Kamloops, BC
1959 - Historical Record - Anonymous
HISTORICAL RECORD
of the
825th AC&W Squadron
for the period ending
31 December 1959
1 Unit and Location
825th AC&W Squadron, Kamloops, BC, Canada
2 Name and grade of Commander
John H. Farrar, Major
3 Chain of Command (Superior Echelons)
825th AC&W Squadron, Kamloops, BC, Canada
25th Air Division (SAGE), McChord Air Force Base, Washington
Western Air Defense Force, Hamilton Air Force Base, California
Air Defense Command, Ent Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Headquarters, United States Air Force, Washington 25, DC
4 Subordinate Units (Down to and including squadrons)
Not Applicable
5 Mission (Give authority and brief statement of primary mission)
25th Air Division Manual direction center with added responsibility of consolidating and forwarding Air Defense information from 917th, 918th and 919th Squadron to 823rd AC&W Squadron. Authority: Western NORAD Region.
6 Personnel
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|
Officers
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Airmen
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Civilians
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Total
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|
Assigned
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15
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148
|
18
|
181
|
|
Attached
|
0
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0
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2
|
2
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7 Equipment (Give official nomenclature and quantity of mission-type equipment)
AN/FPS-3A, AN/FPS-6
In this past quarter there have been several major and minor improvements in our operational area. Operational activity in October and November was intensive. The result of these two factors was a noticeable improvement in our operational effectiveness.
Operations:
Six additional PPI scopes and two large wingboards were installed in November. The installation of this equipment and a realignment of communications brought the environment within the operations room up to standards outlined in the ADC manual for all operations rooms. Still needed are the combination structures for working space, storage of logs, charts and aids, support for items of communications equipment, and other uses peculiar to an operations room. These are expected to be constructed within the next six months.
The Squadron participated in forty-four STM exercises, nine division exercises, one WADF tactical evaluation and a NORAD ADC operational readiness inspection. Favorable comments were the rule, with an excellent being obtained in the WADF evaluation and a Satisfactory in the NORAD ADC ORI. The unit still maintains its record of never having a missed intercept attributed to personnel error, and in the ORI completed 26 MAs for 26 attempts. It is a little difficult to imagine more satisfactory results.
Radar Maintenance:
The key phrase in the report from this section is "No difficulties of sufficient importance." Throughout the period equipment outages were always within the limits desired by higher headquarters. The C&E Depot Iran team performed their function on the T-5 Trainer, R I FF and radome pressurizing system 23 November to 9 December, and two members of the Philco installation team arrived in December to prepare for installation of the second height finder, an AN/FPS-6B.
Communications:
Although a shortage of personnel forced this section to borrow one man from operations for switchboard duty, several projects of importance were completed. All ten line key units within the operations room were relocated and rewired. Both the transmitter and receiver buildings were repainted by communications personnel. A partition needed to isolate the clattering communication center was erected, and desk personnel are no longer distracted and irritated by high noise factors.
Installation Engineering:
An extremely wet fall forced discontinuation of the trailer court contract in October. Similarly, all work on the $80,000.00 modification of the road to the peak site had to be discontinued when snow fell early and heavily. This development was a major disappointment to many personnel with trailers and presented the unit with a still hazardous road throughout this winter. Two heavy equipment operators were acquired as overhire for four months to perform round the clock snow removal and sanding of roads.
Food Service:
Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners were served within our station facilities to the squadron members and their dependents.
Base Exchange:
During this reporting period the Base Exchange has increased their display capacity by thirty percent and its anticipated monthly inventory is $12,000.