Goose Bay, Labrador

1959 – Historical Report – USAF Historical Division


Historical Record
641st AC&W Squadron
Goose Bay, Labrador
1 October 1959 to 31 December 1959

Section I

REQUIRED DATA

  1. Unit and Location

641st AC&W Squadron
APO 677, New York, NY

  1. Name and Grade of Commander

Delbert R Smyth, Major, USAF

  1. Chain of Command (Superior Echelons)
  2. United States Air Force
    NORAD
    Air Defense Command
    64th Air Division (Defense)
    4732nd Air Defense Group

  • Subordinate Units (Down to and including squadrons)
  • None

  • Mission (Give authority and brief statement of primary mission)
  • The mission of the 641st AC&W Squadron is to conduct Air Defense operations within that area assigned by Headquarters, 64th Air Division (Defense) and function as a Prime Direction Center within the Air Defense system.
    Authority: Paragraph 2, 4732nd Air Defense Group Regulation No. 20-2, dated 1 April 1958.

  • Personnel
  •    

    Officers

    Airmen

    Civilians

    Total

     
     

    Assigned

    20

    232

    13

    265

     
     

    Attached

    1

    22

    2

    25

     
                 
  • Equipment (Give official nomenclature and quantity of mission-type equipment)
  • AN/CPS-6B Prime Radar, AN/TPS-502 Back-up Height Radar, AN/FPS-502 Back-up Search Radar, AN/GPX-6 Radar Identification, 10 Cummins Diesel Generators (100KW) model LGA, 8 AN/GRC-27 Multi-Channel UHF Transmitter-Receiver, 6 AN/GRT-3 Single Channel UHF Transmitter-Receivers, 6 AN/GRR-7 Single Channel Receivers, 5 AN/FRT-502 VHF Transmitters, 11 AF/URG-60 VHF Receivers.

    Section II

    COMMENTARY

    Operations:

    This squadron was awarded an "Outstanding" rating by the 64th Air Division (Defense) as the result of a tactical evaluation held between 30 November and 3 December. Ten (10) officers from various ACWRONs within the 64th Air Division were present as observers during the evaluation. Later in December, this squadron participated in the SAC mission "Quick Kick".

    During the period of this report, weapons directors achieved an intercept rate of ninety-nine (99) percent. Three hundred and thirty-seven (337) intercepts were attempted and three hundred and thirty-four (334) were completed successfully.

    Training schedules for this period include the following totals by equipment:

    (see the matrix at the end of this report)

    C&E Equipment Performance and Maintenance:

    The annual radar overhaul schedule was completed during the period of this report. Two (2) pieces of equipment, the AN/GPS-T2 and the AN/UPS-T5, were out of commission from 1 October to 9 October for overhaul purposes. Remaining equipment which underwent overhaul was as follows: AN/TPS-502, AN/UPA-37, AN/CPS-6B, EW-106 Pressurization – Dehumidifier kit.

    The Radar Simulator Group, GPS-T2 was installed during this period, and operational and maintenance classes were held on the ECM attachment, 0A-1767, to the GPS-T2. Various troubles began to appear on the NE-611 Switchboard in September and October. Card circuits constantly failed, ring voltage was applied to Tropo circuits, and various other weaknesses began to appear. Depot assistance was requested and granted. Overhaul is scheduled for January.

    A physical inventory was made of all communications equipment in order to establish a plant-in-place record and an accurate consumption rate.

    Special circuits were wired by the Wire Maintenance Section to permit simultaneous talking to 64th AD (D) COC and Northern NORAD COC. These circuits permit simulated outages on main reporting circuits to 64th, re-routing of said circuits to Northern NORAD, with break-in privileges for 64th AD (D) COC, if necessary.

    Facilities:

    The 641st Dining Hall was remodelled during this period. Section dividers were added for the NCO and Officers sections, new tables were procured and additional telephones were installed. Quality of meals has improved to the point that the 641st has the finest meals in the entire Northeast defense area.

    Supply:

    An inventory of all technical items was made during this period with a resultant reduction in bench stock, the establishment of realistic and accurate item levels. All items were re-binned properly for easy and accurate access.

    Civil Engineering:

    Explosion proof light fixtures were installed in the POL pump house.

    Construction of a radio terminal building for the BMEWS project was begun during this period.

    Motor Pool:

    Drivers of the 641st Motor Pool completed 107,970 miles of driving by the end of this period without a reportable accident. The total number of days-without-accident amounts to 515. Statistics for the period of this report are as follows:

    (see the matrix at the end of this report)

    Special Services:

    A Christmas party was held on 21 December for forty-one (41) underprivileged children from the nearby community of Happy Valley. Each child was presented with a gift, then fed cake and ice cream and taken to the theater for a "cartoon hour".

    The Squadron Basketball Team was welded into a formidable unit during this period. Nine (9) of our eleven (11) games were won by the end of December.

    Eight members of the 641st Survival Team completed field training of the Goose Air Base Arctic Survival School.

    Special Notes:

    The squadron was host to the following official visitors during the period:

    (see the matrix at the end of this report)

    Typed Name and Grade of Commander

    Delbert R Smyth, Major, USAF

    Signature

     

    Operations Training by Equipment

    AN/GPS-T2

    44 hours

    AN/UPS-T5

    127 hours

    M0-1

    20 hours

    ECCM

    136 hours

    Motor Pool Driving Statistics

    Vehicles Assigned

    8

    Miles Driven

    31,959

    Passengers Carried

    10,545

    Cargo Carried, Lbs.

    488,545

    Special Visitors

    The Honorable Joey Smallwood, Premier of Newfoundland

    Brigadier General (Senator) Barry Goldwater

    Major General Rouse, Director of Materiel, ADC

    Brigadier General Samuel, Wing Commander, Little Rock AFB, (SAC)