Saglek, Labrador

Section I

The mission of the 924^th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron is to conduct Air Defense operations, within assigned area of responsibility; to support the Melville NORAD Control Center as a surveillance station in the air defense system, to operate and maintain the air strip at Saglek Bay, Labrador, and provide logistic support to the BMEWS communications relay complex at this site.

Section II

Command:

Lt. Colonel RM Winn, 50342A, departed the base in June for the United States where he will spend a few weeks on ordinary leave before retiring from active military service on 31 July 1963. Lt. Colonel Cyril J Hanko, A02072451, arrived on 7 June 1963 from Duluth Air Defense Sector, Minnesota and assumed command of the squadron on 11 June 1963. Colonel Clifford F Macomber, who succeeded Colonel Victor Milner as Commander of the Goose Air Defense Sector, visited the installation in June. Accompanied by Colonel William C Sullivan, Vice Commander of GADS, Colonel Macomber was given an orientation briefing and conducted on a tour of base facilities. The month of June was also highlighted by the first visit of Air Vice Marshal JB Harvey, Commander of Northern NORAD Region, North Bay, Ontario. AVM Harvey who was accompanied by Colonel Milner toured the base and was Guest of Honour at an informal dinner in the base dining hall.

Civil Engineering Section:

The remodelled NCO Open Mess was officially opened on 1 June 1963 after receiving a partial shipment of furniture purchased through Government Services Administration (GSA) in New York City. The rehabilitation of the Open Mess was accomplished by volunteer labour at an approximate cost of $5,000 including materials and furnishings. The new mess facility boasts a modern lounge area, a snack bar and a hi-fidelity distribution system to make it one of the most attractive and functional open messes in the Goose Sector. During the quarter, many other improvements throughout the base were begun and/or completed by the Civil Engineering section, self-help or the mobile maintenance team. A divider which separates the main dining area from the serving line was installed in the base dining hall. Finished with Marlite panelling of blonde walnut design and displaying three 16 x 20 photographs of various landscape scenes in the Saglek Bay area, the divider added a cheerful atmosphere to the dining hall. The mobile maintenance team began rehabilitation of Tower #3 to include living quarters for transient personnel. Other projects accomplished by the team include relocation of the base library adjacent to KSAG radio station. The game room was moved from an obscure location in Tower #3 to the room adjoining the library. The convenience and accessibility of the game room resulted in increased utilization. Drop ceilings were installed in the library, game room and the Officer’s Mess Dining Hall. Station overhire projects included demolition of temporary buildings at the lower camp, repair of damage caused by the wind storm in January, repair of roofs and completion of various painting requirements. The summer road was opened on 15 May 1963 with no major problems encountered. Captain Robert De La Cruz, A02245546, arrived in June from Niagara Falls Air Force Missile Site to assume duties as Civil Engineer. He replaced Major Gerald V Douglas who was assigned to Cape Canaveral, Florida. Pole Vault equipment was dismantled by a team from Eastern GEEIA in June. Packing and crating will be contracted by 26^th Air Division for future removal of the equipment at the installation.

Operations:

The squadron participated in GADS Tactical Evaluation exercises conducted by 64^th Air Division in May. Although there were no evaluation team visitors to the station, the squadron was complimented by the sector commander for its support which resulted in an overall successful performance for the sector. During the quarter, the squadron participated on six (6) live exercises, one (1) live ECM demonstration and ten (10) STM problems. All exercises were completed successfully with minimum problems encountered. Captain Roger L Cullop, A03052713, arrived from Alaska in April to assume duties as assistant to Major William J Weiland, A01995831, Operations Officer. Captain Cullop was evaluated and upgraded to combat ready status in May while on temporary duty at 641^st AC&W Squadron, Melville Air Station, Labrador. Several improvements in the section were accomplished which included relocating and repainting the plotting board. A new teller/recorder position was installed and a new AST/Battle Commander table was completed.

CEM Maintenance:

The excellent record established in the maintenance management concept as outlined in AFM 66-1 suffered during the quarter due in part to personnel shortages and squadron detail requirements. Several procedures were discovered as being contrary to maintenance plans published by Chief of Maintenance at GADS. These deficiencies contributed significantly to the gradual deterioration of the program. Problems areas were identified and procedures were evaluated to bring the AFM 66-1 program into desired standards. The Maintenance Co-ordination Center had to be manned 24 hours a day from available resources within the 30XXX career fields. In an effort to mitigate the effects of personnel losses, MCC was moved adjacent to the Radar Maintenance section to enable the radar technician on evening shifts to man both sections. This proved advantageous since the normal workload on these shifts was small enough to permit dual responsibility. GADS submitted a request to higher headquarters to approve Unit Manning Document authorization for MCC. Equipment systems checks determined by the PEGE program were mostly successful during the quarter. Due to scoring procedures, Radio Maintenance failed to achieve a desired percentage score for ground/air channel checks in May although only two channel checks were unsuccessful. Three apprentice level radar airmen completed OJT for upgrading to the 5 skill level and were scheduled for Skill Knowledge Testing in July. Two apprentice level radio airmen also completed OJT and were scheduled for Classification Board action because of non-availability of SKT’s for the Radio Maintenance career field. Major Jess Jefferies, Chief of Maintenance for GADS, made his first visit to the section in May. His comments on CEM Maintenance activities were complimentary. As part of the base wide project to rehabilitate facilities, all CEM maintenance sections were painted. There were great improvements made in the overall appearance of the radar tower however, much work remains in order to achieve desired standards.

Base Equipment and Management Office (BEMO):

The project of declaring excesses in the supply section ended on 10 April 1963. All excess items, total value of approximately $20,000, were shipped to Goose Air Base for redistribution and/or marketing. With the exception of a few trackmaster items, all Vehicles Deadlined for Parts (VDP) requisitions were cleared. The supply warehouse was painted and reorganized to provide more space for items expected on summer GAP PINE resupply. There were 45 flights made by Eastern Provincial Airways (EPA) and/or Maritime Canadian Airways (MCA) supplying the base with 116, 061 pounds of cargo and transporting 168 passengers from Goose Air Base. There were 42,469 pounds of cargo and 146 passengers transported from the base during the quarter.

Personnel and Administration:

Typed Name and Grade of Commander

Signature