Sioux Lookout, ON

1960 – Historical Report – USAF Historical Division


Historical Report
915th AC&W Squadron
1 January 1960 to 31 March 1960

Section I

REQUIRED DATA

  1. Unit and Location

915th Squadron (ADC), Sioux Lookout Air Station, Sioux Lookout, Ontario, Canada

  1. Name and Grade of Commander

Thomas E Ashinhurst, Lt. Colonel, USAF

  1. Chain of Command (Superior Echelons)
  2. HQ – USAF
    HQ – NORAD
    HQ – ADC
    HQ – 30th Air Div (SAGE)
    HQ – Duluth Air Defense Sector

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

  • Mission (Give authority and brief statement of primary mission)
  • Duluth ADS Regulation 24-7, 7 July 1959
    To operate and maintain a Direction Center facility as part of the integrated Air Defense system of the 30th Air Division (SAGE) within the assigned area of responsibility. Conduct training and accomplish command responsibilities as required by the Commander, Duluth Air Defense Sector.

  • Personnel
  •    

    Officers

    Airmen

    Civilians

    Total

     
     

    Assigned

    17

    154

    15

    186

     
     

    Attached

    0

    0

    0

    0

     
                 
  • Equipment (Give official nomenclature and quantity of mission-type equipment)
  • AN/FPS-20A (1 ea.), AN/TPS-502 (1 ea.).

    Section II

    COMMENTARY

    During this reporting period the morale of this organization has remained at a high level.

    On 19 January 1960 we were inspected by Major Smith and Captain McConnell from 30th Air Division (SAGE) Operations and Training Section. They inspected our facilities and Operations received a satisfactory rating. The inspection team gave our controllers and directors a new test originated by their section. During this quarter Major McCauley and Captain Kennedy went to Duluth ADS for an indoctrination o NORAD Regulation 51-6. Lt. Colonel Ashinhurst, Captain Caron, 1st Lt. Bistis, 1st Lt. Buttermore and 1st Lt. Harner went to the Associated Fighter Squadron cross-training. The long awaited UPA-35 scope arrived and was put into operation as a control scope. A/2C Wilbur D Peterson was nominated as Pinetopper of the Month in March.

    There were no major equipment changes in the C&E Section for this period. However this station has had IRAN’s on diesel, teletype and test equipment. The IRAN on the test equipment was the most extensive, requiring 730 man hours involving sixty-nine pieces of equipment. A comprehensive project for this period has been the institution of an inspection system. This is comprised of the OAC Officer, the maintenance inspector and the NCOIC, inspecting all the sub-sections for OJT, shop safety, ground safety, the maintenance inspection system, equipment grounding and other general inspections. The results have been that the sub-sections are reaching high standards in these fields. For example, there have been no on-duty accidents. A summation of the period covered by this report for the Communications and Electronics Section would be that we have plenty of technicians for the equipment, and no new equipment. Therefore we have concentrated on bringing our administrative standards up without any decrease in our primary maintenance mission.

    During the first quarter of 1960 the Supply Section participated in "Project Count", which is a USAF simultaneous inventory of all supplies and equipment world wide, from fence to fence at each installation. This inventory has had priority over all normal supply operations and has limited the submission of requisitions to US depots to emergency requirements only. Procedures for obtaining Canadian type supplies and equipment remain normal except for the installation of teletype demand procedures. This new procedure requires all demands for Canadian supplied equipment to be requisitioned by teletype. Personnel manning remains unchanged with a forecasted gain of two airmen in April 1960 and a loss of two airmen, due to rotation in June 1960.

    The Security Section was visited in January by Lt. Colonel McGinn, 30th Air Division Provost Marshal, who was here as a member of a Staff Assistance Team. Only minor discrepancies were found. These were immediately corrected. This section did not gain or lose any airmen due to rotation during this quarter.

    Typed Name and Grade of Commander

    Thomas E Ashinhurst, Lt. Colonel, USAF

    Signature