Hopedale, Labrador

1968 – Historical Report – USAF Historical Division

Historical Record
923rd AC&W Squadron
Hopedale, Labrador
1 April 1968 to 30 June 1968

Section I REQUIRED DATA
Unit and Location 923^rd AC&W Squadron, (ADC) APO New York 09434.				Name and Grade of Commander William L Fluty, Jr., Major, USAF
Chain of Command (Superior Echelons) 37^th Air Division, APO New York 09677 1^st Air Force, Stewart AFB, New York 12250 Aerospace Defense Command, Ent Air Force Base, Colorado 80912 Headquarters United States Air Force, Washington, DC
Subordinate Units (Down to and including squadrons)
Mission (Give authority and brief statement of primary mission) Discontinue the 923^rd Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, Hopedale AS, Canada as outlines in 1AF PAD 68-4 and ADC PAD 68-4.
Personnel
		Officers	Airmen		Civilians	Total
	AUTHORIZED	0	0		0	0
	ASSIGNED	2	3		6	10

Equipment (Give official nomenclature and quantity of mission-type equipment) AN/FPS-93A - 1; AN/FPS-90 – 1.
Section II COMMENTARY
Operations and Training: The Operations and Training Section was discontinued on 31 March 1968. Communications and Electronics Maintenance: Interconnecting cabling was removed from the AN/FPS-93A, AN/FPS-90 and associated equipment during the month of April. Mr. Estes, Eastern GEEIA Region, visited the Site during May to re-engineer low Frequency Radio Scheme #1697A5B-C2-JT48. GEEIA Team arrived to start dismantling of radar equipment and removal of radomes. Seven (7) trainees were administered SKT: 5 for AFSC 30352; 1 for AFSC 29170; and 2 for AFSC 30454. All trainees received favorable scores and action has been instituted for upgrade except for 2 of the AFSC 30352 which the test results have not been received. Personnel remaining on station: 1 MSgt, AFSC 30390, PCSP Monitor and NAF Custodian. Supply and transportation: Shipment of personnel and equipment is under was correlating with the discontinuance of the 923^rd AC&W Squadron. 58 flights were made by the EPA Otter. 121 incoming passengers 194 outgoing passengers 89,963 pounds total outgoing weight of passengers, baggage, cargo and mail. Civil Engineering: There were 4048 manhours available for M&R work. The shops accomplished 362 service calls. The shops are being phased out for contractor personnel. There were no reportable fires. There were no Ground Safety Accidents. There were no power outages. The Canadian Marconi Company performed depot level maintenance work which was a major overhaul on 4 units of the power plant from 8 to 28 May 1968. Refer to the additional detail at the end of this section for the balance of the report. Prepared By: Ben R Blair Jr., 1^st Lt., USAF
Typed Name and Grade of Commander William L Fluty, Major, USAF				Signature

Personnel:

The following Key personnel departed this station during this reporting period:

Captain TF Stephenson	CEM	15 Apr 68
1^st Lt. HJ Pfeuffer	Supply	26 May 68
1^st Lt. AJ Jennings	Ops	11 Apr 68
1^st Lt. BR Blair, Jr.	Admin	28 Jun 68

Remaining key personnel as of 30 June 1968 and approximate departure dates:

Major WL Fluty	Commander	1 Jul 68
Captain WN Welborn	EDC	10 Jul 68

A total of ten (10) promotions were received during this period effective 1 June to 1 November 1968.

To Captain	1^st Lt. Welborn
To Technical Sergeant	SSgt Lamb
To Staff Sergeant	Sgt Wilson
	Sgt Gallivan
	Sgt Hjorth
	Sgt Dollar
	Sgt Dobashi
	Sgt Mogilski
	Sgt Dale
	Sgt Rosehlau

And ADC "Caretaker Force" will stay on site until all ADC property is either transferred to Canadian Marconi or shipped back to Goose. They are:

Capt WN Welborn	(until 10 July or when relieved)
MSgt WA Larmey
SSgt JL Whipple
Civ Furlong
Civ Whelan
Civ Hickey
Civ Vincent
Civ Duperly
Civ Sullivan

All other personnel have received orders and flight dates.

The Motor Pool had a total of 1735 hours VDM.

A total of 3806 miles were put on general purpose vehicles.

Medical Administrative Services:

There were no serious medical problems during this period. All medical property was transferred to Canadian Marconi and SAC.

Administrative Services:

All records and publications have been disposed of in accordance with 1AF PAD 68-4 and ADC PAD 68-4.

A 37^th Air Div. Staff Assistance Visit was performed on 26-27 May 1968.

The Post Office was closed on 30 June 1968.

Summary

The 923^rd Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was activated on 13 June 1953 at Hopedale, Canada and was discontinued on 30 June 1968 after fifteen years and 18 days of continuous operation, as directed by 1AF Programmed Action Directive 68-4 dated 8 March 1968. The 1AF Inspector General Team visited this station on 10-11 June and conducted an inspection of our progress on the station discontinuance. The team rated this squadron as "Excellent" in almost all phase-out actions. Also the Goose AB Auditor General conducted an audit of this installation with favorable comments rendered.

Recap

Hopedale Air Station (Longitude 55 degrees 28 minutes N; Latitude 60 degrees 16 minutes west) is located on the north-east coast of Labrador, one mile west of the village of Hopedale and 135 miles north of Goose Air Base, Labrador (Canada). The diplomatic note of agreement between Canada and the United States for installation of the station was signed on 1 August 1951. Seelye, Stephenson, Value and Knacht of New York were employed as the A&E and the construction contract was awarded to Frazier Brace Construction Company of Canada. Hopedale was one of the most difficult sites to construct because of the granite contents. Sand and aggregate had to be shipped into the area. The 923^rd Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was activated on 13 June 1953 and personnel arrived at station by ship on 1 Nov 1953.

Assigned units consisted of the 923^rd AC&W Squadron and the 1932ns AFCS Det 9. The 923^rd AC&W Squadron (ADC) supports Det 9 of the 1932 AFCS. This detachment is composed of civilian contractors who operate the BMEWS facilities located on an adjacent hill near the station. The Eastern terminus of the Mid-Canada Line was located in the vicinity of the BMEWS station.

The Air Station overlooks Hopedale village and the bay. The highest elevation of the station is approximately 480 feet above sea level. Surrounding terrain is rocky with little vegetation with nearby hills rising abruptly to a height of 700 feet. Geologically, the hill on which the station was constructed and the surrounding hills are made up of granite with numerous dikes of basalt dissecting the granite.

Semi-arctic best describes the weather encountered at Hopedale. Snowfall ranges from moderate to heavy with temperatures ranging to minus 20 degrees F. Extremely high winds add to the winter weather discomfort while summers are reasonably mild with temperatures of 75 degrees not uncommon. During the summer, heavy fog off the bay and ocean are considered normal. The average yearly temperature is 30 degrees F.

The mission of the 923^rd Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was to conduct Air Defense Operations within its assigned area of responsibility as outlined in ADC (RCAF) ASI 3/4/3 and to function as a Direction Center in the Air Defense System. In addition to its normal duties as a GCI Site, this station was also responsible for operating the Mid-Canada Line station here. It was the only station on the Mid-Canada Line that was manned by USAF personnel.

Facilities were as follows:

1	Facilities Inventory Value	$13,059.00
2	Number of Building and Primary Facilities	45 Each
3	Areas of Buildings and Primary Facilities	93,875 SF
4	Roads	37,457 SY
5	Parking and Storage Area	14,000 SY
6	Sanitary Sewer	1,100 LF
7	Electrical Distribution: Overhead Underground	13,123 LF 0
8	Water Mains	4,347 LF
9	Land	744 Acres