Red Cliff, NF

1956 – Historical Report – USAF Historical Division


 

History
of

 

642nd Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron

 

 

1 April 1956 to 30 June 1956

 

 

Report of Historical Data RCS: AU-D5 (64-1)

 

642nd AC&W Squadron
Red Cliff Air Station
Newfoundland

 

For the Period 1 March 1956 to 30 June 1956

 

Compiled By:
William A Romaine
1st Lt., USAF
Historical Officer

 

1946 – A Decade of Security Through Global Air Power – 1956

 

 

Mission:

The mission of the Squadron during this period remained basically the same as the previous period, i.e. GCI, Air Surveillance, Navigational Aid, and aid to Air Sea Rescue.

Operations Section:

Personnel – Instability of director personnel greatly affected the mission capability of the unit. Within the period, there has been a 100% turn-over of director personnel. All but one of the remaining seven directors are 1641’s.

Operations – The modification of the operations room begun in mid-April, is yet to be completed, but is expected to be completed during July. During this period, operations were conducted in the "B"-Scan room; limiting our maximum capability. Delay in completion of the operations room modification was due to a request to include refinements in the contract, necessitating a revision of the contract, which took the better part of two weeks to negotiate.

There has been no increase in the availability of interceptor aircraft for practice intercepts.

VIP’s continue to stream in for their first tour of a NEAC site. Most distinguished of the visitors was Air Vice Marshal Pae, Air Officer Commanding, Canadian Air Defense Command.

A joint TAC-SAC air refueling mission was conducted with this station providing the navigational assistance for the tankers and direction of the F-84F’s to the rendezvous point. Despite a close call with weather and an overanxious pilot, the mission was successfully completed.

Communications Section:

Personnel – Rotation has reduced personnel to a minimum in the Teletype and Radio Operations sections, however both are still operating normally.

Personnel at the Transmitter Site at White Hills and the Receiver Site at Red Head have been transferred to the 642nd Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron for administrative purposes. This unit has no operational control over these personnel.

Communications Maintenance – During the past three months the operations room has been in the process of being modified. While modification is being accomplished, the Communications section has provided service without interruption and on a fairly normal basis. To enable communications to continue, two new cables were run from the Main Frame into the "B"-scan room. Also two terminal strips were installed for cross connections. There are cross-connecting facilities for forty voice telephone circuits, fourteen three-wire radio circuits, and sixteen radio monitor circuits.

Four circuits were relocated to make room for radio channels which are to be remoted from the new Receiver Site at Snellgrove.

During May, a thorough check of all outside lines was made to determine the extent of damage incurred during the winter. The field wire line between this site and the site water supply dam was reinstalled on poles. The line had to be removed from poles during the winter months because of high winds and icing of the line. It must be re-strung on poles or it will be destroyed by farm machinery. All damage incurred during the winter was repaired.

The annual overhaul of all teletype equipment was accomplished during the past month and all defective parts were replaced.

Communications Operations – Several radio maintenance men arrived at this site and a school has been set up to help familiarize them with our equipment. Some phases which were not covered in Tech School are being taught. Personnel from other sections interested in attending the classes are permitted to do so.

Radar Maintenance Section:

Personnel – There has been no changes in airmen personnel during the period. At the present time, we are five airmen over-strength, although there is a shortage in the seven level area. Both the previous Radar Maintenance Officer and the Assistant Radar Maintenance Officer have rotated to the ZI. The two positions are now being held by one Captain who arrived in June.

Canadian Marconi Corporation again changed its site personnel with two men reporting to the site and one being rotated to the Mid-Canada Line.

Training – Eleven repairmen have been upgraded to primary AFSC 30352D. Five more are awaiting test results at present.

Maintenance – A master Technical Order file for all C&E requirements has been established in the radar maintenance section. All TO’s required have been placed on requisition and will be inserted when received. This file is open to all sections needing information of this nature.

The lightning rods for all the radomes were damaged by an ice storm this past winter. They were removed by CMC riggers for repair and will be installed as soon as possible.

All of the radar equipment was removed from the operations room during April 1956. The equipment will be reinstalled upon completion of this project. All of the indicators not in use have been overhauled.

At the present time, the AN/CPS-6B is operating on 300 PRF because the EW kit is RNFP for waveguides. One of the damaged waveguides was received, and when checked, was found to be damaged. This section was returned to supply and another waveguide section re-ordered.

Personnel Services:

Negative report.

Air Police:

Personnel – The strength in the Air Police section is now down to four airmen from an authorized strength of eleven airmen. The Air Police section is utilizing personnel in other career fields for temporary Air Police duty due to the shortage of personnel at this site.

Air Police Operations – Six security lectures were given during the period. All personnel have read AFR 205-15 and have signed appropriate PAFB form.

All squadron personnel have fired the Cal. .30 Carbine, and Air Police and Officer personnel the Cal. .45 Pistol during the month of June.

Mess:

Personnel – The early part of the period saw a critical shortage of cooks which was relieved to a degree by the assignment of two new cooks. Three cooks originally assigned to the unit were diverted to another unit.

Dining Hall – The kitchen walls were painted. The hooded ventilators over the stoves and steam serving lines were cleaned. It is hoped that the entire dining hall will be renovated in the near future. There has been a Coke machine installed in the dining hall which helps to relieve the cold drink situation.

Medical Section:

For this report period, there were seven admissions to quarters, transferred to the Support Base Hospital at Pepperrell Air Force Base for hospitalization. The breakdown is as follows: Tonsillitis, acute, organism undetermined – 1; Cyst, Pilonidial, inflamed with abscess – 1; upper respiratory infection, - 1; Atrophy of Testis, - 1. There were two hundred and nineteen treatments on the basis of general medicine. Twenty-three cases of dermatology, sixty-one patients for surgical dressing and nineteen treatments of ear, nose and throat, for a total of three hundred and twenty-two treatments.

One day during the period was devoted to bringing the organization up to date on the new method of artificial respiration, (Back Pressure Arm Lift Method).

For the days in the report period, the Base Spray Team eliminated cockroaches in five of the buildings. Rat traps have been set daily in the Mess Hall.

Administration:

Personnel – The unit assigned strength on 1 April 1956 was thirteen officers and one hundred and fifty-three airmen. At the end of the report period, the assigned strength was eleven officers and one hundred and sixty-eight airmen against a UMD authorized strength of thirteen officers and one hundred and fifty-two airmen.

Even though the assigned strength at the close of the period indicated that we are over strength, we are still critically short of men in the Air Police field.

Several of the men that we are carrying as assigned are merely assigned pending EDCSA. The slight overages in other career fields is slowly being depleted and we should soon have the same number assigned as authorized.

As reported previously, we are still having trouble skill wise with our new assignees. Since most of our men are assigned the three skill level, the training problem is constantly present.

Supply:

Air Installations at this Site rearranged the overhead light fixtures in building 3701, Tech Supply. This project was accomplished to comply with AF Manual 67-1.

All paper work in suspense from FY 1955 was screened and items not required by this organization were cancelled.

During the period 5 June 1956 through 8 June 1956, the Command Equipment Review Board made a field visit to this Unit. The UAL was reviewed and brought up to date.

Motor Pool:

Negative report.