

Major Foster attended a Commander’s Conference at Headquarters, 64^th Air Division (Defense), Pepperrell Air Force Base, on 9 June 1955. Matters of special interest at this conference included: (1) Electronic countermeasures procedures; (2) Plans for a rocket meet; and (3) materials control during the forthcoming surface transportation season.

Protestant and Catholic Chaplains visited this site and held religious services on several occasions during this period. All of these services were well attended, especially during the Easter season.

Unit Fund Council meetings were held regularly and funds were appropriated for the purchase of items required to replenish recreational equipment.

It was the responsibility of the Communications Section to provide all administrative point to point communications and all tactical point to point and air to ground communications required by the squadron.

The Communications Section was operating Ultra High Frequency and Very High Frequency, air to ground radio equipment; High and Low Frequency, ground to ground (point to point) radio equipment; the Message Center; Fixed Plant Telephone facilities; and was responsible for the termination of the Tropospheric Scatter (Pole Vault) System circuits.

In April, Captain John E Wildman, the Communications Officer, departed on temporary duty to fly on project "DEW Line". In conjunction with a leave, he was gone throughout this reporting period and First Lieutenant Joseph R Potvin, Radio Officer, assumed the Duties of Communications Officer.

In May, personnel of the Canadian Marconi Company Maintenance Depot, from Pepperrell Air Force Base, accomplished minor maintenance work on the telephone main distribution frame and they also surveyed the inside and outside telephone plants for maintenance requirements to be accomplished this summer. These requirements were contractual obligations and were held in abeyance pending the arrival of a mobile depot maintenance team.

As of 30 June, the tropospheric scatter system, popularly known as "Pole Vault", was working at full capacity with all circuits being utilized by subscribers authorized by Headquarters, Northeast Air Command. Voice circuits utilized on this system proved very satisfactory but during April and May the teletype circuits were unsatisfactory due to antenna trouble at one of the intermediate stations. This condition was alleviated in June and teletype service was acceptable.

With the melting of the snow, the area adjacent to the receivers and transmitter site were policed and some decorative landscaping was accomplished.

As of 30 June, all communications equipment was operative; but, the Low Frequency and High Frequency equipment was very seldom used since the Pole Vault system was primary point to point communications.

In May, a Wilcox Radio Set was received for the Military Affiliated Radio System (MARS) but it was not installed as the radio shack was to be renovated to include it as a console system. As of 30 June, there were four (4) licensed amateur radio operators at this unit using MARS equipment.

It was the responsibility of the Motor Pool to keep all vehicles operational and to keep the roads serviceable in order to provide transportation for the squadron personnel and equipment.

During this period, the workload of the Motor Pool was greatly reduced as milder weather alleviated the necessity of devoting so much time to road clearing; however, this relief was short lived as two of the airmen assigned to the Motor Pool were rotated in April. This reduced the personnel of this section to one Officer, one Airman and two civilians. The arrival of Technical Sergeant Clifford W Stultz, in May, made the work load per personnel assigned ratio more realistic.

As of 30 April, all general purpose vehicles were in operating condition for the first time this year.

In May, with the disappearance of the snow, all the roads which had been damaged by drainage were repaired. While repairing the roads, numerous nails were uncovered and consequently there were an abnormal number of flat tire occurrences during this period.

Also in May, a dump truck and cargo truck were taken from winter storage and made serviceable in order to handle the increased requirements for transportation.

In June, the squadron’s two (2) five (5) ton dump trucks were loaned to the Aviation Engineers to haul asphalt. This was done in order to expedite the construction of aircraft parking ramps on Frobisher Air Base.

With the arrival of an engine assembly in June, the Snow Go vehicle was made serviceable. A good deal on non-malicious humor was created as the Snow Go was deadlined all through the period when heavy snow occurred.

As of 30 June, the work load of this section had leveled off and it’s capabilities were greater than at any other period over the past six months.

The responsibility of the Air Installations section included the maintenance of all installed building utilities and facilities, the fabrication of items essential to the operation of various squadron activities and items necessary for the health and welfare of all personnel.

Routine maintenance, required construction improvements and the ever important fire prevention program kept installations personnel working at full capacity during the period.

In April, reoccurring inspections and tests of fire fighting equipment were made; fire drills were held; fire prevention lectures, with written examinations were given; fire fighting teams were trained; and, demonstrations on the use of different fire extinguishers were conducted, including a demonstration by Mister J Cardoulis of Pepperrell Air Force Base. Also, in April, an inspection team from Goose Air Base, Labrador, found this Site satisfactorily observing fire safety precautions.

In the first week of April, Captain Graff, Corps of Engineers, from Goose Air Base, accompanied by a group of architectural engineers, conducted a survey on the construction of and possible causes of the numerous leaks in roofs throughout the site. It was anticipated that their analysis would bring about a solution to this problem and that corrective action would be taken this summer by the construction company.

During this reporting period, the nine diesel engines operated on an average of over 2300 hours a month, consuming a monthly average in excess of 23,500 gallons of fuel. These averages followed the usual annual pattern. On 5 April, a power failure occurred due to a leak in the water line causing a unit to overheat; again, on 3 June, a power failure occurred when a conductor on the outside transmission line pulled loose from the insulator and shorted across another conductor. In both instances, power was restored within 15 minutes. In addition to the normal preventative maintenance performed, it was necessary to install several new injectors and fuel pumps on several of the engines.

On 15 June, Mister Frank Schofield, with a depot maintenance overhaul team from the Canadian Marconi Company, arrived to perform annual depot maintenance and top overhaul on the engines. This team removed rocker arms and tightened down head bolts to proper pressures and replaced worn parts.

In April, in the heating plant, two boilers were operated 420 hours using 24,000 gallons of fuel; but in June, with the advent of warmer weather, usage was reduced to 315 hours and 18,000 gallons. On an annual basis, these figures were considered normal. On 15 April, a boiler was deadlined for five (5) days due to a broken refractor. On 23 May, new tubes were installed in both boilers. No interruption in building heating occurred during the period 1 April through 30 June 1955.

In addition to routine repairs, the electrical department completed the following projects; (1) Changed the lighting system in the Airmen’s Lounge; (2) Grounded all electrical tools in the Motor Pool; and (3) Revamped the electrical conduit system in the Supply Section to provide safe clearance between the lighting fixtures and the metal storage bins.

During this reporting period, the carpenters were not able to lessen their back log of work orders in spite of the many projects they completed. In April, besides normal repairs that were made, broom and mop racks were made for all bays and sections, A Chaplain’s Office and Confessional was built in the theater, the photographic dark room was enlarged and a baker’s proofing box was constructed in the Mess Hall. In May, a new office was constructed for the Motor Pool, a flag pole was erected, all storm windows were removed and replaced with screens and a book case was constructed in the library. In June, the North Bay recreation hall and Tower #3 were converted into temporary billets, a cabinet was constructed in the Infirmary, a pool table was recovered, and repairs were made to the flooring throughout the entire site. On 30 June, a six week back log of work remained for the carpenters.

During the period 1 April through 30 June, the plumbers were kept busy performing routine maintenance and making necessary repairs. In addition, sinks were installed in the Officer’s and NCO’s Lounges.

It was the responsibility of the Supply Section to acquire, issue and store supplies and maintain records on Unit Administration List Property and spares required by the various activities of the squadron.

During the month of April, priority was given to shipping all excessive materials to Goose Air Base for better utilization. This served to clear the dockside warehouse and made available storage space which will be required when surface vessels arrive this summer. In order to complete this project, it was necessary for all supply personnel to work exceedingly long hours; which they voluntarily did in a commendable manner. This project was completed on 30 April.

Also in April, all American and Canadian electron tubes were inventoried and the stock record cards were adjusted to insure that correct balances were reflected on the cards.

All office machines were hand carried to Goose Air Base and repaired in April.

In May, the roof of the dockside warehouse was torn off by high winds. It was anticipated that it would be replaced at an early date.

Supply personnel made available the parts for the FPS-502 Radar Set, which was installed the later part of May. Further, stock record cards were prepared to support the spares requirements of this set.

From 4 May until 29 May, First Lieutenant William J Nassif was placed on temporary duty to the 923^rd Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron to assist them in improving their supply. Lt. Nassif was selected for this job in recognition of the splendid manner in which he had organized this units supply.

On 31 May, all Unit Authorization List Property had been inventoried and properly accounted for on record.

In June, Second Lieutenant William A Rush was appointed Special Services Officer, vice Second Lieutenant John S Nigro.

During May, two bingo games were held in the squadron mess hall and prizes were awarded from the appropriate Special Services account.

During this reporting period, squadron radio station SKIMO was on the air during all morning coffee breaks and normal off duty hours, providing diversified entertainment for all personnel. This station, under the supervision of First Lieutenant Joseph R Potvin, was considered one of the greatest morale factors of the unit. Participation in program management and scheduling was most active. Recorded popular Zone of Interior programs were received regularly from Goose Air Base Special Services Section.

In May, the photographic dark room was enlarged and additional equipment was added in order to provide greater availability for those people engaged in this hobby. The resources of the dark room were evaluated at the majority of the Unit Fund Council meetings and necessary replenishments were provided through this source.

A squadron softball team was organized by Master Sergeant William J Lynch and numerous games were played against squadron scrub teams and the team organized by the 6650^th Air Base Squadron located at Frobisher Air Base. Due to the rough terrain at this site, these games were necessarily played at Frobisher Air Base. In June, plans were made to include our squadron team in Northeast Air Command competition.

During the month of June, a volleyball court was constructed adjacent to the dry storage building. This sport was also popular with the majority of squadron personnel. A badminton court and several horseshoe pits were also constructed.

In May, the Airman’s Bar was renovated. Landscape wall paintings were accomplished by Airman Second Class Ray L Thomas. A piano was received and added to the furnishings of this bar. An opening party was held and a joyous time was had by all. Increased sales receipts in May and June proved the true value of this renovation.

In June, more movies were received than during and previous month since this unit was activated. Ninety (90) per cent of the squadron regularly attended the movies, which were shown at the rate of five different movies per week. Having a back log of movies permitted pre-planning of the schedule and allowed for controlled attendance.

During this reporting period, the squadron paper, "Cold Facts" was published monthly. Credit for the papers popular acclaim was given to its editor, Airman Second Class Gilbert G Reed and his staff.

Special grant dayroom furniture was received in April. This furniture greatly improved the appearance of the dayrooms and also made them a more comfortable place in which to relax during off duty hours.

A complete set of weight lifting equipment arrived in June. This equipment was used by more personnel than anticipated.

During the month of April, combination Bingo games and Ice Cream parties were held twice in the Squadron’s Mess Hall, "the Pinetree Dinette". These affairs were enthusiastically attended.

In April, a baker’s proofing box was constructed by the squadron Air Installations Section. This improved the quality of the bread by providing better time control during that period in which the dough was rising.

A table was installed in April, next to the tray rack, to hold silverware and bowls which had been located on the serving line. This simple but previously untried idea proved most acceptable as it decreased the waiting time at the serving counter and provided additional space on that counter for relishes and deserts.

In May, Second Lieutenant John C Newman was appointed Food Service Officer, vice Second Lieutenant John S Nigro who was rotated to the Zone of Interior. In appreciation of Lt. Nigro’s efforts as Food Service Officer, a special cake was made by the squadron baker, Airman First Class Al J Spencer, upon the occasion of Lt. Nigro’s departure.

An electric grill was installed, in May, on the serving counter to expedite the cooking of foods for the breakfast and midnight meals; however, the grill proved to be too small to handle the volume of personnel being served and it was anticipated that it’s use would be discontinued in the near future.

During May, 17,000 pounds of surplus dry stores were shipped to the Goose Air Base, Labrador, Commissary; and in June, 18,000 pounds were shipped. This provided for greater utilization of these stores and increased the available storage area within this unit for food supplies which were to arrive via water transportation during July and August. This further permitted reorganization and cleaning of the dry and cold storage areas and, on 30 June 1955, these areas were in commendable condition.

During June, with the melting of the snow, all of the members of the Food Service Section participated in the thorough policing of the outside area adjacent to the Mess Hall and food storage buildings.

Due to the failure of refrigeration equipment, in March, there was a spoilage of some meats; and, due to the fact that allotted rations were not equal to the actual number of personnel that were fed, a meat shortage existed as of 30 June. This shortage was not considered critical in that a supplemental supply was to be provided by air movement from Goose Air Base.

It was the responsibility of the Operations Section to make record of, and report to the Air Defense Control Center, all images plotted on the radar scopes. It was further responsible for assisting friendly aircraft in matters relative to navigation, local weather and airport conditions.

The period from 1 April through 30 June 1955 was the most active period for Operations since the squadron was activated. The primary reason for the increased amount of traffic was due to the large number of aircraft participating in the DEW-Line project. These aircraft were airlifting supplies to the various northern early warning site locations.

During this period a total of 3143 flight plans were received and 4547 tracks were plotted. This was an increase of five hundred sixteen (516) on flight plans and five hundred seventy-two (572) percent on tracks plotted over the previous three month period. As of April the flight plans received and the tracks plotted exceeded the aggregate for that period from activation of this unit until 31 December 1954.

Communications facilities were adequate throughout this reporting period.

In April, First Lieutenant Donald H Miller represented this unit as Electronics Countermeasures Officer at a conference held at Goose Air Base. Following this conference Lt. Miller inaugurated and individual electronics countermeasures training program utilizing the AN/UPA-37, Jamming Simulator. On 11 June an introduction jamming mission was performed by the 6630^th REV/ECM Flight from Goose Air Base.

Due to the fact that an adequate number of personnel were assigned and a large volume of traffic was handled, the efficiency of this section remained at peak during this reporting period.

It was the responsibility of the Medical Department to provide clinical medical assistance to the sick or injured, up to that degree requiring professional medical treatment. Further, it was responsible for the general sanitation standards of the unit.

Squadron health remained satisfactory during the period of April through June, with all treatments being minor in nature. A total of two hundred forty-five persons were treated for minor ailments during this period; forty (40) per cent for general medicine, twenty-seven (27) per cent for upper respiratory diseases, eighteen (18) per cent for minor surgery and fifteen (15) per cent for eye, ear, nose and throat. In June, one airman was evacuated to Goose Air Base for hospitalization.

Water samples, to test percent of chlorination, obtained daily from various sources were satisfactory. These samples were forwarded to Goose Air Base for further analysis.

Preventative medicine inspections were conducted throughout the squadron. Three cases of pretzels were found unfit for human consumption and were destroyed.

During this period, weekly classes on electrical shock were established in the dispensary for those airmen who work around high voltage.

In April, Airman First Class Richard D Weller and Airman First Class Richard L Bryant, Medical Technicians, assisted Frobisher Air Base Medical Technicians in rendering first aid to four aircraft crash victims. It was subsequently learned that all victims survived.

On 25 April, First Lieutenant Sheldon Simons, Dental Officer, with an assistant, arrived and treated all those persons requiring his aid. During the one month period that he was here, a total of 279 treatments were made.

In June, a representative from Medical Supply, Goose Air Base, Labrador, visited the site to coordinate supply problems. A condensed version of the Federal Reserve Medical Supply Catalog was obtained and requisitions were submitted for forbidden, prohibited and restricted items which can not be air transported. A room previously used as an office was converted into a supply room and a laboratory.

An evaluation of the insect control problem, mainly that of mosquito control, was accomplished in June. Areas away from the site were treated with an oil surface layer and the areas in the immediate vicinity of the site were sprayed with DDT. These areas were kept under strict surveillance. Further, screen doors were installed on outside entrances to the mess hall and the garbage loading dock was sprayed daily.

It was the responsibility of the Radar Maintenance Section to keep the radar, and associated electronic equipment, operating at maximum efficiency. Further, it was responsible for collecting and recording data pertinent to the operation and maintenance of this equipment.

During the period 1 April through 30 June 1955, the following radar equipment was operational. (1) AN/FPS-3, Radar Search Set; (2) AN/GPX-7, Identification Set; (3) AN/TPS-502, Height Finder Set; (4) AN/FPS-502, Back Up Search Set; (5) NA/GPX-501, Identification Set; (6) AN/UPA-37, Simulated Radar Jamming Set; and, (7) 15-J-1C, Target Simulator.

The months of April, May and June were marked with a continuing high level of performance from the radar equipment. The Primary Search Set was in operation 2076 hours and 30 minutes, or ninety-five (95) per cent of the total time. Total red time amounted to fifty-five (55) minutes, in April, as the results of power failures. No red time was incurred in May. Two hours and five minutes of red time was incurred during the month of June; forty (40) minutes of which was power failures and (1) hour and twenty-five (25) minutes to replacing the lower beam megatron.

During the first two weeks of May, the AN/FPS-502, Back Up Search, and the AN/GPX-501, Identification Friend or Foe, were installed by the Canadian Marconi Company installation team headed by Mister John Miller. No serious difficulties were encountered in the installation. The side lobe patterns, noted in engineering as a manufacturing deficiency, were noticeably present; however, by gating the moving target indicator to eighty (80) miles, the spurious permanent echo patterns are eliminated in MTI operation.

Visual jamming, between the AN/FPS-502 and MPN-1, Ground Controlled Approach Radar Set. Was discovered. Continual observation reveals that while jamming is present, the operation of these sets is not seriously impaired. A AJ-53 magnetron was requisitioned from the 641^st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron and substituted in place of the 4J-35 magnetron in an effort to alleviate the jamming. However, since both magnetrons operate at close to the same frequency, only a minor improvement was noted. A continuing study was being made of this situation.

During the month of May, the Back Up Search Set was operated ten (10) hours and twenty-five (25) minutes and in June twenty-eight (28) hours and thirty-five (35) minutes. Range pick-up was comparable to the AN/FPS-3. This installation has greatly improved the mission capabilities of the squadron, by improving twenty-four (24) hour operation of radar search equipment.

The arrival of three radar repairmen, Specialty 30332, bolstered the thinly manned radar maintenance section. The addition of these personnel permitted the forming of four maintenance shifts of eight (8) hours duration in place of the former three (3) twelve (12) hour shift schedule. The new personnel were assigned on-the-job training for a five (5) level qualification and a program of training was begun.

During the period April through June, the overall manning of the squadron was adequate to efficiently accomplish the mission of the squadron and to perform all additional duty requirements.

As of 30 June, the morale of the squadron personnel was exceptionally high. This was contributed to the milder weather, which permitted greater outside door activity; increased aircraft traffic, which improved mail service; and, the back log of movies available.

All the personnel seemed to be sincerely interested in their work and avocations and the usual complaints weren’t nearly as prevalent. Further, the majority of the personnel were "over the hill" and were into their last six month period of assignment to this station. Naturally, anticipation of returning home was great.