Cartwright, Labrador

1 July - 30 September
1954

The normal routine of the squadron was enlivened during the reporting period by annual re-supply, and by the arrival and departure of many visitors. Re-supply was carried out mainly by USNS Vela, which paused briefly on its southbound trip on 1 July to off-load PX and general supplies. On 10 August it returned from the States, bringing food, general and PX supplies. The Vela once again stopped on its southbound trip on 6 September to off-load supplies from Goose Air Base.

The tanker Toni pumped 12,000 bbl of diesel furl into the squadron’s tanks on 12 September.

Other Seaborne arrivals were:

USNS Redbud, 14 July. The Redbud stayed in the area for several days while its crew erected six channel markers for shipping.

FS-209, 2 August. Spare parts and maintenance personnel brought in by the FS-209 were used for annual maintenance on the Transportation Corps vehicles at the site (tractors, semi-trailers, and cranes).

Visitors came and went in large numbers during the reporting period. First to arrive was Premier Joseph Smallwood of Newfoundland on 1 July. On 6 July the Chief of RCMP Division "B" visited the site.

The outstanding social event of the summer began 15 July when the frigate HMCS Penetang arrived bringing Lt. Governor Sir Leonard Outerbridge of Newfoundland on his annual visit to Labrador. During Sir Leonard’s visit to the site and on succeeding days, the ship’s crew made use of the recreational facilities of the squadron. In return representatives of the squadron visited the ship, and took advantage of an opportunity to go to sea with the ship for a day’s gunnery and seamanship exercises. Off-duty activities included baseball games and a bridge tournament. Commemorative pictures are appended.

A partial listing of other visitors follows:

On 28 August Major Walker, squadron commander, received orders to assume command of the 931^st AC&W Squadron at Thule. He departed 30 August; Captain Sawin, senior officer remaining, assuming and retaining command until the end of the reporting period.

Most of the squadron personnel having departed the ZI 26 September 1953, interest in rotation mounted in intensity throughout the reporting period. Rotation began 2 July, when four advance party personnel departed, and continued in small increments. The largest group to depart left 20 September aboard the Labrador Special, when 34 replacements came in. But as of the end of the reporting period, approximately half the squadron had yet to depart for the ZI. Transfer of responsibility for the squadron’s functions from old to new personnel was orderly.

The chief form of recreation for the squadron during the summer was fishing, both fresh and salt-water. Everyone was given the opportunity to go for three days to a cabin, the use of which was generously donated by the manager of the local Hudson’s Bay Company Store, on the Eagle River, one of the world’s famous salmon-fishing grounds. In addition, catches of sea trout and cod were made frequently.

The third term of the University of Maryland program was finished 13 August 1954. Seventeen students received three semester hours of English credit apiece. Temporarily suspended because of rotation, classes will resume 22 November. Courses in history and government will be offered at that time.

A team of officers and airmen assembled from various bases in the Command spent two weeks at the site during September cleaning up the contractor’s camp and arranging for removal of a substantial part of the equipment left when the camp was abandoned by Fraser-Brace-Terminal Contractors during November 1953. Some equipment, currently in use for accomplishing the Polevault & Drake-Merritt contracts noted was marked for eventual shipment, but was picked up temporarily on the squadron UAL. The results of this activity were a vast improvement in condition of the camp, and clarification of accountability for contractor property.

The squadron received its UAL on 27 September. It was completed, and returned to the support base on 7 October.

Ground was broken for Project Polevault 11 August. By 390 September the contractor estimated that the work was 60% complete, and that it would be finished 15 November. The maximum number on the payroll for this project was 51 men, which had decreased to 42 by the end of the reporting period. The antenna erecting crew was expected 20 October.

After a short period of renovation the equipment left at this site by Fraser-Brace-Terminal Constructors, Drake-Merritt Company commenced rehabilitation of certain station facilities 16 August. A total of 36 different items were scheduled under this contract, including completely re-roofing the site, replacing outside power lines, inserting valves in the main six-inch steam lines, replacing outside doors, installing storm ports at outside doors, etc.,

From a peak of 86 men working 70 hours a week, the payroll for this project had declined at the end of the reporting period to 63 men. Drake-Merritt Company is working on a "lump-sum" contract, rather than on cost-plus.

ADX Checkpoint was the highlight of the squadron’s activities in the Operations area during July. During the exercise, which lasted from 092153Z to 111820Z July, 21 unknown tracks were detected, of which six were intercepted by aircraft under control of this GCI station. Though the squadron’s effectiveness was not hampered, the training was extremely beneficial. As a result, it is doubtful that chaff, or electronic jamming to condition 2 would ever seriously interfere in future with the performance of the radar operators who were subjected to these conditions during the exercise.

Seven August saw the implementation of plans made months earlier, when a GCI letdown was made. A Maritime Central Aircraft was brought down through a 400 foot overcast, and made a successful landing.

During a period of maximum surveillance on 3 September, the Air Defense Direction Center identified 17 tracks carried by this GCI unit as unknown. Nine of these tracks were intercepted, giving this squadron its record high number of intercepts completed in one day.

Table 1 gives a statistical breakdown of monthly operational performance figures.

Several of the figures in Table 1 show startling increases for September. These were due entirely to the activation 311630Z August of the HF link between this unit and the ADCC. Communications effectiveness is summarized on the following table.

Table 2

Communications Effectiveness

The TPS-502 height-finder was placed in operation on 11 August, and after a shakedown period is performing satisfactorily.

The following table gives figures for effectiveness of the FPS-3C, this unit’s primary radar.

Table 3

Radar Operational Performance

Attention is invited to the length of time taken to complete the radome change. It is believed that few radomes were ever changed in a shorter period.

This report marks the end of the original 922^nd AC&W Squadron. Shortly, none of the original personnel will be left. But it is believed that a sound foundation on which to build has been left those who now carry the burden. Many of those departed and soon to depart for the States will agree with one of the squadron’s distinguished visitors, who said that in all his wide experience, this was the best squadron he had ever seen.