Chibougamau, QC

1997 - General History - The NBC Group

Station Chibougamau (site C-42), roughly 300 air miles east of the bottom of James Bay, was located on top of Boubeau Mountain four miles from the town of the same name. This site was selected to become the location for a new RCAF long range radar squadron in May 1958. The construction phase for both the domestic site and the operations site, which were five miles apart, began in the summer of 1961. The station officially opened on 1 May 1962; but the station was not completed until 1 October 1962. A military detachment was already in place, having arrived in September 1961 to install equipment to be used in operations. The first RCAF personnel began arriving on 24 January 1962 and 10 Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron RCAF Station Chibougamau was officially opened on 1 May 1962.

The unit began SAGE testing on 7 January 1963 and the days of manual operations were over as of 1 October 1963 when the station was declared operational on the SAGE system.

Radio Station CHIB officially opened in February 1963. The station transmitted from its studio at RCAF Station Chibougamau on a frequency of 1340 kilocycles and catered to a region with an estimated 8,000 listeners. Chibougamau's popular radio station CHIB signed off for the last time on 31 October 1984.

On 4 October 1966, 10 Radar Squadron participated in the Tenth Anniversary celebrations of the town of Chibougamau. 10 Radar Squadron became CFS Chibougamau on 26 September 1967 as a result of unification. On 18 October 1980, the personnel from CFS Chibougamau were walled to provide assistance at a crash site 30 miles from the station. At 1415 hours a C-130 Hercules from 424 (Transport and Rescue) Squadron CFB Trenton, Ontario crashed while conducting a search for a missing helicopter. There were eight fatalities and two survivors. A memorial now stands marking the site of the tragedy.

In May 1982, the station was threatened for three days by a large forest fire. The station celebrated their 20th anniversary on 11 September 1982. In October 1983, a Height Finder from CFS Sioux Lookout was mounted and dedicated in front of the Town Hall in Chibougamau. The town had wanted something representative of the radar station to commemorate its contributions to the community. The station became part of Canada East when it became fully operational in August 1984. In March 1985, the official announcement was made that the closure of CFS Chibougamau was imminent. In April 1987, Chibougamau's height finder was shut down and the Squadron was disbanded.

--The NBC Group - Don Nicks, John Bradley, Chris Charland.

Pinetree Line Comments

There appears to be conflicting detail as to when the unit was closed. Official documentation indicates 1 April 1987 as the date that the height finder was turned off - and hence, I guess that this date has been interpreted by some as the date the unit closed down. Other sources indicate 1 April 1988 as the date that the unit ceased to be operational and from an administrative stand point, 1 August 1988 as the date when the last military member left. One point to note is that the SSR (UPX-14s) and the CD stayed behind for another 4-5 years to provide radar data to TC Montreal. - Jean Roy.