Naval Security Group Station History Updated: 13 Jul 08 ======================================================================================== Station Opened Closed/Disestablished ======================================================================================== Naval Security Group Command Headquarters (COMNAVSECGRU) Code and Signal section, Naval Communications Service 1917 Jul 1922 Navy Security, Cryptologic Element, DNC OP-20-G Jul 1922 11 Mar 1935 Code and Signals Section Navy Security Group, Washington DC 11 Mar 1935 10 Jul 1946 Navy Department building, Washington DC Feb 1943 18th St. & Constitution Ave. Communication Security Group 11 Mar 1935 15 Mar 1939 Radio Intelligence Section 15 Mar 1939 01 Oct 1939 Communication Security Section 01 Oct 1939 10 Jul 1946 Moved to 3801 Nebraska Ave, Washington DC Feb 1943 Communications Supplementary Activity 10 Jul 1946 28 Jan 1950 Navy Security Group (OP-202), Washington DC 28 Jan 1950 1956 Security Branch, Naval Communications Division OP-202 redesignated OP-302 0l Jun 1954 OP-302 redesignated OP-30G 03 Jan 1955 Naval Security Group Headquarters Activity 1956 07 Jul 1961 OP-30G redesignated OP-94G 05 May 1959 Naval Security Group Headquarters, Washington DC 07 Jul 1961 0l Jul 1968 Naval Security Group Command, Washington DC 0l Jul 1968 30 Nov 1995 OP-94G redesignated OP-944, 15 Mar 1971 Signals Exploitation and Security Division Naval Security Group Command, Ft. Meade, MD 01 Dec 1995 30 Sep 2005 COMNAVNETWARCOM IOD Ft. Meade, MD 01 Oct 2005 Present Commander, Naval Network Warfare Command, Information Operations Directorate The Naval Security Group Command was disestablished on September 30, 2005; and all functions and missions were transferred to the Naval Network Warfare Center (NNWC), located at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) in Norfolk, VA. The COMNAVSECGRU offices and personnel were reassigned as the Naval Network Warfare Command, Information Operations Directorate, Ft. Meade, MD on October 1, 2005. NAVNETWARCOM Little Creek, Norfolk VA: http://www.netwarcom.navy.mil/. NETWARCOM IOD Ft. Meade MD: http://www.nnwc-ftmeade.navy.mil/, =================================================================================== Naval Security Station (NAVSECSTA), 3801 Nebraska Avenue NW, Washington DC The facility at 3801 Nebraska Avenue has quite a history. Located five miles from downtown Washington, the site lies in the historic NW area of the District of Columbia, just across Ward Circle from the American University. In an effort to break WWII Japanese (and later) German codes, early cryptologists and cryptanalysts spent thousands of hours in those myriad rooms. They were codebreakers. In February, 1943, over 1,100 men and women worked on the complex problems associated with codebreaking. By the end of WWII, there were over 5,000 persons employed as codebreakers at the Navy's Nebraska Avenue facility. Those of you who have ever been stationed at, or visited NAVSECSTA, surely have fond memories of all the hidden nooks and crannies in the CNSG HQ facility. Rooms and entrances that cascaded down otherwise hidden stairwells. Circular stairways and hidden entrances. The maze of narrow corridors that seemed like the secret passageways ripped from the pages of some mystery novel; or from a medieval castle. Why all the unusual architecture? Because the buildings were previously the campus of the Mount Vernon Seminary (1917-1942), a private school for girls, including dormitories and classrooms. Mount Vernon Seminary (1917-1942). Before the Navy acquired the land in 1942, it was the campus of the Mount Vernon Seminary. With 14 contributing buildings, Mount Vernon was a nonsectarian private school for girls. In 1868, Mrs. Elizabeth J. Somers accepted private pupils in her home at 204 F Street, NW., Washington, D.C. She began teaching private students at the request of prominent statesmen. She officially opened Mount Vernon Seminary in 1875 as a "Family and Day School for Young Ladies". Mrs. Somers was named the 1st President of the seminary in 1913 and retired in 1914. The school moved to Nebraska Avenue on November 5, 1917. November 5th is the school's Founder's Day, which was instituted to honor Mrs. Somers' eightieth birthday. The new building had the capacity to house 130 resident students. Mrs. Somers died on June 8, 1924. In 1928, the Nebraska Avenue campus was enlarged from 15 to 31 acres. In 1942, the U.S. Navy took over the Mount Vernon Seminary campus on Nebraska Avenue "in the interest of the war effort". In 1944, Mount Vernon College was granted "just compensation for school property" that was acquired by the U.S. Navy. In 1945, the College purchased 21 acres on Foxhall Road, then purchased an additional 5 acres of the adjoining property. On November 5, 1945, Founder's Day, ground was broken for the new school on Foxhall Road; where the campus remains today. In May of 1999, the 124-year-old women's college was affiliated with the George Washington University and officially became the George Washington University at Mount Vernon College. Source: George Washington University, Washington D.C., University Archives -- Virtual Tours. Mount Vernon Seminary and College: A Chronology. . In July 1922, the U.S. Navy formally established a cryptologic element, known as the Communication Security Unit, or DNC OP-20-G; a part of the Office of the Director of Naval Communications. The unit was located at the Main Navy Building, commonly referred to as "Main Navy", 18th St. & Constitution Ave. In October, 1928, the Navy also established a school for enlisted Navy and Marine Corps intercept operators at the Navy Department in Washington, D.C. In a specially constructed blockhouse, a classroom and eight intercept positions were erected on the roof of "Main Navy"; probably as much for the sake of privacy as for the lack of space. Student graduates became known as the "On the Roof Gang." The first instructor was Chief Radioman Harry Kidder, who had taught himself to recognize and intercept Japanese radio communications, while previously serving in the Philippines. On March 11, 1935, the unit was redesignated as the Communications Security Group (CSG). This date is observed as the birth of the Naval Security Group. In February, 1943, the CSG transferred to a new facility at 3801 Nebraska Ave. NW, Washington, DC. The facility at 3801 Nebraska Avenue was known as the Communications Supplementary Annex from February, 1943. It was renamed NAVCOMMSTA Washington (NCSW) on July 7, 1948, and redesignated as the Naval Security Station (NAVSECSTA) on September 21, 1950. In September, 1950, the Communications Security Group (CSG) and the Communications Supplementary Activity Washington (CSAW), were merged to officially form the establishment of the Naval Security Group, headquartered at NAVSECSTA. In 1994, the "Naval Security Station District" was identified as a historic property, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, administered by the National Park Service. The COMNAVSECGRU headquarters staff officially moved from NAVSECSTA to Fort George G. Meade, MD in November, 1995. NAVSECSTA was not officially disestablished until October 16, 1998, almost three years after the last NAVSECGRU office had moved. Besides COMNAVSECGRU HQ, other activities that resided at 3801 Nebraska Avenue included: the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Command (NCTC), the Director, Communications Security Material Systems (DCMS) (see below), a Personnel Support Detachment (PSD), and the Naval Electronic Systems Security Engineering Center (NESSEC). The site at 3801 Nebraska Avenue, NW was renamed in January, 2003, as the Nebraska Avenue Complex (NAC), a Field Support Activity of the Naval District Washington (NDW), headquartered at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington DC. Commencing on March 1, 2003, the Offices of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) called the Nebraska Avenue Complex home. On May 1, 2006, the Director, Communications Security Material System (DCMS) changed locations to Andrews AFB, in Clinton MD. The command name was also realigned to Naval Communications Security Material System (NCMS) Washington DC. Current tenant commands at the Nebraska Avenue Complex in 2007 include: the Naval Center for Cost Analysis, the Naval District Washington Public Safety, the Director of Strategic Systems Programs, the Office of Civilian Personnel Management, and the Navy International Programs Office. Naval Communications Supplementary Annex, Feb 1943 07 Jul 1948 (AKA) Naval Communications Annex Naval Communications Station, Washington DC 07 Jul 1948 21 Sep 1950 Naval Security Station (NAVSECSTA) Washington DC 21 Sep 1950 16 Oct 1998 Nebraska Avenue Complex 16 Oct 1998 Present =================================================================================== DCMS/NCMS Washington DC DCMS responsibilities included ensuring the proper security, distribution, handling, and accounting of COMSEC material in the COMSEC Material System. The Director, Communications Security Material System (DCMS) Washington was located at the Naval Security Station (NAVSECSTA), 3801 Nebraska Ave NW, Washington DC. DCMS was co-located with the Commander, Naval Security Group Command (COMNAVSECGRU); and the Commander, Naval Telecommunications Command (COMNAVTELCOM). On December 1, 1995, the Naval Security Group Headquarters moved from NAVSECSTA to Ft. Meade, MD. DCMS was subordinate to the Commander, Naval Telecommunications Command (COMNAVTELCOM), which was renamed the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Command (NAVCOMTELCOM). On July 9, 2001, NAVCOMTELCOM was renamed the Naval Network Operations Command (COMNAVNETOPSCOM) (NNOC). COMNAVNETOPSCOM was disestablished on May 1, 2002; when the Naval NETWARCOM command was formed. On May 1, 2002, the Naval Network Warfare Command (NAVNETWARCOM) was established and DCMS Washington DC became subordinate to NAVNETWARCOM. On May 1, 2006, DCMS Washington DC moved from the Nebraska Avenue Complex to Andrews Air Force Base, in Clinton, MD. Also on May 1, 2006, the command's name was changed from DCMS Washington DC (Director, Communications Security Material System) to NCMS Washington DC (Naval Communications Security Material System). The Naval Communications Security Material System (NCMS Washington DC), is located at Andrews AFB, in Clinton, MD. NCMS is a shore-based fleet activity subordinate to the Commander, Naval Network Warfare Command. NCMS is the single authoritative source and primary provider for Communications Security (COMSEC), Electronic Key Management System (EKMS) and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) material throughout the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command and National COMSEC Community. NCMS publishes policies, develops and provides training tasks and procedures, and distributes hardware. In addition, NCMS monitors all procedures and actions required to ensure the physical security of COMSEC material, including prevention of compromise and compromise recovery. DCMS Washington DC at Naval Security Station (3801 Nebraska Ave) Jan 2003 DCMS Washington DC at Nebraska Ave Complex (343 Intelligence Way) Jan 2003 01 May 2006 NCMS Washington DC 01 May 2006 Present at Andrews AFB, Clinton, MD (1560 Colorado Ave) ================================================================================== Adak, Clam Lagoon, Zeto Point, Aleutian Islands, Alaska Adak is located on Kuluk Bay on Adak Island in the Andreanof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands. It lies 1,300 miles southwest of Anchorage and 350 miles west of Dutch Harbor (Unalaska), near the Russian end of the arc that makes up this volcanic island chain. Flight time to Anchorage is four hours or longer depending on weather. Adak is the southern-most community in Alaska and on the same latitude as Vancouver Island in Canada. At the 2000 census the population was 316. A State of Alaska demographer in 2004 estimates the population at 69. Other than Attu Station, Adak is the westernmost town in the U.S. and the southernmost city in Alaska. The Aleutian Islands were historically occupied by the Unanga more commonly known now as the Aleuts. The first inhabitants of Adak Island were the Aleuts. Archaeological evidence reflects occupation as early as 9,000 years ago. The Aleuts hunted whales, seals, otters and sea lions, as well as island birds, and fished Adak’s freshwater streams and the surrounding seas. They lived in large, communal, subterranean structures of grass and earth built over driftwood or whalebone frames. The Aleuts developed technologies such as sophisticated kayaks and waterproof clothing to deal with the cool marine environment. Aleut settlements were often located in coves along freshwater streams. Remnants of prehistoric Aleut settlements remain on Adak today. The once heavily-populated island was eventually abandoned in the early 1800s as the Aleutian Island hunters followed the Russian fur trade eastward, and famine set in on the Andreanof Island group. However, they continued to actively hunt and fish around the island over the years, until World War II broke out. Russians first visited the Aleutian Islands in the early 1740s and were trading with the Aleuts by the 1750s. As recently as 1827, Adak was a busy trading settlement with a population of 193 Aleuts. By 1830, Russian settlers had occupied Adak and relocated the Aleuts to Russian settlements in Kodiak, the Pribilof Islands, and Sitka. Adak Island became part of the Alaska Territory, which was subsequently purchased from Russia by the U.S. in 1867. Since the early 1940s, the northern half of Adak Island has been used for military operations. In the early days of World War II, the Japanese bombed Dutch Harbor, located on Unalaska Island, east of Adak, near the mainland, and occupied the Aleutian Islands of Attu and Kiska, located to the west of Adak. Naval activities began on Adak with the establishment of Albert Mitchell Field in March, 1943. The Navy established two major Naval installations on Adak Island to counter the Japanese threat, Naval Air Station was established on May 15, 1943; and the Naval Operating Base was established on July 14, 1943. The U.S. Army Air Corps established a base on Adak Island at the same time. In the spring of 1944, Adak’s population included at least 32,000 military personnel. In preparation for a major offensive on the Japanese occupied islands of Kiska and Attu, as many of 90,000 troops on ship or shore were mobilized to the Aleutian arena. During World War II, Adak Army and Navy installations allowed U.S. forces to mount a successful offensive, and the islands of Kiska and Attu were returned to U.S. control. In September, 1943, the Naval Communications Supplementary Activity (COMSUPACT), Adak was established to provide communications support to the local forces. COMSUPACT was NSGA Adak's progenitor organization. The original activity consisted of eight (8) men, and operated out of quonset huts through the War's conclusion. In June, 1948, a new communications facility was constructed to replace the temporary wartime structures. After WWII, Adak was developed as a Naval Air Station, playing an important role during the Cold War as a submarine surveillance center. Large earthquakes rocked the island in 1957, 1964 and 1977. After WWII, the base on Adak Island was transferred to the U.S. Air Force and renamed Davis Air Force Base. After the Air Force withdrew, the Navy assumed all facilities on Adak Island. Three Naval commands operated on the island, including the Naval Air Facility (NAF), Naval Facility (NAVFAC), and Naval Security Group Activity (NSGA). In 1953, 15 officers and fewer than 200 enlisted men were assigned to the base. COMSUPACT Adak was decommissioned in October, 1951, and immediately replaced by the Naval Communications Station (NAVCOMMSTA) Adak, as a seperate command on the island. The CT complement became the Naval Security Group Dept of NCS Adak. The U.S. Naval Security Group Dept (and later NSGA) Adak maintained and operated a high frequency direction finding (HFDF) facility and provided communication support to Navy and other Department of Defense elements. The communications facility located on the island included an operations building located in the center of an AN/FRD-10A Circularly Disposed Antenna Array (CDAA), also known as a Wullenweber antenna array. The initial phase of construction on the AN/FRD-10A CDAA began in 1962, and the HFDF equipment was installed in 1963. The CDAA was operational in December, 1964. The CDAA ceased operations in December, 1994, and the CDAA was removed. The property remains under Navy control. The Navy presence on Adak Island was authorized by Public Land Order No. 1949, dated August 19, 1959, which withdrew the northern half of Adak Island (approximately 79,200 acres) from the National Wildlife Refuge for the Navy’s military use. By 1966, military and civilian personnel totaled almost 1,000, a number that stayed fairly steady through the 1970s. By 1981, the population had doubled by 2,000. In 1984, the Adak Naval Station was renamed Naval Air Station (NAS) Adak. By 1990, over 5,000 people were at the base, almost 3,000 of whom were military, the remainder composed of military dependents and civilian employees. In 1994, NAS Adak was designated as Naval Air Facility (NAF) Adak. Since World War II, the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard developed outstanding facilities and recreation opportunities at Adak. Adak had in its heyday a college, movie theater, roller skating rink, swimming pool, ski lodge, bowling alleys, skeet range, auto hobby shop, photo lab, and racquetball and tennis courts. A new $18-million hospital was built in 1990 just seven years prior to the closure of the station. On April 1, 1977; after nearly twenty six years as an active telecommunications, and cryptologic site, NAVCOMMSTA Adak was decommissioned, and the Naval Security Group Activity Adak was commissioned. During the next ten years, NSGA Adak's mission and scope were significantly increased. NSGA Adak grew into a major command of over 700 military personnel. The end of the Cold War, coupled with the high cost of sustaining operations, placed NSGA Adak under consideration for downsizing. NSGA Adak began downsizing by terminating the Manual Morse Collection operations in November, 1993. Full scale drawdown efforts took place throughout 1994, including the closing of the Naval Telecommunications Center in January, 1994; and the termination of Special Communications and High Frequency Direction Finding (HFDF) operations in December, 1994. The command closure effort peaked in 1995, with the U.S. Army's 743rd Military Intelligence Brigade detachment departing in June, 1995. Classic Wizard operations ceased in September, 1995. The Telecommunications Department became a detachment of Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, Puget Sound, on September 30, 1995. NSGA Adak achieved final facilities closure, detached all remaining personnel, and formally decommissioned on January 31, 1996. At its peak, the station housed over 6,000 Naval and Coast Guard personnel, and their families. In 1994, family housing and schools were closed after severe cutbacks related to national military base closures. The station officially closed on March 31, 1997, and currently houses civilians. The Aleut Corporation acquired Adak's facilities under a land transfer agreement, between the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Navy/Department of Defense. Properties are currently under lease. About 30 families with children relocated to Adak in September 1998, most of them Aleut Corp. shareholders, and a school was reopened. Aleut Corp. is currently developing Adak as a commercial center. The community incorporated as a second-class city in April 2001. By March 2003, just six years after the closure of the station, most of these facilities had closed. Resulting in the city of Adak turning into a virtual ghost town with its buildings showing little signs of wear or disuse as if the people left just the year before. In 2004, the former base was traded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the Aleut Corporation. A southern portion of the island remains within the National Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, and is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The former base has two areas with extensive development. The first is the "downtown" area of Adak, where NAF was located and which includes the airfield, port facilities, landfills, sewage treatment facilities, light industrial, administration, commercial, recreational, and residential areas. The second main developed area, formerly used by NSGA, includes the northern part of the island and areas around Clam Lagoon. The NSGA area is no longer used; the downtown area is being used under an interim lease to the Adak Reuse Corporation, a subsidiary of the Aleut Corporation. Adak currently provides a fueling port and crew transfer facility for a mostly Seattle based fishing fleet, including an airport, docks, housing facilities, restaurant, grocery, and ship supply store. Norquest-Adak Seafood Co., an employer of a large seasonal staff, processes Pacific cod, pollock, mackerel, halibut, snow and king crabs. Commercial fishing vessels based out of Seattle and other parts of Alaska provide most of the work for the fish plant by regularly offloading their catch in Adak. Because of its Naval aviation past, Adak has a surprisingly large and sophisticated airport for the Aleutian Islands. Complete with a Instrument Landing System. Alaska Airlines operates passenger and cargo jet service from Anchorage to Adak with a stopover usually in King Salmon. The number of flights are dependent on the demand of the fishing season. Hunting and fishing are bountiful sports in Adak. Hunters particularly prize Adak caribou, the largest of which can exceed 700 pounds. There is no bag limit, but you do need to get to the south side of the island where the caribou are (local boat charters are available for about $2,500 per day). Anglers can find large to enormous halibut in the Kagalaska Straits. The Naval Security Group Department, Naval Communications Station Adak activated in October, 1951. On April 1, 1977, the NSG Dept was re-established as the U.S. Naval Security Group Activity Adak, Alaska. By 1994, all military dependents had been transferred from Adak. By February 1996, following a military draw down, approximately 500 military and 50 civilian personnel were stationed on Adak. Adak was slated for closure under the Base Realignment and Closure Act in July 1995. NSGA Adak was closed and deactivated on January 31, 1996. The military mission at Adak was ended on March 31, 1997, and the station was officially closed. COMSUPACT, Adak, AK Sep 1943 Oct 1951 NSG Dept, NCS Adak, AK Oct 1951 01 Apr 1977 NSGA Adak AK 01 Apr 1977 31 Jan 1996 The Navy manages approximately 79,200 acres of the northern portion of the island which is owned by the Department of the Interior and includes the former NSGA site. =================================================================================== Alice Springs, Pine Gap, North West Cape, Northern Territory, Australia Alice Springs is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Its estimated population of 26,486 (in 2005) makes it the second-largest settlement in the Territory (the only other towns of significant size are Darwin, the capital, and Katherine). It is popularly described as "the Alice" or simply "Alice". Almost in the exact center of the continent, Alice Springs is located in the scenic Macdonnell ranges, some 1200 kilometers from the nearest ocean and 1500 kilometers, almost equidistant between the nearest major cities, Darwin and Adelaide. Alice Springs was originally established, under the name of Stuart, named for the explorer John McDouall Stuart, who first crossed the continent near there in 1860. The town of Stuart's main importance was as a telegraph station linking Adelaide and Port Darwin, which was completed in 1872. Stuart, the site of the original white settlement was, from 1926 to 1931, the capital of the short-lived territory of Central Australia. Alice Springs, the name given to the Telegraph Station and the water hole discovered in 1871, which made the town's existence possible; was named after the wife of Sir Charles Todd, then superintendent of telegraphs. However, this dual naming created such confusion for administrators in Adelaide, that on August 31, 1933, after much debate, the town of Stuart was officially renamed Alice Springs. The north-south road between Darwin, Alice Springs and Adelaide is still called the Stuart Highway. In the 1960's, the U.S. Government entered into talks with the Australian Government to construct a Satellite Relay Station in Australia's inland. In 1964-65, central Australia was selected as the region to construct the facility. The Australian Government proposed a 25 acre piece of land. The site, owned by the Australian Air Force, was located 19 kilometers from the town center of Alice Springs. On December 16, 1966, an announcement was made that a Joint Australian-American facility would be constructed near Alice Springs. The Pine Gap facility became operational in 1970, and consisted of a U.S.-Australian NAVDET Combined Support Group. The facility initially employed 25 Americans and about 60 Australians. In 1989, the NAVDET Combined Support Group at Pine Gap was renamed the Joint Defense Space Research Facility, Pine Gap. American influence in Alice Springs comes primarily from the proximity to Pine Gap, a U.S. satellite tracking station, located 19 kilometers southwest of Alice Springs. While Pine Gap employs 700 American and Australians, there are currently 2,000 people in the Alice Springs district who carry U.S. citizenship. There is also a large influence of American culture in sport, including baseball, basketball, and American football competitions, alongside more Australian sports of cricket, Australian rules football and rugby. The U.S. Naval Security Group Detachment, Alice Spring was established in October, 1998. On September 30, 2005, NSG Det Alice Springs was administratively closed and was re-established on October 1, 2005 as the Navy Information Operations Detachment (NIOD) Alice Springs, Australia. NIOD Alice Springs is subordinate to, and a detachment of, NIOC Ft. Meade, MD. NIOD Alice Springs, AS: http://www.niocmd.navy.mil/alicesprings/ (under construction). NSG Det Alice Springs, Australia Oct 1998 30 Sep 2005 NIOD Alice Springs, Australia 01 Oct 2005 Present =================================================================================== Amagansett, Long Island, New York U.S. Coast Guard Station Amagansett (#68) was built in 1849 at a site given as "abreast of the village" of Amagansett, on the ocean side of Long Island. The station was rebuilt in 1880-1881, and rebuilt again in 1902. In the 1924 U.S. Coast Guard Register, the station is listed as "discontinued as an active unit," but in the 1925 Register, Amagansett is again listed as an active unit. The station was disestablished in 1937 and a revocable permit was granted to the U.S. Navy to use the station site as a Naval Radio Direction Finder station. In the 1938 U.S. Coast Guard Register, the station is listed as an inactive station. In August 1940, the U.S. Navy had six sites with diplomatic targets, which were all linked directly, or indirectly through U.S. Army communication circuits, to Washington DC via radio and landline communications. Twelve netted sites (six Navy and six Army) were authorized to intercept Japanese diplomatic traffic. The six Navy sites were Winter Harbor, ME (Station W) (February, 1935 to February, 1944; Amagansett, NY (station G) (November, 1939 to 1956); Cheltenham, MD (Station M) (September, 1939 to August 1953); Jupiter, FL (Station J) (September, 1939 to July, 1945); Heeia, HI (Station H) (June, 1934 to December, 1941; and Fort Ward, Bainbridge Island, WA (Station S) (August, 1939 to March, 1953). The six Army sites were Fort Monmouth, NJ (Station 1); Presidio, CA (Station 2), Fort Sam Houston, TX (Station 3), Corozal, CA (Station 4), Fort Shafter, HI (Station 5) and Fort Hunt, VA (Station 7). An Army Station #6 was proposed, but never activated. In March 1941, seeking to improve the interception efforts of the HFDF stations, a direct commercial teletype service link was authorized, procured and inaugurated between the installations at Winter Harbor, ME (Station W), Amagansett, NY (Station G), Fort Ward, Bainbridge Island, WA (Station S) radio intercept facilities; and the Net Control Station at Cheltenham, MD (Station M). This development allowed the stations to forward intercepts immediately to Washington upon receipt. While the primary emphasis was on Japanese diplomatic traffic other "messages of unusual nature appearing to be of sufficient importance to warrant attention" would also be forwarded. The result was improving coverage of radio circuits and minimizing delays in getting the intercepts to the cryptanalysts. In 1942, the Amagansett Incident (landing of German spies by submarine) took place. See the following link for the full story. . World War II Naval communications activities at Amagansett, Long Island, NY included a Naval Radio Direction Finder Station, a Naval Radio Station, and a Naval Supplementary Radio Station. In addition, there was also an active Navy Radio Monitoring Station at Bellmore on Long Island. By far, the largest Naval activity on Long Island was the Naval Torpedo Testing Range, Montauk, Long Island; the Navy's massive torpedo testing plant. The plant was designed to help develop and test the new generation of torpedoes that would win the war. The plant was located in Lake Montauk Harbor, at Fort Pond Bay, along Navy Road. In June, 1945, the Naval Radio Station at Amagansett was closed and the buildings and properties were returned to the U.S. Coast Guard. COMSUPACT, Naval Radio Station Amagansett, NY Nov 1939 1956 Communications Radio Intelligence Unit (Station "G" in 1940) Station was transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard Jun 1945 =================================================================================== Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage is located in south-central Alaska. To the east, the Chugach Mountains serve as the backdrop for the city’s magnificent skyline. To the west are the expansive, steel-colored waters of Cook Inlet, named after the explorer Captain James Cook, who sailed into the area in 1778. Anchorage was founded in 1915, as a port for the Alaska railroad, whose headquarters were there. Row upon row of tents popped up in the Ship Creek area as the construction of Alaska’s railroad got under way. Anchorage was incorporated as a city in 1920. The number of people living in Anchorage by 1929 had grown to 2,736. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Anchorage found itself on the front lines of the conflict. Airfields, roads, and other infrastructure were hastily constructed during the war. Concrete and steel buildings crowded out the frontier shacks. The arrival of troops to Anchorage in 1940 marked a decade of growth based on military expansion. By the outbreak of World War II the threat of Japanese invasion prompted a continuous influx of military personnel, aircraft and equipment. During the war, Anchorage’s population exploded from around 8,000 to more than 43,000. After World War II the pressures of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union ensured a continued heavy military investment in the Anchorage area. Another benefit after WWII was the boom of aviation that spread throughout Alaska. Along with the construction of many airfields during the war, the military equipped its pilots with the finest in electronic equipment and devices for flying safely. These enhanced facilities made life easier for the bush pilots who, beginning in the 1920s, had become a critical part of life in Alaska. By 1964, Anchorage had become a regular stop on the Seattle- Tokyo transpolar air routes, and air, rail and truck transportation provided a basic civilian industry. Oil was discovered on the Kenai Peninsula in 1957. Seventeen oil companies set up headquarters in Anchorage and spent more than $30 million dollars on exploration. On January 3, 1959, Congress voted Alaska into statehood. Anchorage again experienced tremendous change when the earth cracked open on Good Friday, March 27, 1964. The strongest earthquake ever to hit North America, measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale, ripped through Anchorage. In 1968, oil was discovered on the Arctic Slope, north of the Brooks Mountain Range. The Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) was proposed in 1969. It met with tremendous opposition from environmentalists and other groups. On September 26-27, 1971, a particularly unique moment in history occurred at Elmendorf Air Force Base, when then President Richard Nixon met with Emperor Hirohito of Japan. This remarkable meeting marked the first time in Japan’s 2,000 year old history that their reigning monarch set foot on foreign soil. Today a monument on the site commemorates the event. In May of 1972, Congress granted authorization for construction of the oil pipeline. Construction began in 1974, with oil flowing from the North Slope to the ice-free port of Valdez in 1977. Today, Anchorage is a thriving city with more than 260,000 residents. Elmendorf Air Force Base, located adjacent to Anchorage, is the largest Air Force installation in Alaska and home of the Headquarters, Alaskan Command (ALCOM), Alaskan NORAD Region (ANR), Eleventh Air Force (11th AF) and the 3rd Wing. Construction on Elmendorf Field began on June 8, 1940. The first Air Corps personnel arrived on August 12, 1940. On November 12, 1940, the War Department formally designated what had been popularly referred to as Elmendorf Field as Fort Richardson. The air facilities on the post were named Elmendorf Field in honor of Capt Hugh M. Elmendorf, killed in 1 933 while flight testing an experimental fighter near Wright Field, Ohio. After World War II, the Army moved its operations to the new Fort Richardson and the Air Force assumed control of the original Fort Richardson and renamed it Elmendorf Air Force Base. The first Air Force unit to be assigned to Alaska, the 18th Pursuit Squadron, arrived in February 1941. The 23d Air Base Group was assigned shortly afterwards to provide base support. Other Air Force units poured into Alaska as the Japanese threat developed into World War II. The 11th Air Force was formed at Elmendorf AFB in early 1942. The field played a vital role as the main air logistics center and staging area during the Aleutian Campaign and later air operations against the Kurile Islands. The communications facility located on Elmendorf AFB included an operations building located in the center of an AN/FLR-9 Circularly Disposed Antenna Array (CDAA), also known as a Wullenweber antenna array. Following World War II, Elmendorf assumed an increasing role in the defense of North America as the uncertain wartime relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union deteriorated into the Cold War. The 11th Air Force was redesignated as the Alaskan Air Command (AAC) on December 18, 1945. The Alaskan Command was established on January 1, 1947, also headquartered at Elmendorf. The late 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s brought about a gradual, but significant decline in air defense forces in Alaska due to mission changes and the demands of the Vietnam War. The Alaskan Command was disestablished in 1975. Alaska's air defense force was further enhanced with the assignment of two E-3As to Elmendorf AFB in 1986. The Alaskan Command was reestablished at Elmendorf in 1989. The F-15E Strike Eagle equipped 90th Tactical Fighter was reassigned to Elmendorf Air Force Base from Clark Air Base in the Philippines, in May 1991. The NSGA located a Cape Chiniak, Alaska relocated to Elmendorf AFB, near Anchorage, Alaska on April 11, 1966; and the U.S. Naval Security Group Activity Anchorage, AK was established. NSGA Anchorage was disestablished on February 28, 1998. NSGA Cape Chiniak AK May 1946 11 Apr 1966 Moved to Anchorage, AK at Elmendorf AFB. NSGA Anchorage AK (at Elmendorf AFB) 11 Apr 1966 28 Feb 1998 Part of Elmendorf Air Force Base. =================================================================================== NSG Support Det Anchorage, AK 22 Nov 1991 NSG Support Det Seven, Anchorage, AK 1993 NSG Support Det One, Anchorage, AK 1995 NSG Support Det, Anchorage, AK 30 Sep 2005 NIOD Anchorage, AK (at Elmendorf AFB) 01 Oct 2005 Present =================================================================================== Astoria, Fort Stevens, Oregon See Bainbridge Island, Washington =================================================================================== Athens, Greece Athens is located in the southwestern Aegean Sea on the southernmost peninsula of mainland Greece. Athens, the capital of Greece, lies toward the southern end of the central plain of Attica. Athens is the political, economic and cultural center of Greece. The city's name was derived from the patron goddess Athena. The modern city was build around the ancient Acropolis. Athens faces the islands of Salamis and Aegina, directly to the south, and the island of Crete lies about 150 miles to the south. Greece was ruled by the Turks from 1458 until 1833, at which time the Kingdom of Greece was declared, and Athens was chosen as the new capital. During WWI, Athens was the site of the deposition of King Constantine, by the allies. During WWII, Athens was occupied by the Germans from April 27, 1941 to October 12, 1944. Athenai Air Force Base (later Hellenikon Air Base) was located 5 miles (7 km) south of Athens, and just west of the city of Komnina. During the Cold War, the Greek government allowed the U.S. Air Force to use the airport from 1945 until 1991, as a staging field for Air Transport Command on flights between Rome and the Middle East; and to process U.S. aid to Greece and Turkey with cargo and transport aircraft, under the Marshall Plan. The 7206th Air Base Squadron (7026th ABS) was activated as the host unit at Athenai Airfield on April 1, 1954. The 7026th ABS unit was renamed as the 7026th Air Base Group (7026th ABG) on May 15, 1955. Athenai Airfield was shared with Athenai International Air Port. The 7206th Air Base Group provided airlift evacuation operations from the Middle East (1967), Cyprus (1975), Ethiopia (1977), and Iran (1979, 1981). The 7026th ABG also provided administrative and logistical support to U.S. units and organizations in Greece, the Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean, and parts of Africa. The Athenai Airfield was renamed Hellenikon Air Base on February 25, 1976. Hellenikon Air Base was closed June 28, 1991. Civilian operations at Hellenikon came to an end in March 2001, after 60 years, when the new Athenai Airport opened at Sparta. The northern half of the old airport was redeveloped as one of the sites for the 2004 Summer Olympics. As of August 2004, most of the buildings on the grounds of the former U.S. air base were still standing. Hellinikon (or Ellinikon) International Airport was the international airport of Athens for sixty years up until 2001, when it was replaced by Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport. It was named after the Greek city Elliniko (Elleniko). The primary mission of NSG Det and NSGA Athens was the direct support (DIRSUP) of VP and VQ aircraft on Mediterranean Sea patrols. VQ-2 aircraft and crews, homebased out of Rota, Spain were supported by operations at NSGA Athens. NSG Det Athens was established on August 17, 1973; redesignated as NSGA Athens on May 19, 1980; and was disestablished and closed on October 1, 1990. NSG Det, Athens, Greece (at Athenai Air Force Base, 17 Aug 1973 19 May 1980 Hellenikon International Airport) NSGA Athens, Greece 19 May 1980 01 Oct 1990 At Hellenikon Air Base, Athens, Greece To: NSG Dept, Rota, Spain =================================================================================== Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Honshu, Japan Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi is the largest Naval Air Facility in the Pacific and home to Carrier Air Wing Five. NAF Atsugi is located in Kanagawa Prefecture in Ayase (ah-ya-sey) City, which is about 16 km due west of Yokohama and about 36 km southwest of Tokyo. On December 1, 1950, Naval Air Station, Atsugi was commissioned with Captain R. C. Sutliff as the first Commanding Officer. On board were three officers and 50 enlisted men. Patrol Squadron Six became the first squadron to operate from the station in January, 1951, followed shortly thereafter by a detachment of Fleet Aircraft Service Squadron 120. Commander Fleet Air, Japan moved his headquarters from Tokyo to Atsugi in April, 1951, with Captain Sutliff assuming the additional hat. At the same time, Commander Fleet Wing Six moved his headquarters from the USS Pine Island to the station. Commander, Fleet Air Western Pacific was established and headquartered at Atsugi in November, 1954. That position still exists and is the senior U.S. billet aboard Atsugi. In April 1969, Atsugi was involved in an international confrontation when an EC-121 reconnaissance plane assigned to VQ-1 (Atsugi) was reportedly shot down over the Sea of Japan by two North Korean MIGs. All 31 Navy men aboard the plane were killed. The base became a bustling community almost overnight when President Richard Nixon ordered an armada of Navy vessels to assemble in the Sea of Japan. Many Atsugi personnel toiled long hours to provide the 29 ships with logistic support. Gradually the tense situation abated, and the ships and Atsugi Base personnel returned to normal duties. By early 1970, the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) began moving in. Since then, the base has been shared by aviation elements of both nations. Although the U.S. forces continued to have access to the runway, the actual control of the runway was turned over to the JMSDF. Atsugi officially became a Naval Air Facility on July 1, 1971, with it's primary mission becoming maintenance of aircraft belonging to other units and facilities. For a time, U.S. flights were limited to aircraft belonging to the detachments maintained at Atsugi by VQ-1 and VRC-50. When carriers pulled into Naval Station (NS) Yokosuka, the pace quickened as many of the embarked aircraft flew to Naval Air Field Atsugi for maintenance. When the USS Midway was homeported in Yokosuka, NAF Atsugi became the home of Carrier Air Wing 5, the first carrier air wing to be permanently forward deployed. In 1991 the USS Independence replaced the decommissioned Midway, but CVW-5 remained to support the newer carrier. CVW-5 again cross-decked to the USS Kitty Hawk, as it replaced the USS Independence. With the closing of NAS Cubi Point in the Philippines in 1991 and NAS Agana in Guam in 1995, NAF Atsugi became the primary base for support of Naval aviation in the Western Pacific. In August, 1991, Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron One (VQ-1) closed its permanent detachment in Atsugi, Japan after 30 years, and moved it to Misawa, Japan. The Naval Security Group Detachment at Atsugi was disestablished on August 1, 1991. NSG Det Atsugi's support mission, functions and direct support personnel were transferred to the Naval Reconnaissance Support Detachment (VQ-1 Det), a Detachment of VQ-1 Misawa; which activated on August 1, 1991. VQ-1 Det remained at Atsugi until September 30, 1994; when the parent VQ-1 squadron moved it's homeport from NAS Agana, to NAS Whidbey Island. The VQ-1 Detachments at Atsugi and Misawa were disestablished. Support personnel were transferred to NSGA Misawa. U.S. Naval Telecommunications Center Atsugi was located on board Naval Air Facility Atsugi. The base was originally commissioned on April 1, 1943 by the Japanese Naval Air Force. The Atsugi based Air Group constituted the principle air defense force for the Kanto Plain against U.S. B-29 air strikes during World War II. In 1944, the leaders at Atsugi developed a system of 12 caverns with connecting tunnels; parts of this system still exist today. Following the outbreak of hostilities in Korea in 1950, the U.S. chose Atsugi to become the principal Naval Air Station for the Far East. On December 1, 1950, Naval Air Station Atsugi was commissioned. In 1971, the base converted to a joint use program with the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force and the base was renamed Naval Air Facility Atsugi. NTCC Atsugi, commissioned in February, 1991 as a part of NAVCOMTELSTA Yokosuka, Japan. Base Communications Officer (BCO) Atsugi transferred to NAVCOMTELSTA Yokosuka, Japan in 1993 and provided base telecommunications service. NTCC Atsugi was disestablished in 1994 however the BCO functions still remain under NAVCOMTELSTA Far East Yokosuka. NSG Det, Atsugi, Japan 15 Dec 1971 01 Aug 1991 Naval Reconnaissance Support Det (VQ-1 Det), 01 Aug 1991 30 Sep 1994 Atsugi, Japan To NSGA Misawa, Japan =================================================================================== Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany Augsburg is in the German Federal State of Bavaria. It is located about 30 km west-north-west of Munich, Germany, and lies at the junction of the Wertach and Lech rivers, and extends over the plateau area between the two rivers. Situated on the Frankfurt-Salzburg autobahn, Augsburg is an industrial center in southern Germany. Though considerably damaged during WWII, Augsburg retains much of its former stature. The post WWII arrival of U.S. Forces in Augsburg occurred on April 28, 1945, just prior to the German surrendered on May 7, 1945. In July, 1968, a U.S. Army Security Agency (USASA) Provisional Command was established at Augsburg and a cadre assigned. U.S. Army Security Agency Field Station (USASAFS) Augsburg was officially established on April 14, 1970, with an initial strength of 68 personnel and five companies: A, B, C, D & E Companies. Formal activation of USASAFS Augsburg took place on January 12, 1972; when mission operations commenced. The AN/FLR-9 (Wullenweber) antennae array was installed at Gablingen, Kaserne, a WWI German air base near Augsburg; in 1970 by the U.S. Army, to compliment and work in conjunction with the unit at San Vito, Italy and other stations in Europe. The AN/FLR-9 at Augsburg was deactivated in 1993, The Augsburg array was turned over to the Bundesnachrichtendienst, the German Intelligence Service known as the BND, in 1998; and it is no longer believed to be in service. Also in 1972, the 6910th USAF Security Group moved from Darmstadt to Augsburg. The 6910th Security Group was home to Air Force men and women from the 1950s to the 1970s. The 6910th was subsequently closed at Augsburg on June 30, 1974. On March 1, 1972, the Naval Security Group Detachment was established at Augsburg, with an initial complement of 64 sailors. CTRCS Thomas E. "Tom" Mosher was the first Officer-in-Charge. Most of initial cadre transferred from NSGA Bremerhaven. According to CTR1 Terry Swann, the DF section at Augsburg was known as the Bremerhaven Orphans, because most of the CTR Brancher augmentees had been stationed at NSGA Bremerhaven prior to being stationed at NSG Det Augsburg. On December 31, 1972, NSGA Bremerhaven, Germany was disestablished and closed. Most personnel, and all mission and functions were transferred to NSG Det Augsburg, Germany. NSGA Bremerhaven was formally disestablished on June 30, 1972, but operations continued beyund that date. During the period from May to December 1972, most sailors assigned to NSGA Bremerhaven were reassigned to NSGA Bremerhaven's detachment at Augsburg, Germany. As a result of NSGA Bremerhaven's disestablishment, the detachment at Augsburg was redesignated as NSGA Augsburg. Of the 700 Navy and Marine Corps billets allocated to NSGA Bremerhaven, approximately half were transferred to NSGA Augsburg; with the remainder transferred to NSGA Edzell, Scotland or NSGA Rota, Spain. As a consequence of the formation of Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) in October 1976, U.S. Army Security Agency Field Station, Augsburg was redesignated U.S. Army Field Station Augsburg in May, 1977. The 6910th USAF Security Group at Augsburg was deactivated in May 1977. In October, 1982, USAFSS manpower strength was at 1,811. In 1988, the U.S. Army Field Station Augsburg (USAFS) was redesignated as the 701st Military Intelligence Brigade and Field Station Augsburg; composed of four subordinate battalions. The field station hosted elements from the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force, as well as allied elements from Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom. The discontinuance ceremony for Field Station Augsburg was conducted on January 12, 1993. The station closed after 21 years of service. NSGA Augsburg continued operations until disestablishment on March 15, 1996, when personnel and mission functions were transferred to NSGA Bad Aibling. The station grounds were ultimately turned over to the German government, National Forest Administration. In December, 1999 the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) and the U.S. Army Europe (USAEUR) returned the 66th Military Intelligence Group's Augsburg base to the German government. The 66th MI Group and its 527 MI Battalion completed their move to a new headquarters in the Darmstadt suburb of Griesheim. The move started in 1995. NSG Det, Augsburg, Germany 01 Mar 1972 31 Dec 1972 Detachment of NSGA Bremerhaven, Germany At U.S. Army Security Agency Field Station, Augsburg, Germany 01 Mar 1972 May 1977 At U.S. Army Field Station, Augsburg, Germany May 1977 12 Jan 1993 U.S. Army Field Station, Augsburg, Germany closed: 12 Jan 1993 NSGA Augsburg, Germany 01 Jan 1973 15 Mar 1996 Moved to NSGA Bad Aibling 15 Mar 1996 =================================================================================== Bad Aibling, Bavaria, Germany Bad Aibling is located in southeastern Germany at the foot of the Bavarian Alps, 35 miles southeast of Munich, and about 20 miles north of the Austrian border. Bath Aibling-Mietraching was originally established by the German government in 1936, as a German Air Base utilized for flight training. In all probability, Adolph Hitler had made plans as early as 1934-1935 for the annexation of Austria and the Sudentenland to the Third Reich. A part of this plan was the construction of airfields in southern Germany to provide air support for these operations, and the Bad Aibling airfield was one of these. Plans for the camp were drawn up in February 1936. Highly skilled architects were selected from all over Germany to collaborate on these plans. An indication of their importance is the fact that actual construction was begun in May 1936, only three months after planning commenced. Although the last buildings were not finished until the Spring of 1941, the first troops arrived in February, 1937 and the first planes were delivered in July, 1937. The "peacetime" strength of the camp as defined in that turbulent era, was 1,000 officers and men. This figure was tripled when the large scale actual war began in 1939. The famed Messerschmidt fighter (ME-109) was based here at first, giving the camp the nickname of "Jaegerplatz" (Hunter's Place). Even in that short period from May until September, 1939; the design and development of aircraft had progressed to such an extent that the newer fighters were too heavy for the field. As a consequence, the camp was converted to a primary flight training base and remained such until the cessation of hostilities. The development of jet trainers overtaxed the field to the extent that a plan was under consideration to utilize the center strip of the autobahn as a field, but the war ended before this plan could be realized. The camp was built at a cost of 20 million reichsmarks and employed 3,000 people in its construction. An interesting historical sidelight is the fact that during the initial stages of excavation, graves were found which dated back to the 30 Years War with Sweden in 1618. This created an appreciable furor in historical and archaeological circles. The field was strafed and bombed in the latter stages of the war, but no damage was done to the camp proper. After the war ended in 1945, U.S. Army troops occupied the military airfield at Bad Aibling, which was located in the American Zone of Occupation. The camp was utilized as a Prisoner of War camp. The majority of the prisoners were from the German southern Army Group in Italy, plus local political prisoners. This number was increased when several German Generals came from Northern Germany to avoid capture by the Russians. After this period, it was utilized by UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency), IRO (International Refugee Organization) and as a combination displaced persons camp and orphanage. Field Station Bad Aibling was created in 1947 as a communications monitoring station, and monitored Soviet and Eastern European communications during the Cold War. The U.S. Army took over the station in 1952. After the Cold War, the station's mission evolved into an integral part of the Department of Defense communications network, providing rapid radio relay & secure communications support to DOD and Unified commands, including medium & long haul communications, HF & satellite communications. In 1971, mission activities of Field Stations Rothwesten, Bad Aibling and Herzogenaurach were consolidated and ultimately transferred to Field Station Augsburg. In 1972, U.S. Army Security Agency Field Station (USASAFS) Bad Aibling disestablished and all U.S. Army personnel transferred elsewhere, or were moved to USASAFS Augsburg, Germany. The grounds and assets were turned over to the NSA Station Chief. The Department of Defense (DoD) assumed control from 1972 to 1994. In 1994, the U.S. Army once again assumed control; and the U.S. Army Field Station, Bad Aibling was re-established. NSGA Bad Aibling commenced operations on the U.S. Army Field Station on October 1, 1994. On March 15, 1996, personnel, assets and mission functions from NSGA Augsburg were transferred to NSGA Bad Aibling. On January 9, 2003, NSGA Bad Aibling was redesignated as NSG Detachment, Bad Aibling. NSG Det was closed and disestablished on August 26, 2004; and assets, personnel and mission functions were transferred to NSG Detachment, Griesheim, Germany. The 66th Military Intelligence Group, 105th Military Intelligence Battalion, based at Bad Aibling Station, moved to Griesheim (Darmstadt) in April/July, 2004; and was co-located with the NSG Det in Griesheim, at the August-Euler Airfield; which is located just west of the Darmstadt city limits. the U.S. Army Field Station, Bad Aibling closed on September 30, 2004; and the Field Station was turned over to the German government. It was redesignated as a German Federal Armed Forces Base, and is now the home of the German Federal Information Service. NSGA Bad Aibling, Germany 01 Oct 1994 09 Jan 2003 At U.S. Army Field Station (USAFS) Bad Aibling, Germany NSG Det, Bad Aibling, Germany 09 Jan 2003 26 Aug 2004 Moved to NSG Det Griesheim, Germany =================================================================================== Bahrain, Juffair, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is a borderless island country in the Persian Gulf and is the smallest Arab nation. Saudi Arabia lies to the west and is connected to Bahrain by the King Fahd Causeway (officially opened on November 25, 1986), and Qatar is to the south across the Persian Gulf. The Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Bridge currently being planned, will link Bahrain to Qatar as the longest fixed link in the world. Manama is the capital city of the Kingdom of Bahrain and is the country's largest city with a population of approximately 155,000, roughly a quarter of the country's entire population. Manama was conquered by the Portuguese in 1521 and then by the Persians in 1602. Since 1783 it has been under the control of the Al-Khalifa dynasty. Manama was declared a free port in 1958, and in 1971 became the capital of independent Bahrain. The city is located in the far north-eastern corner of Bahrain island on a small peninsula. The port and Navy base are southeast of downtown, distant from the rest of the island. The U.S. Navy base at Juffair, about 5 miles southeast of Manama, provides onshore offices for the Navy's 5th Fleet, which has aircraft carriers, destroyers and other ships stationed in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. The U.S. has increased its access and its forward presence since the Gulf War, while trying to keep its footprint to a minimum. Bahrain and the U.S. signed an agreement in October 1991, granting U.S. forces access to Bahraini facilities and ensuring the right to pre-position material for future crises. U.S. forces include a naval component, organized as the U.S. Fifth Fleet, under the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Central Command (COMUSNAVCENT), headquartered in Bahrain, which regularly includes a Carrier Battle Group (CVBG), an Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), surface combatants, submarines, maritime patrol, reconnaissance aircraft, and logistics ships. Maritime intercept operations enforce the UN sanctions on Iraq, and a Marine Expeditionary Force has pre-positioned equipment in the Gulf. The Air Force has an air wing conducting Operation Southern Watch in southern Iraq. The U.S. also has forward-deployed Patriot batteries and special operations teams. The vast majority of NAVCENT's operating forces are rotationally deployed to the region, from either the Pacific Fleet or the Atlantic Fleet. Once in theater, they fall under the U.S. Fifth Fleet. Providing a continuous Naval presence, the ships of Commander, Task Force Fifty (CTF 50) work closely with other coalition participants to enforce UN sanctions against Iraq, and conduct the majority of all maritime intercept boardings in the Arabian Gulf. The British Navy established a Naval installation known as HMS Juffair on April 13, 1935 in the area where NSA is located today. The U.S. Navy has maintained a permanent presence in the Gulf since the establishment of the Middle East Force (MIDEASTFOR) in 1949. For the next 20 years, three or four ships at a time were assigned to MIDEASTFOR, generally a command ship and two or three small combatants, such as destroyers or frigates. In 1950, the U.S. Navy leased office space aboard HMS Juffair from the British. In 1971, after the British treaty with Bahrain expired, the British left Bahrain, granting the island total independence. Bahrain became a sovereign state. In 1971, the U.S. Navy worked out an agreement to take over piers, radio transmitters, warehouses, and other facilities left vacant by the departing British at HMS Juffair, renaming it Administrative Support Unit (ASU) Bahrain. USS LaSalle (AGF-3), an amphibious transport ship converted for Gulf duty, began to serve as the permanent MIDEASTFOR flagship on August 24, 1972. In 1977, the agreement establishing Bahrain as the home port for the U.S. Navy's Middle East Force was terminated, and the command functions were transferred to the U.S. Navy Central Command (USNAVCENT), located in Tampa, FL. Operations Desert Shield & Desert Storm brought together the largest force of Navy warships assembled in a single theater, since World War II. Bahrain played a limited but active role in the Gulf War, serving as the primary coalition Naval base, and the point of origin for coalition air operations against Iraqi targets. After the Persian Gulf War, Bahrain held negotiations with Washington that culminated in 1992 in the signing of a defense cooperation agreement. The terms of this agreement permit the U.S. to pre-position military supplies and equipment in Bahrain and to use its military facilities. ASU Bahrain's command title was changed to Administrative Support Unit, Southwest Asia (ASU SWA) in 1992, to reflect the new mission to support ships and remote sites throughout the COMUSNAVCENT Area of Responsibility (AOR). By the mid-1990s, Administrative Support Unit Southwest Asia (ASU SWA) Bahrain covered the busiest 22 acres in the world. Located in the middle of the Middle East, the facility provides services and support to ships at sea, remote sites throughout the region, and military and civilian personnel living in Bahrain. ASU SWA underwent a huge construction program that more than doubled the size of the base. The current ASU bears little resemblance to the small, 10-acre compound it was, as recently as 1991. During the period ending in 1998, this "sleepy hollow" has expanded to 62 acres with $36.5 million worth of new construction underway, including new transient bachelor quarters, a medical and dental clinic, a racquetball court, a chapel, a post office and several multi- purpose sports fields. In 1999, ASU SWA became the Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain. Juffair is the boomtown of the Bahraini capital. Across the flat, dusty plain outside Naval Support Activity Bahrain, a jungle of glass and concrete has sprouted. Newly paved roads crisscross in an expanding checkerboard, between the base and the bay. Armies of construction workers swarm over half-finished apartments, restaurants and hotels as the white sun bakes the desert. Some of the construction workers sleep in the open shells at night. Major commands located in Bahrain include: Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Central Command; Commander Logistics Forces, USNAVCENT (CTF-53); Naval Support Activity; Commander Destroyer Squadron Fifty, and 30 tenant commands, including NIOC and NCTS Bahrain. On September 30, 2005, NSGA Bahrain was administratively closed and was re- established on October 1, 2005 as the Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Bahrain, Manama, Bahrain. NSGA Bahrain, Manama, Bahrain 01 Oct 1998 30 Sep 2005 NIOC Bahrain, Manama, Bahrain 01 Oct 2005 Present =================================================================================== Bainbridge Island, Fort Ward, Port Blakely, Washington Bainbridge Island is one of the larger islands in Puget Sound, and is an incorporated city in Kitsap County, Washington. Bainbridge Island is located within the Central Puget Sound Basin, east of the Kitsap Peninsula and west of the City of Seattle. The Island is approximately five miles wide and ten miles long, encompassing nearly 17,778 acres, or 28 square miles. Eagle Harbor lies on the eastern side of Bainbridge Island, which is located in central Puget Sound directly west of Seattle. Until 1990 the community situated on the harbor was named Winslow. In 1990, Winslow voted to annex the entire island and the following year it voted to change its name to Bainbridge Island. The town on the harbor began in the 1870s as a handful of white settlers in a community called Madrone. Farming formed the foundation of the town's economy and fueled its growth, with the most notable crop eventually becoming strawberries grown by Japanese American farmers. In 1902 Hall Brothers Shipbuilding moved their operation to Eagle Harbor, and Madrone changed its name to Winslow (after Winslow Hall). The firm became the predominate industry. During the latter half of the twentieth century the easy ferry commute to Seattle spurred residential development, which continues today. The area around Eagle Harbor where settlers took up homesteads has attracted human settlement for generations. The harbor, beaches, and forests all held resources utilized by people known as the Sakh-tahbsh band of the Suquamish tribe. They had encampments at Wing Point and Bill Point on either side of the entrance to the harbor as well as at Midden Point and the area behind where a Washington State Ferry facility is located today. Captain George Vancouver, an English explorer for King George, anchored off the Island's south shore at today's Bean's Bight in 1792, where he met the Suquamish, led by Chief Kitsap (d. 1860), who was to become one of the most powerful Indian Chiefs on Puget Sound (1825). On May 19, 1792, the British sloop-of-war Discovery dropped anchor between Bainbridge and Blake islands. The following morning, Capt. George Vancouver (1757-1798) dispatched Lt. Peter Puget and Master Joseph Whidbey to conduct a detailed survey of the waters to the south. This is the first penetration of "Puget's Sound" by white men. Lt. Puget shoved off at 4 a.m. on May 20 in a launch, escorted by Whidbey in a cutter, on a six-day tour of the southern sound. The Vancouver expedition charted and named numerous landmarks, including Mt. Rainier (for British Admiral Peter Rainier), Whidbey Island, Hood Canal, and of course, Puget Sound (which originally denoted only the waters south of Bainbridge Island). Contacts with the natives were cordial if mutually wary, and legend maintains that a very young Chief Seattle (178?-1866) witnessed Vancouver's arrival on Puget Sound. The Suquamish ceded Bainbridge Island and their other lands to the U.S. government as part of the Treaty of Point Elliott in on January 22, 1855, signed by Chief Sealth (Seattle), and 81 other leaders of Puget Sound tribes. in the signing of the treaty with Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens (1818-1862), the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes surrendered their lands for cash, relocation to reservations, and access to traditional fishing and hunting grounds. They continued to use the beaches, for their own economic and subsistence activities while the Americans proceeded to clear the land of timber and claim homesteads. The agreements did not secure a durable peace, and the Puget Sound area experienced several bloody clashes over the next few years. Nine settlers were killed in the White River valley in October, 1855 and Seattle itself was attacked on January 26, 1856. The Suquamish called the harbor The Home of the Eagles, but today’s name for it comes from Charles Wilkes who arrived by sea in 1841, as part of the U.S. Exploring Expedition. Although Wilkes often named places after members of his crew or others in the Nvy, historian Edmund S. Meany argues that Eagle Harbor was named for the shape of the harbor. This contention is bolstered by the names he gave the two points, Bill and Wing. However, given the Suquamish name, it is possible it was named for the presence of eagles. In 1841, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Max J. Anderson visited the island while surveying the Northwest. LT Anderson named the island after Commodore William Bainbridge (1774-1833), a U.S. Naval officer who was the Captain of the frigate USS Constitution, during the War of 1812. LT Anderson also named several other areas of the Island and these names are still in use today. Bainbridge Island was originally a center for the logging and shipbuilding industries. The island was known for huge and accessible cedars, which were especially in demand for ships' masts. The Territory of Washington was created on March 2, 1853. In 1857, a new county was formed and eventually named Kitsap in honor of the Suquamish Chief. The first county seat was at Port Madison. Business was conducted from the office of Commissioner George Meigs, owner of the Port Madison Mill. By the late 1800s, Port Blakely boasted the world's largest sawmill. Mill workers came from many nations. Japanese and Hawaiian communities and an Indian village were located nearby. Many Filipinos emigrated to Bainbridge Island during the 1920s; others came as shipyard workers during World War II. The original county seat of Kitsap County was at Port Madison on the north end of the island. Both towns, Port Blakely and Port Madison, had large hotels, schools, foundries, and substantial shipbuilding enterprises. The Hall Brothers shipyard built 88 vessels, most of which were large schooners for hauling lumber. The economic depression of 1893 helped close the Madison Mill. Port Blakely Mill closed in the mid 1920s, 57 years after it began. With few interior roads, most early Island travel was by water. Mosquito Fleet steamers carried freight and passengers between Island landings and Seattle and Kitsap destinations. Communities grew around some 30 mosquito fleet landings, and residents knew their captain's whistle signature. Car ferry service began by barge from Point White to Retsil. Regular car service to Seattle began in 1923 from Port Blakely. In 1937, Seattle car ferry service moved to Eagle Harbor. In 1890, the U.S. Army built Fort Ward at Bean's Point. Fort Ward is a former Army coastal artillery fort, and later, a Navy installation located on the southwest side of Bainbridge Island, Washington along Rich Passage. Fort Ward was originally known as Bean's Point and was established in 1890 as one of several U.S. Army Coastal Artillery Corps installations, including Fort Flagler, Fort Casey and Fort Worden, built to defend Puget Sound from enemy warships. Its primary objective was to protect the nearby Bremerton Naval Shipyard. In 1903, the U.S. Army officially designated Bean's Point as a seacoast fort and named it Fort Ward in honor of Colonel George H. Ward. Activity in and around the fort continued as new buildings were constructed and new troops arrived. Four gun batteries and a minefield in Rich Passage provided coastal defenses, until the gun batteries at the Fort became obsolete, in the 1930s. The coastal artillery batteries located at Fort Ward were: Battery Nash (1903-1918), three 8" DC, hidden along the bluff, now on private property; Battery Warner (1903-1925), two 5" P, now on private property; Battery Thornburgh (1903-1920), four 3" MP; and Battery Vinton (1903-1920), two 3" MP. In the 1920s, Fort Ward was placed on inactive status, but a small number of men were still stationed there. In 1928, the fort was essentially left abandoned. The fort remained abandoned for several years, until 1935, it served as a state-operated fresh air camp for inner city children from Seattle. In 1930, OP-20-G planners selected the 13th Naval District, which included Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, as well as Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, as a prospective location for two new intercept sites: one, a large site to cover Japanese point-to- point traffic with Europe and China on low and high frequencies during wartime; the other, a small site in Alaska ("but not in the islands") to cover Japanese ship-to- shore communications in both peace and war. Because of budgetary restrictions, Admiral Pratt, CNO, was forced to wait until May 1932 before directing Rear Admiral E.H. Campbell, Commandant 13th Naval District, to establish the first of these sites at Astoria, Fort Stevens, Oregon; where the Navy had a DF station providing navigation assistance to commercial vessels. Rather than build and equip a new site, OP-20-G planners were by then reduced to postponing delivery of the new equipment and asking Admiral Campbell to accept a plan in which a communications intelligence mission against Japanese targets was to be conducted using idle communications equipment. The initial communications intelligence mission was to copy Japanese diplomatic traffic on a commercial RCA circuit between Salinas, California, and Tokyo using idle DF receivers, which had been tuned to the commercial band. In 1938, the U.S. Navy took over Fort Ward from the Army, confiscating several surrounding properties and evicting their owners. The U.S. Navy found the fort to be attractive after tests had shown that it was an outstanding location to eavesdrop on radio communication transmitted from the Far East, chiefly Japan. In August 1939, the U.S. Navy relocated the COMSUPACT Astoria OR intercept site (which had been established in May, 1932 at Fort Stevens, OR) to Fort Ward. This was the beginning of the development of Fort Ward as a military listening post. Large acreages were made into antenna fields overnight as an international radio listening station was built. Radio communication and code schools were established that lasted through the Korean War. COMSUPACT Fort Ward, Bainbridge Island WA was commissioned as the U.S. Naval Security Activity (NSGA) Bainbridge Island, WA in September, 1939. In August 1940, the U.S. Navy had six sites with diplomatic targets, which were all linked directly, or indirectly through U.S. Army communication circuits, to Washington DC via radio and landline communications. Twelve netted sites (six Navy and six Army) were authorized to intercept Japanese diplomatic traffic. The six Navy sites were Winter Harbor, ME (Station W) (February, 1935 to February, 1944; Amagansett, NY (station G) (November, 1939 to 1956); Cheltenham, MD (Station M) (September, 1939 to August 1953); Jupiter, FL (Station J) (September, 1939 to July, 1945); Heeia, HI (Station H) (June, 1934 to December, 1941; and Fort Ward, Bainbridge Island, WA (Station S) (August, 1939 to March, 1953). The six Army sites were Fort Monmouth, NJ (Station 1); Presidio, CA (Station 2), Fort Sam Houston, TX (Station 3), Corozal, CA (Station 4), Fort Shafter, HI (Station 5) and Fort Hunt, VA (Station 7). An Army Station #6 was proposed, but never activated. Rhombic antennas were installed on the Fort Ward Parade Ground, and the old post exchange/gymnasium building was converted into a listening post, code-named Station S. Men and women worked 24 hours a day, listening in on Japanese naval communications, which were transmitted in the Japanese Morse Code. The listening post activities were so sensitive that personnel on the base were instructed not to look at the building when they walked by it. An article in the Seattle Times on January 11, 1941, showed pictures of Sailors copying Morse code in a classroom, and setting up a Morse Code sending machine. This building is now a private home. In March 1941, seeking to improve the interception efforts of the HFDF stations, a direct commercial teletype service link was authorized, procured and inaugurated between the installations at Winter Harbor, ME (Station W), Amagansett, NY (Station G), Fort Ward, Bainbridge Island, WA (Station S) radio intercept facilities; and the Net Control Station at Cheltenham, MD (Station M). This development allowed the stations to forward intercepts immediately to Washington upon receipt. While the primary emphasis was on Japanese diplomatic traffic, other messages of unusual nature were also forwarded. The result was improved coverage of radio circuits and minimized delays in getting the intercepts to the cryptanalysts. Communications between Washington, DC and its far-flung resources in the Pacific continued to be primitive. Messages and intercept logs, reports and professional correspondence, if classified, were painstakingly enciphered by the Radio Intelligence Officer himself using special equipment and instructions. If transmitted as messages on manual Morse code circuits or landlines, they were delivered to the communications center where they were again enciphered. The Fort Ward command also oversaw the construction of the Navy's largest radio transmitter at Battle Point, with a tower 300-feet taller than the Space Needle. This was used to send messages to Navy Command at Pier 91 in Seattle. The Fort Ward, Bainbridge Island Radio Intelligence Unit intercepted the communication from Tokyo to the Japanese Ambassador in the U.S. that instructed him to break off negotiations with the U.S., just before the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. You can read an exerpt from David Kahn's book, History of Secret Communication from Ancient Times to the Internet, at this link: . An excellent read. In November 1942, Fort Ward also assumed control of Naval intelligence assignments previously tasked to the Royal Canadian Navy. During World War II, the U.S. Navy Radio Station operations at Bainbridge Island, Port Blakely, Washington were comprised of Supplementary Station (School, D/F and Intercept); Naval Radio Transmitting Station, located at Battle Point; U.S. Naval Radio Direction Finder Station; Naval Training School (Radio-Special); Naval Radio Activities; and a Supplementary Radio Station. After World War II, personnel on the base (which was transferred back to the U.S. Army in 1956) continued to listen in on radio transmissions, first Korean and then Soviet. With the attack on Pearl Harbor and the beginning of the World War II in the Pacific, the Island was hit hard. In March, 1942, Bainbridge Island became one of the first communities required to respond to Executive Order 9066 which uprooted those of Japanese ancestry, most of whom were U.S. citizens, and forced them to move inland. 220 Japanese-Americans were sent to Manzanar on the edge of the Mojave Desert, and then to Minidoka in Idaho. Editors of the Bainbridge Review, the Woodwards, kept Islanders informed on the activities of displaced residents during the war, and regular columns appeared from the internment camps. Editorials pointed out violations of the Bill of Rights inherent in the Executive Order. Many Islanders were appalled at this treatment of their friends and neighbors. They supported the Japanese- Americans, and welcomed them home at the end of the war. U.S. Naval School, Communications Technician (Supplementary Training) was established at Bainbridge Island, WA in October, 1951 and was closed in December, 1953; shortly after NSGA Bainbridge Island was decommissioned. Communications Technician training "A" school had commenced in U.S. Naval School, Imperial Beach, CA, on October 1, 1949. When the school closed at Bainbridge Island, only the Imperial Beach Communications Technician school remained open. On July 1, 1957, the Communications Technician school at Imperial Beach was redesignated NAVCOMMTRACEN Imperial Beach, CA. NAVCOMMTRACEN moved from Imperial Beach and became NAVCOMMTRACEN Corry Field, Pensacola in March, 1960. The town of Winslow (incorporated on August 9, 1947), around 1.5 square miles; developed water and sewer utilities, and became the Island's urban center. The Agate Pass Bridge was built in 1950 and with it the Island's first state highway. The U.S. Army returned in 1956 to install a Nike missile base and radar station. The Washington State Ferries took over the old shipyard and Winslow became a busy connection to the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas. The U.S. Army abandoned all operations in 1958. Upon this second deactivation, the Washington State Park System negotiated for acquisition of part of the fort in 1960, which became Fort Ward State Park. The Naval radio transmitting station located at Battle Point was deactivated on March 31, 1959, and the equipment was removed in 1971. Over the years, some of the buildings have been converted into homes, and the area, the parade ground of the community of Fort Ward, has been designated a National Historic Site, the only one of its kind on Bainbridge Island. Many of the homes are also listed on the City of Bainbridge Island's Historic Register. Some Islanders felt they were paying an undue portion of the county's taxes and receiving indifferent county services. Others were concerned that major decisions affecting the Island were made with little input from Islanders. In 1969, a bid for incorporation of the area outside Winslow failed at the polls. Another effort in the early 80s did not reach the polls. But in 1988, a citizens' Home Rule organization became active, culminating in the 1990 vote to allow the City of Winslow to annex the remainder of the Island. This vote was so close that a recount was needed. On February 28, 1991, residents voted to change the City's name to Bainbridge Island. Bainbridge Island's claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of the sport of pickleball. Pickleball is a sport described as "a combination of Ping-Pong, tennis, and badminton", played in schools, parks and recreation centers, correctional facilities, camps, and retirement communities mostly in North America. It uses a simplified combination of tennis rules and strategies. The United States of America Pickleball Association (USAPA) calls it the "fastest-growing sport in America", although this claim is disputed by some. Pickleball is officially labeled as a "paddle sport," invented in Bainbridge Island, Washington by Bill Bell, Barney McCallum and former Washington State politician Joel Pritchard. The sport was named after the Pritchard's dog, Pickles, who used to run away with the ball during the initial trial-runs of the game. The island is quite hilly, and is known for its popular Chilly Hilly bicycle ride held every year in February. This ride has been the unofficial start to the bicycling season in the Pacific Northwest since 1992. Since the 1960s, Bainbridge Island has become a bedroom community of Seattle, Bainbridge Island is connected to the Kitsap Peninsula by a bridge carrying WA-305 over Agate Passage, and to Colman Dock in downtown Seattle by Washington State Ferries service from Bainbridge Island in Eagle Harbor. COMSUPACT Astoria, OR May 1932 Aug 1939 at U.S. Naval Radio Station, Astoria, OR located at Fort Stevens, OR Moved to Bainbridge Island, WA Aug 1939 The facility at Astoria, Oregon closed on 26 Dec 1939. COMSUPACT Fort Ward, Bainbridge Island, WA Aug 1939 Sep 1939 NSGA Bainbridge Island, WA Sep 1939 15 Mar 1953 Communications Intelligence Unit (Station "S" in 1940) To NSG Det Marietta, WA 15 Mar 1953 Fort Ward and the former NSGA and Naval Radio Station are now Kitsap County park and private homes and buildings. =================================================================================== Barbers Point, Oahu, Hawaii Barbers Point was named for Henry Barber, master of Arthur, a 100-foot British brigantine that ran aground on the point of Oahu during a storm in 1796. The Barbers Point tale first emerged from vintage Pacific lore, when a vicious tropical depression battered the southwest coastline of Oahu. Captain Henry Barber, determined to get underway despite the storm, hoisted anchor on his 100-foot brig Arthur on October 31, 1796. All other captains held their ships in port while Arthur was deluged by wind, rain and pounding surf. The ship went down taking with it all but six crewmembers and its captain. The seven survivors struggled ashore near a tract of land referred to by native Hawaiians as "Kalaeloa" (long cape or headland), a legendary birthplace of Hawaiian Kings. Kalaeloa later became known as Barbers Point. In the early 1930’s, the Navy leased a 3,000 square foot piece of land from the estate of James Campbell. This tract was to be used as a mooring location for the dirigible, Akron. During the 1930s, the Navy leased a section of the James Campbell estate, building a 1,500-foot Outlying Field (OLF) near the mooring mast that had been erected for use by U.S. Navy airships, none of which ever cruised to Hawaii. Once the original lease expired, in September 1940, an additional 3,500 acres were acquired from the Campbell estate for the enlargement of the OLF, which became Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Ewa. The site, chosen for its ideal peacetime air training atmosphere, was completed in early 1941. Concurrently with the groundbreaking, plans were already being developed for an expansion of naval aviation facilities at Barbers Point. Construction of an airfield west of Ewa began in November 1941, but was temporarily suspended after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor so that construction crews could rapidly complete Ewa. Base construction was well underway by December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked U.S. forces in Hawaii, marking the United States’ entrance into World War II. Although much of the attack was concentrated at Pearl Harbor, Wheeler Air Force Base and Hickam Field, the Ewa Marine Corps Air Station (and its supporting equipment) sustained a great deal of damage. Nine of 11 total Wildcats, 19 of 32 scout bombers and all six utility aircraft were rendered inoperable. The Pearl Harbor attack, along with the increasing need for additional facilities to train pilots, led to an extensive construction project. Barbers Point, originally intended as an OLF for NAS Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, was still not complete when it was established as a Naval Air Station on April 15, 1942 with 14 officers and 242 enlisted personnel. The Naval Air Station quickly became a busy hub of aviation activity as the Navy amassed forces in Hawaii to carry the war across the Pacific. Base operations centered on working up Carrier Air Groups (CAGs) and squadrons for deployment to combat theaters farther west. As World War II raged in the Pacific theater, the troop and equipment capacity of the yet unfinished base more than doubled. Barbers Point's level of activity grew steadily during the war. By the end of World War II, Barbers Point was home to almost 13,000 personnel. After the Japanese surrender, Barbers Point served as a demobilization center for more than 6,000 personnel leaving for civilian life. By the end of 1947, the future of the station was uncertain in the face of post-war budget constraints. During the late 1940s the station was the beneficiary of a consolidation of Naval aviation facilities on the leeward side of the island. The role of NAS Barbers Point was solidified in 1949, when it began supporting all aviation operations on leeward Oahu. Barbers Point absorbed MCAS Ewa in 1952 as Marine Corps units were shifted to Kaneohe Bay, which had been closed as an NAS in 1949. NAS Honolulu was reduced to an OLF for seaplanes and operations at Ford Island were reduced. The Coast Guard aircraft at Kaneohe Bay were moved to Barbers Point. When the war in Korea began in 1950, NAS Barbers Point again became a critical staging area for supplies, equipment and forward deploying squadrons. Eight hundred additional Sailors were assigned to the station. New construction included weapons and jet engine test sites, a survival equipment shop and more than 1,000 housing units. With state of the art equipment and facilities, NAS Barbers Point was one of the most modern VP homeports in the world. The outbreak of the war in Korea in 1950 and the beginning of the cold war increased activity at Barbers Point, which became a main base for patrol plane operations and, later, airborne early warning barrier patrols. P-2 and P-3 maritime patrol aircraft assigned to the "Rainbow Fleet" based at Barbers Point tracked Soviet submarines in the Pacific and supported fleet operations during the Vietnam War. In 1981, Barbers Point became the center of Pacific Fleet strategic communications operations when Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Three (VQ-3) moved from NAS Agana, Guam. Throughout WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War; with more than 3,800 acres and up to 6,500 military, family members and civilian employees; Naval Air Station (NAS) Barbers Point served as the largest Naval Air Station in the Pacific theater. Barbers Point provided homeport services for numerous Naval and defense organizations, including maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft squadrons, a U.S Coast Guard Air Station, the Defense Investigative Service, a Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO), a Hawaii Air National Guard (297th Air Traffic Control Squadron) air traffic control facility, a Fleet Imaging Facility and Commander, Patrol Wings, U.S. Pacific Fleet. In the 1960’s, NAS Barbers Point provided support to operations in Vietnam while concurrently supporting the patrol community’s training and operational readiness. Coast Guard aviation first arrived in the Hawaiian archipelago in 1945 when Lieutenant G.W. Girdler received command of eighteen enlisted men and five officers at what was then Naval Air Station Kaneohe. With aviation assets consisting solely of two Consolidated PBY-5 "Catalina’s" and one Grumman JRF "Goose", the air unit maintained a proctorship for the windward side of Oahu, in addition to making periodic visits to the Philippines, China and Japan. In March, 1949, the Navy and the Coast Guard moved to Naval Air Station Barbers Point; the Coast Guard as an NAS tenant. In 1965, the USCG unit received its current designation as Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point. The U.S. Coast Guard Air Station continues to reside at Barbers Point, and now serves general aviation on Oahu and hosts units of the Hawaii National Guard. The end of the cold war eventually brought about the closure of NAS Barbers Point. Congress accepted the recommendation of the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission that Barbers Point be closed. Naval aviation still maintains a formidable presence in Hawaii. Commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Force, Pacific and the last five Navy squadrons at Barbers Point, Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Light 37 (HSL-37); Special Projects Patrol Squadron 2 (VPU-2), and Patrol Squadrons VP-4, VP-9, and VP-47 were transferred in early 1999 to Marine Corps Air Facility (MCAF) Kaneohe Bay, part of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, located on the windward side of Oahu. The return to Kaneohe is a homecoming of sorts for the patrol squadrons. Kaneohe was a prominent patrol aviation base before and during World War II. The Navy's last Naval Air Station in the Hawaiian Islands was disestablished during a July 1, 1999 ceremony, closing out 57 years of service. NAS Barbers Point, the "Crossroads of the Pacific", carved out of brush and coral on the leeward side of Oahu early in World War II, has been turned over to the state of Hawaii. The Hawaii Museum of Flying and Naval Air Museum, Barbers Point was established on January 19, 1999 at the former Naval Air Station Barbers Point, now known as Kalaeloa Airport (PHJR). The mission of the Museum is to save aircraft that are historical to NAS Barbers Point and other aircraft that are relevant to Naval aviation history in Hawaii. The Museum's goal is to restore these aircraft and to educate the public. The biggest highlight is that children, as well as adults, can actually climb into the cockpit of a real fighter jet, don flight gear and take pictures. The Museum has four retired Navy fighter and attack jets, one UP-3A Orion (an older version of the P-3C's used at NAS Barbers Point for ASW missions for over 40 years), a Marine Corps CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter, and numerous military ground vehicles and equipment. The first two aircraft acquired from the Navy were an F-4N Phantom II and an A-4E Skyhawk. Both aircraft were in Defense Reutilization Marketing Organization Hawaii (DRMO Hawaii) and slated to be cut up for scrap. Subsequently, the Museum added two more A-4E Skyhawks, a UH-1H Huey, and two UH-3H Sea Kings to the Museum’s growing fleet. As of 2007, the Museum was anxiously awaiting the delivery of four WWII-era aircraft. The Navy retained 1,100 acres for military housing and family support facilities. The Department of Defense declared approximately 2,150 acres of land at the Barbers Point Naval Air Station to be surplus to its needs and under a base realignment conveyed those surplus lands to the various end users identified by the community reuse plan. The 2,150-acre section was ceded to Hawaii and the city and county of Honolulu on June 28, 2002; and was officially designated as the Kalaeloa Community Development District. The goal of the Hawaii community development authority is to attract private sector investment. NSG Det Barbers Point, HI Jul 1983 01 Jul 1999 Moved to NSG Det Kaneohe Bay, HI =================================================================================== Bar Harbor, Maine See Winter Harbor, Maine. =================================================================================== Biloxi, Keesler AFB, Mississippi Keesler Air Force Base (AFB), in Biloxi, MS, is located approximately 83 miles east of New Orleans, LA; approximately 65 miles west of Mobile, AL; and 4 hours south of Jackson, MS; on Mississippi's "Gulf Coast". Keesler is part of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC), and its primary mission since 1941 has been training. The emphasis is on high-technology training in a number of fields, primarily in the electronics specialties. Keesler AFB is home to the 81st Training Wing, one of Air Force's largest technical training wings. In early January 1941, Biloxi city officials invited the U.S. Army Corps to build a base to support the WWII training buildup. The package included an early airport, the old Naval Reserve Park, and parts of Oak Park sufficient to support a technical training school with a population of 5,200 people. On March 6, 1941, the War Department selected Biloxi as the site for a Technical Training base. Army Air Corps Station No. 8, Aviation Mechanics School, was activated in Biloxi, Mississippi, on June 12, 1941. In late June, the new school was named in honor of 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler, Jr., of Greenwood, Mississippi. Lieutenant Keesler had died of wounds during World War I, while serving in France as an aerial observer assigned to the 24th Aero Squadron, U.S. Army Air Service. On August 25, 1941, Army Air Corps Station No. 8 was officially designated as Keesler Army Airfield. On June 14, 1941, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded contracts totaling $10 million to build Biloxi's technical training school. Captain Samuel A. Mundell arrived in Biloxi on June 12, 1941. He was joined two days later by a start up cadre from Scott Field, Illinois, consisting of a second lieutenant and 20 enlisted personnel. They established a temporary headquarters at the Biloxi Armory. Lieutenant Colonel William J. Hanlon arrived on June 16, 1941 to assume command from Captain Mundell. The same Colonel Arthur W. Brock who had first examined the site in January, 1941, arrived on July 17, 1941 to become the base's first permanent commander. On September 8, 1941, the 310th Technical School Squadron (the mess unit) became the first squadron to move to the new barracks. Before the end of the month, three basic training units, the 301st, 303rd, and 304th Technical School Squadrons, had also moved into permanent quarters. Not only was Keesler to house a technical training center, but it would also host one of the Army's newest replacement, or basic training centers. Keesler's population almost doubled overnight. The first shipment of recruits arrived at Keesler Field on August 21, 1941. During World War II, the Army's basic training program was little more than a reception process. At Keesler, basic training lasted four weeks. ools. Trains passed through Keesler daily, dropping off new trainees and picking up graduates. By September 1944, the number of recruits had dropped. Basic training wound down drastically after the end of World War II, and it was finally discontinued at Keesler on 30 June 1946. Technical training school officers and staff began arriving at Keesler Field in mid July 1941, primarily from Chanute Field, Illinois. The new academic buildings were still under construction when the Airplane and Engine Mechanics School opened. Basic Branch students received instruction in five barracks buildings; Instructor Branch students were assigned to temporary classrooms set up in commandeered circus tents. In mid-1942 the Army Air Forces directed Keesler to focus upon the training of mechanics for B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. The school received its first B 24 in late September 1942. Six more arrived shortly thereafter, and specialized B 24 maintenance training began on 19 October. Over time, Keesler gradually replaced them with civilian instructors, including many women. Women began training here in 1943, as did international students. Students from more than 50 countries have received aviation, personnel and electronics training at Keesler. Generally unknown to most was the role that the Tuskegee Airmen and other black troops played on Keesler. In fact, more than 7,000 Tuskegee Airmen were stationed at Keesler Field by the autumn of 1943. These soldiers included pre-aviation cadets, radio operators, aviation technicians, bombardiers, and aviation mechanics. After the war, Keesler continued to grow, acquiring courses for helicopter mechanics, supply officers and military police. Also added were schools for air chemical, pre-meteorology, cooks and meat-cutters. November 14, 1947, the Radar School moved to Keesler from Boca Raton, FL., making Keesler responsible for operating the two largest military technical schools in the U.S. Thereafter, shrinking budgets forced the base to reduce its operating costs: the Airplane and Engine Mechanics School and the Radar School were consolidated on April 1, 1948. In September 1947, the U.S. Air Force became an independent branch of the armed services. As a result, Keesler Field was officially redesignated as an Air Force base on January 13, 1948. In early 1949, Air Training Command decided that Keesler AFB should focus its efforts on teaching radar, radio, and electronics maintenance and repair. To make room, the airplane and engine mechanics courses had to be moved elsewhere. Especially since the Air Force also planned to transfer the Radio Operations School to Keesler from Scott AFB, Illinois. In addition to training radio operators, Keesler was to begin teaching air traffic service technicians; aircraft approach controllers, ground radar mechanics, and radar repairman/ground controlled approach specialists. The last mechanics training courses had moved to Sheppard AFB, Texas, by November, and it was at this point in the base's history that Keesler became known as the "Electronics Training Center of the Air Force." In August 1950, Keesler embarked on a major rebuilding program to upgrade its facilities, including construction of a new electronics laboratory, barracks, and a dining hall. Construction of four two-story academic buildings (later named Allee, Dolan, Thomson, and Wolfe Halls), a 352-bed hospital, modern family housing units, and a three-story dormitory complex dubbed "the triangle" because of its distinctive layout; were completed In 1951. Since August 1948, the 3380th Technical Training Wing controlled all base activities. On January 1, 1959, the Air Training Command redesignated the wing as Headquarters, Keesler Technical Training Center (KTTC). Keesler began using television instruction methods as early as June 1953. In 1950, Keesler offered only 14 generalized courses, but by December 1959 that number had grown to 116, including vital USAF programs such as the aircraft warning and control system. The base gained even more responsibilities in 1958, when the Air Force announced that Scott AFB would relinquish its training mission. As a result, all control tower operator, radio maintenance, and general radio operator courses moved to Keesler AFB. During the 1960's, the school at Keesler had earned a solid reputation for high technology training, offering courses in radar, communications, and electronics; becoming the country's main supplier of electronics technicians. In 1968, the personnel and administration courses moved to Keesler from Amarillo AFB, TX. That same year, astronautics and space systems courses were added, and Keesler graduated its one millionth student. Beginning in 1984, school officials worked with Air Force Communications Command's 1872nd School Squadron to develop prototype-training programs using interactive videodisc (IVD) technology, which soon supported a variety of Keesler interactive course offerings. Keesler's Wall Studio IVD production capability was one of only two in the entire Air Force, and supported many organizations Air Force wide. The congressionally mandated base realignment and closure process significantly impactied Keesler's training mission. Base closure forced an end to technical training at Chanute AFB, IL, and Lowry AFB, CO. In 1990, Keesler acquired Chanute's weather forecasting courses; and Lowry's metrology and precision maintenance electronics laboratory training program was acquired in 1992-1993. In February 1992, Air Training Command redesignated the Keesler Technical Training Center host unit as the Keesler Training Center (KTC); and on July 1, 1993, Keesler Training Center was inactivated. On the same day, the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing, formerly located at RAF Bentwaters UK, was redesignated the 81st Training Wing (81st TRW) and concurrently activated to serve as Keesler's host organization. At the beginning of the 21st Century, the 81st TRW, at Keesler AFB was one of the largest technical training wings in the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) claimancy, and in the U.S. Air Force. Throughout 2002, the 81st TRW trained thousands of airmen, and hundreds of Air Force officers as well as military members form the Navy, Army, Marines, Coast Guard and allied nations. The 81st TRW trained civilian and military members in specialized skills ranging from avionics maintenance, comptroller, radio and radar systems maintenance, communications electronics, computer systems, air traffic control, weather, personnel, command and control systems. Keesler AFB also trained pilots in C-21 aircraft, as well as doctors, nurses and technicians in medical specialties. Naval Technical Training Unit (NTTU) Keesler was established on October 1, 1992; a training command of the Chief of Naval Technical Training (CNTECHTRA), Millington, TN. NTTU Keesler AFB was subordinated to the Naval Technical Training Center (NTTC), Corry Station, Pensacola, FL. In September, 2002, as a result of the Navy's "Revolution in Training", the organizational structure of Navy training was realigned, and NTTU Kessler AFB was resubordinated from NTTC Corry Station, Pensacola FL to the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT) in Pensacola, FL. In February, 2004, as a result of the reorganization of the Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), formerly known as Commander, Naval Education and Training (CNET); the Naval Technical Training Unit (NTTU) Keesler AFB was renamed as the Center For Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit (CNATTU) Keesler AFB, Biloxi, MS. The Center for Information Dominance (CID) Corry Station, Pensacola, FL maintains a Learning Site at LS Keesler AFB, Biloxi, MS. CNATTU Keesler continues to train over 1000 service members annually in a variety of disciplines. Training includes the electronic calibration of afloat and aviation equipment, physical dimensions, meteorological and oceanographic observing and forecasting, maintenance and repair of meteorological equipment, operation and repair of critical communications equipment, management and control of the radio frequency spectrum and air space management and control. Naval Technical Training Unit (NTTU) 01 Oct 1992 Feb 2004 Keesler AFB, Biloxi, MS. Center For Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit Feb 2004 Present (CNATTU) Keesler AFB, Biloxi, MS. ================================================================================== Bremerhaven, Bremen, Germany Bremerhaven is located in the state of Bremen, northwest Germany, at the mouth of the Weser River, near the North Sea. It is one of the largest fishing ports in Europe and is a major freight port. Founded in 1827, Bremerhaven was incorporated in 1939 by the town of Wesermünde. In 1947 the combined municipality was renamed Bremerhaven and returned to the state of Bremen. During WWII, Bremerhaven suffered heavy damage, especially on September 18, 1944 when the central town area was completely demolished. Germany surrendered unconditionally on May 7, 1945. On June 1, 1945, Drew 4 and Drew 6 (Drews were units ready to establish overseas harbor facilities) were decommissioned and then recommissioned as Naval Advanced Base (NAB) Bremerhaven and NAB Bremen, respectively. On June 1, 1945, the Naval Advance Base (NAB) was established under the command of Captain Harold R. Holcomb, for the purpose of providing security for former German fighting craft tenders and merchant marine vessels, tied up in Bremerhaven dock area. The NAB also operated the Weser River Patrol and provide minesweeping training. On July 1, 1945 Commander Naval Forces Germany assumed operational command of all U.S. Naval forces in the European Theater of Operations (ETO), and reported to the Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force. On November 11, 1945, the NAB headquarters was moved to Bremerhaven. Approximately 256 officers and 1,495 Naval personnel were on board. NAB Bremerhaven consisted of the advance base, a salvage group, a Construction Battalion Unit, and a fifty-bed dispensary. On November 1, 1946 the U.S. Navy Port Director, Bremerhaven, was disestablished and port control was transferred to the Office of the Military Government (OMG). As of January 1, 1948, the mission of the Naval forces command, through the OMG for Germany, was to maintain former German Naval vessels until they were disposed of; to dispose of certain former German merchant vessels assigned to the U.S.; to dispose of German captured war materials; to support and assist U.S. shipping; and to furnish logistic support to Commander, Naval Forces Germany (COMNAVFORGER), Commander in Chief, Naval Forces Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean (CINCNELM) in London and, as required, to support fleet units visiting the Enclave (foreign units on German soil) and local in waters. In 1950, Headquarters COMNAVFORGER was moved to Heidelberg, Germany. On March 24, 1950, a Rhine River Patrol Unit was established as a separate command with its own commanding officer. The 12 officers, 193 men, and 57 German civilians conducted training in boat handling, river navigation, and demolition, and patrolled between Bergen and Karlsruhe. On November 11, 1950, the Chief of Naval Operations directed the disestablishment of NAB Bremen and the establishment of Naval Activities Bremen Enclave, effective July 1, 1951; with military control vested in COMNAVFORGER and management control under the CNO. A new mission statement issued at this time directed that the activity be prepared, organized, trained, and equipped for combat operations, incident to the establishment and conduct of port operations, in any port on the continent of Europe. In addition, to train officers and men to perform military demolition, radiological safety, and artificer duties; and to provide logistics support to other Naval activities in Europe. Other Naval activities in Europe included the staff of COMNAVFORGER in Heidelberg; a Naval Technical Unit in Berlin; CINC NELM in London; the NAB at Bremerhaven, Communications Unit 8 at Bremerhaven, fleet units visiting the Enclave, and Naval forces in the Eastern Atlantic. Authorized personnel complement was 20 officers, 199 men, and 186 German civilians. On June 29, 1951, the Naval Security Group began its first operations in Germany, with the arrival of five Communications Technicians at the Herzog, Germany base. In the Fall of 1951, the team moved to Bremerhaven and was attached to the 23rd Detachment of the 2nd Radio Squadron Mobile (RSM). As of March 1952, the Bremerhaven Enclave had the following activities onboard: the U.S. Naval Advance Base; Communications Unit 8 and Communications Unit 32 (half team); a Minesweeping Readiness Unit; the Weser River Patrol and Security Unit; Ship Maintenance and Repair Facility; and Special Projects (the USS Northwind and USS Westwind). Prior to the establishment of the NSG Dept, NCS Todendorf, Germany (July 20, 1956), Naval Advanced Base Bremerhaven maintained a SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) Van that deployed to the U.S. Army Firing Range at Todendorf, and other locations along the East-West German Border. On February 9, 1953, the Naval Security Group Detachment, Naval Forces Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean (NSGD NELM) was established at Bremerhaven, under an officer in charge. The detachment was composed of seven officers and 107 enlisted men, and was administratively and logistically subordinate to the Naval Advanced Base. The station was designated Navy Communications Unit Thirty Two Dog (NCU-32D) On June 11, 1956, NSGA Bremerhaven, Germany was commissioned, and on December 31, 1972, NSGA Bremerhaven, Germany was disestablished and closed, most personnel, and all mission and functions were transferred to NSG Det Augsburg, Germany. The command was formally disestablished on June 30, 1972, but operations continued beyond that date. During the period from May to December 1972, most sailors assigned to NSGA Bremerhaven were reassigned to NSGA Bremerhaven's detachment at Augsburg, Germany. As a result of NSGA Bremerhaven's disestablishment, the detachment at Augsburg was redesignated as NSGA Augsburg. Of the 700 Navy and Marine Corps billets allocated to NSGA Bremerhaven, approximately half were transferred to NSGA Augsburg; with the remainder transferred to NSGA Edzell, Scotland or NSGA Rota, Spain. Company "F" Marine Support Battalion was relocated to the Naval Station at Rota, Spain. At the time of official disestablishement (June, 1972), NSGA Bremerhaven was the largest overseas NSGA, by billets and manpower. Naval Advance Base (NAB) established 01 Jun 1945 Naval Reserve Unit activated 25 Mar 1950 NSG Detachment (5 CT's) arrive at Herzog Base 29 Jun 1951 Naval Activities Bremen Enclave established 01 Jul 1951 NSG Detachment (5 CT's) move to Bremerhaven, Germany Fall 1951 Attached to the 23rd detachment of the 2nd Radio Squadron Mobile (RSM). NAVCOMMUNIT 32D (NSG Ops began) Fall 1951 NSG Det, Bremerhaven, Germany 09 Feb 1953 11 Jun 1956 NSG Det, Naval Forces Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean (NSGD NELM) NSGA Bremerhaven, Germany 11 Jun 1956 31 Dec 1972 Naval Advance Base (NAB) Bremerhaven closed. 01 May 1957 NSGA Bremerhaven disestablished and closed. 31 Dec 1972 Moved to NSG Det, Augsburg, Germany =================================================================================== Brunswick, Maine The Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine is located 26 miles northeast of Maine's largest city, Portland, and 31 miles south of the capital city of Augusta. Brunswick is the largest town of a tri-town area made up of Brunswick, Topsham, and Bath. The total population of the 3 towns is approximately 37,000. Brunswick is situated on the Androscoggin River, which flows into Merrymeeting Bay, and then into the Atlantic Ocean, only a few miles away. The town of Brunswick was originally settled in 1628, and was known as Pjepscot, along the falls of the Androscoggin River. It was incorporated as a township in 1717, and as a town in 1738. Brunswick was named to honor the British House of Brunswick, derived from the German House of Brunswick- Wolfenbuttel, Dukes of Brunswick. Constructed on the 1,487-acres of land, which from the 1700's has been used only for the purpose of growing blueberries, Naval Air Station, Brunswick, Maine, was commissioned on April 15, 1943. The primary purpose was to train Canadian and British Air Force pilots of the British Naval Command. This activity continued until the end of WWII. The base was deactivated in 1947 and reactivated in 1951 with the primary mission of anti-submarine warfare. On July 1, 1971, Commander Patrol Wings U.S. Atlantic Fleet/Commander Patrol Wing Five established his headquarters at NAS Brunswick. Changes have occurred on the base since 1971, so that at present, three patrol squadrons flying the P3 Orion perform their duties at the NAS. NAS also provides support for the ships located at Bath ME, the Naval Communication & Telecommunication Station at Cutler, ME; the U.S. Naval Survival School at Rangley, ME; and prior to it's closure in 2002, the Naval Security Group Activity at Winter Harbor. NAS Brunswick has 29 tenant commands, including a Reserve P-3 squadron and a Reserve Fleet Logistics Support Squadron flying C-130 "Hercules" transports. In addition, over 1,600 Naval Reservists travel from throughout New England to drill at Naval Air Reserve Brunswick, SeaBee Battalion and numerous other reserve commands. With the BRAC-driven closure of NAS South Weymouth, NAS Brunswick became the only large scale DoN flight installation in New England, and in fact stands alone as a full service active duty DoD airfield in the region. NAS Brunswick supports operations by three active duty and one special mission P-3C and EP-3 squadrons (VPU-1, VP-8, VP-10 and VP-26, one reserve C-130 squadron (VR-62) and one reserve VP squadron (VP-92). NAS Brunswick is also the host for Commander Patrol Reconnaissance Wing 5 (CPRW-5). Northeast Air Defense Sector, a 1st Air Force (USAF) unit also utilizes the airfield. Approximately 20 percent of NAS Brunswick's activities, facilities and services are in direct support of the AEGIS Destroyer shipbuilding program at nearby Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Bath and the Bath Iron Works Corporation. Also, the Navy's only cold weather Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) school is taught at Brunswick and on 12,000 acres near Rangeley in northwestern Maine. NAS Brunswick is scheduled for closure in 2011, per a 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) committee decision on August 24, 2005, the BRAC committee voted to close NAS Brunswick and move its aircraft operations to Jacksonville, FL. On September 15, 2005, the final list was approved by the President. By law, the base must be closed before September 15, 2011. Relocation of the first squadron to depart (to Jacksonville) is scheduled for 2008. Originally a Detachment of NSGA Winter Harbor, NSG Det Brunswick was located on- board the Naval Air Station Brunswick, about 120 miles south of Winter Harbor. The detachment supported patrol aircraft operations along the eastern seaboard, and over the Atlantic Ocean. On September 30, 2005, NSG Det Brunswick was administratively closed and was re- established on October 1, 2005 as the Navy Information Operations Detachment (NIOD) Brunswick, ME. NSG Det Brunswick, ME Jan 1974 30 Sep 2005 NIOD Brunswick, ME 01 Oct 2005 Present =================================================================================== Cape Chiniak, Kodiak Island, Alaska The Kodiak main island in an archipelago about the same size as the state of Connecticut, the island was discovered in 1763 by Stephan Glotov, a Russian fur trader, and known as Kikhtak, also Cadiack. The U.S. renamed it Kadiak in 1890 and Kodiak in 1901. The first settlement was made in 1784 by Grigory Shelekhov (Shelikof) at Three Saints Bay, on the island's southeastern part. During the 19th century the island was a base for seal and sea otter hunting and whaling. Russian control ended in 1867 with the U.S. purchase of Alaska. In the early 1900s the U.S. Department of Agriculture established an experimental cattle station, but the eruption (1912) of Novarupta Volcano near Mount Katmai blanketed the island with ash, which interrupted agricultural activities. In 1964 a violent earthquake lowered the island by 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m), accompanied by a tidal wave (tsnaumi) that caused widespread devastation. Patrick Saltonstall of the Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak says: Kodiak is an Aleut (Unangan) word for Kodiak. It means something like land of our enemies. The Russians who first went to Kodiak heard about Kodiak from the Aleuts and used their word for the place. The local people on Kodiak are known today as the Alutiiq - they called themselves Sugpiat. They are not the same people as the Aleuts from the Aleutians and did not speak the same language. The community of Chiniak is located 45 miles southeast of the City of Kodiak, on the easternmost point of Kodiak Island. Chiniak is an Alutiiq (Russian-Aleut) name first reported in 1888 by Lt. Comdr. Tanner, USN, of the steamer Albatross. It was named Cape Greville in 1778 by Capt. Cook. Fort Kodiak was established in 1898. During the mid-1950s, an Air Force White Alice Radar Tracking Station was constructed at Chiniak. The U.S. Navy HFDF station at Cape Chiniak, located on Kodiak Island, was often referred to as "Kodiak". Kodiak Island is located near the southern mainland of Alaska, opposite Katmai National Park. The city of Kodiak was located northeast of the Naval Station. Cape Chiniak was located to the southeast of the Naval Station. It was a long, bumpy and winding 40 mile dirt road from the Naval Station to the Cape. The U.S. Navy established a radio facility on Woody Island in 1911. The CAA and later the FAA had extensive facilities on Woody Island. The Woody Island faciity was an Anti-submarine Loop Station. Woody Island is about 2.6 miles east of Kodiak, mid-way along the southern coast of Alaska. The Russians used Woody Island as an agricultural colony as early as 1792. In 1911 the U.S. Navy built a wireless station on the island and with Japanese expansion in the Aleutian Island Chain, the island's importance increased. In 1939, the U.S. Navy occupied quarters on West Woody Island and the Federal Aviation Agency shifted its facilities from West Woody to East Woody Island. In December, 1942, anti-submarine magnetic indicator loop stations were installed on the island. Two sets of loop cables were laid. The smaller loop was laid between Woody Island and Kodiak Island, about midway along the channel between the two islands; the larger loop ran between the tip of Cliff Point and the southern tip of Woody Island. In November 1943, anti-torpedo nets, 30' deep, for protection against the torpedo, rather than the submarine, were substituted for the heavier nets laid in October 1942. After the war, Woody Island continued to serve as a navigational station, but in 1973 the station became unmanned. A Naval Base was established on Kodiak Island, to guard the approaches to the Gulf of Alaska and to constitute an intermediate point between Dutch Harbor and Sitka. The group of islands, of which Kodiak is by far the largest, lies off the western shore of the Gulf of Alaska, at the base of the Alaskan Peninsula. The island of Kodiak, with an area of 3588 square miles, has a coastline of about 1500 miles, with numerous deep bays and channels. The terrain is mountainous, with many high peaks and numerous lakes and streams. The heavy rainfall is evenly distributed. Major obstacles encountered in the construction of the station were stormy weather and bad ground. The climate, in general, is not severe, for the island of Kodiak lies in the path of a warm current, which gives it mild and equitable climate. However, during the long, dark, winter months, the weather is often very inclement. Construction of facilities on the Kodiak Naval Reservation was authorized by an act of Congress, April 25, 1939. A general order, dated November 8, 1939, withdrew public land and water on "the eastern portion of Kodiak Island" for Naval purposes. The first ground was broken on September 23, 1939. On June 15, 1941, Naval Air Station, Kodiak, Alaska, was established. The Department of Defense acquired property from the Bureau of Land Management in August, 1941 for use as part of the former Kodiak Island Defense Area. Fort J. H. Smith was built on the property at Cape Chiniak, Kodiak Island, in 1941, and was abandoned in 1945. Prior to World War II, there were only trails from the Olds River to Chiniak. In 1942, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers surveyed the present road and were the architects of the rather complex military installations scattered throughout Chiniak. Actual construction of the entire complex was done by civilians working round-the- clock. There were between 7,500 and 8,000 Army troops stationed at the Kodiak complex. In April 1943, the Army erected a permanent 8-inch gun battery north of Kodiak and established it as a sub-post of Fort Greely, naming it Fort Abercrombie. Harbor defense batteries located at Fort Smith on St. Peter's Head (Battery 403, (1944-1945) included four 155mm guns on Panama mounts, which are still intact. The Coast Artillery called "Round Top" stands atop a hill about a mile southwest of Cape Chiniak. Installations there included a model SCR-296 fire control radar, an observation tower, a transmitter building, two small electrical power buildings and various support buildings. The radar at Round Top provided fire control support to Battery 403 at nearby Fort Smith. The tower is one of only two towers of this type in Alaska, that remain standing at their original locations. In December 1952, the Fort Smith property was relinquished to the Bureau of Land Management and subsequently transferred to Lesnoi Inc., (later Lesnoi Corp.) of Kodiak, AK. The original plans called for the construction of a Naval Operating Base, to include a Naval Air Station, a submarine base, a net depot, a dispensary, docks, ammunition and fuel storage facilities, provisioning, administration, and personnel facilities. The Air Station was to include facilities for both landplanes and seaplanes, to consist of ramps, runways, maintenance and repair shops, storehouses, and housing units. The submarine base was to provide repair service for small ships and boats with a floating drydock, shops, and additional housing. Naval Air Station, Kodiak, Alaska, was commissioned on June 15, 1941. The NAS was located on Women's Bay, on the eastern end of Kodiak Island, about seven miles northwest of the city of Kodiak. The Submarine Base at Kodiak was established on April 15, 1942. The Naval Operating Base (NOB), Kodiak, was commissioned on June 9, 1942, comprising the Naval Air Station, Submarine Base, and Section Base (outlying areas). A Marine Barracks was established at NOB Kodiak on January 1, 1943. Administration facilities, including offices, radio station, hospital and instruction space, were built. Offices, including those of the Air Station, submarine base, and the civilian contractor, were established in five buildings with a total area of 65,000 square feet. Radio facilities included a 32-by-82-foot transmitter building, a 16-by-72 foot receiving station and three small direction-finding buildings. The U.S. Navy chose Kodiak for their principal base because of the ice-free waters. It was defended by the U.S. Army. A joint operations center was located at Kodiak Island, and directed Alaskan operations from 1942 to 1943. Naval Station Kodiak Island was the principal advance Naval Base in Alaska and the North Pacific when World War II broke out. Kodiak’s ships and submarines played a critical role in the Aleutian campaign. On April 15, 1944, Commander, Alaskan Sea Frontier (COMALSEAFRON) (VADM F. J. Fletcher) with headquarters at Adak, Aleutian Islands, and Seventeenth Naval District (RADM F. E. M. Whiting) with temporary headquarters in Adak and permanent headquarters at Kodiak, Alaska; were established. Fort Greely, with its coast artillery and infantry troops, stood ready to repel the Japanese invader, but in the end the enemy did not come. The base at Kodiak was never developed beyond the original plan. This was mainly due to the fact that many projects originally planned for Kodiak were moved farther west or were reduced as the scene of action shifted. Installations at Naval Operating Base (NOB) Kodiak were started, and a large portion completed, under the civilian contract. Navy Seabees took over unfinished projects and improved some finished ones. In June 1945, the submarine base was decommissioned and the net defense facilities on Woody Island were disestablished. Cape Chiniak, located on the Island of Kodiak southeast of NAS Kodiak, was originally operated and maintained by the U.S. Army, and was established in June, 1941. Fort Smith, an Army Cantonment Camp, was set up there with about 500 men. An Auxiliary Air Field was constructed and a $15,000 air warning and surface radar unit installed. This unit burned in April, 1944, and was replaced by a radar unit for harbor defense. After Fort J. H. Smith was abandoned in 1945, the property at Cape Chiniak, on Kodiak Island, came into the possession of the U.S. Coast Guard. From 1945 to 1946, the U.S. Coast Guard operated a facility at Cape Chiniak as a direction finding station. The Coast Guard also maintained a local CW communications net, which included the following stations: Cape Chiniak (callsign NNF), Middleton Island (callsign NNG), Biorka Island, Sitka (callsign NNH), Navy Base Kodiak (callsign NHB), Army Base Kodiak (callsign WXR) and Coast Guard District 17 HQ, Ketchikan (callsign NMJ). In May 1946, the Cape Chiniak site was turned over to the U.S. Naval Security Group. In May 1946, the U.S. Naval Security Group (Communications Security Unit) moved from Bells Flats to Chiniak (also known as Little Navy Annex). The Little Navy Annex at Chiniak was originally part of Miller Field. Enlisted men used an abondoned log cabin (still standing) on Chiniak Lake, during their off-hours as a recreation cabin. "It was an abandoned cabin. We used it one summer to board horses and one of the guys kept his pet raven there. We also used it to dress out some deer we shot that had wondered onto the antenna fields, which were also used by a local rancher to graze cattle." Narrative by CTR2 Richard Kivi, stationed at Cape Chiniak in 1956. U.S. Coast Guard Base Bells Flats (now abandoned) was located adjacent to the town of Bell's Flats, now known as Womens Bay; about 10 miles from downtown Kodiak city. The Womens Bay community is located on the site of a ranch once owned by the Bell family. There are remains of WWII warehouses and Quonset huts on the site. On October 1, 1950, the Naval Air Station Kodiak was redesignated as the Naval Station Kodiak, with the Commanding officer also serving as the Commander, Naval Operating Base, Kodiak; Commander Naval Air Bases, Seventeenth Naval District; Commander Search and Rescue Area Two; and Commander Forces Kodiak Sector. In 1956, the U.S. Naval Station Kodiak personnel and their families were allowed to occupy the quonset huts adjacent to the Miller Field recreation area. Also in 1956. the U.S. Air Force started construction of an Advance Communication and Warning Site (AC&W). A year later, it was decided to convert the AC&W Site into a deep space tracking station. The mission of the Tracking Station was to collect and record tracking and telemetry data. Upon the launch of Sputnik on October 4, 1957, the U.S. Air Force established the satellite tracking and control facility, not far from the WWII Army guns at Chiniak. In 1960. the Tracking Station became operational. Technical and maintenance support was provided by 121 civilians. Two (2) U.S. Air Force officers performed the command functions. The U.S. Air Force tracking facility operated until 1975. In March 1975, the U.S. Air Force announced that the Tracking Station would be