Stephenville, Labrador

1959 – Historical Report – USAF Historical Division


Historical Record
640th AC&W Squadron
Stephenville, Newfoundland
1 July 1959 to 30 September 1959

Section I

REQUIRED DATA

  1. Unit and Location

640th AC&W Squadron
APO 864, New York, New York

  1. Name and Grade of Commander

John Aitken Jr., Lieutenant Colonel

  1. Chain of Command (Superior Echelons)
  2. Commander
    4731st Air Base Group
    APO 864, New York, New York

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

  • Mission (Give authority and brief statement of primary mission)
  • The mission of the 640thAC&W Squadron is to conduct Air Defense operations within that area assigned by Headquarters 64th Air Division (Defense) and function as an ADC within the Air Defense System.

  • Personnel
  •    

    Officers

    Airmen

    Civilians

    Total

     
     

    Assigned

    22

    167

    26

    215

     
     

    Attached

    0

    0

    0

    0

     
                 
  • Equipment (Give official nomenclature and quantity of mission-type equipment)
  • Section II

    COMMENTARY

    Administration:

    During the period of this report this unit had four (4) new officer personnel and thirteen (13) new airmen personnel. Five (5) officers and nineteen (19) airmen were processed for normal rotation to the ZI. One (1) airman was returned permanently to the ZI for hospitalization. 1st Lt. James H Holcomb was replaced as Administrative Officer by 1st Lt. James L Valenti Jr., on the 25th of August 1959. Our retention and replacement program was satisfactory, being implemented by four (4) airmen extending their normal enlistment and one (1) airman extending his overseas tour and two (2) airmen re-enlisting for their own vacancy. There was no malassignment rate or serious AFSC classification problems encountered. A satisfactory OJT program is in effect, although there is a serious shortage of current OJT package programs and pertinent job training standards.

    AIO:

    The following projects were accomplished by AIO Personnel during this period: "Break Room" constructed in TPS Tower for Operations personnel; Fire Hydrant House doors have been cut and modified to provide greater accessibility to hydrants and equipment during winter months;

    Constructed house on rear of weapons carrier; upper oil storage tank on hill has been filled to capacity preparatory to Tankers arrival on 15 Oct 59; construction of engine oil storage shed in the rear of the Power Plant.

    The Motor Pool Section had one (1) traffic accident which occurred on the receiver site road on 13 Aug 59. No one was injured.

    C&E:

    Radar Maintenance – The AN/CPS-6B, the prime radar, operated with good results, requiring 197:67 hours and minutes of preventative maintenance and 11:48 hours and minutes of corrective maintenance. The Early Warning Radar operated satisfactorily with the exception of minor maintenance this quarter. The FPS-502 and TPS-502 has given excellent operation throughout this quarter. The 15-J-1C has been out of commission since 19 Aug 59 due to lack of parts. The GPS-T2 has operated with excellent results.

    Radio Maintenance – The Radio Maintenance Section moved the GRC #1 and #2 (remote UHF Multi Channel Equipment) from the Operations building to the Transmitters and Receivers building. September 15th we began utilizing Net 24. The day frequency works with no difficulties, but the night frequency has not worked. We have been utilizing the day frequency at night also, however it is not always reliable. The trouble is apparently the frequency because equipment both ways is in good condition. The C&E Officer informed Division Headquarters of this difficulty and we were verbally informed that we are to be assigned a new frequency.

    Wire Maintenance – The continuous problem this past quarter with the Wire Maintenance Section has been the tail cable between here and Harmon AFB. A majority of the teletype and voice circuits were re-routed temporarily through Pole Vault to continue operation. The AN/TRC-11 equipment was utilized for dial trunks to the base. At present all circuits are back on the tail cable. This has been a continuing problem for the past four (4) years and should be a strong argument for the immediate installation of the micro-wave link between this site and Ernest Harmon AFB. At present the tail cable is working satisfactorily. All teletype lines were changed from base to tech supply to alleviate the continuous fluctuation in power.

    Operations:

    During the month of July 1959, an ORI was conducted by the Air Defense Command TAC Evaluation Team. The Operations Section was given a satisfactory rating. Personnel gained in the 3rd quarter consist of one (1) Major, two (2) Captains and one (1) Senior Master Sergeant, thus bringing the squadron to approximately 96% manned against the UMD requirement. All requirements for training are being completed as outlined in 64th Air Division Ops Order 8-59. A new briefing and debriefing room was built in the lower portion on the AN/FPS-502 Tower. This room is also used for training and intelligence briefings.

    Supply:

    Mr. Roach from 64th Air Division Equipment Review and Authorization Activity paid this organization a visit during July. The purpose of this visit was to assist this organization in completely revamping the UAL. This project was completed in five (5) days. All sections were consulted and their requirements and justifications were taken into consideration.

    A Supply Assistance Letter was submitted through 4731st Air Defense Group to 64th Air Division. This letter was in regard to support of diesel spares.

    A project was started in September to consolidate the supply storage area into two (2) locations. Supplies were located in five (5) separate areas previous to this consolidation, causing an extra workload on supply personnel.

    Prepared By: Joseph L Valenti Jr., 1st Lt.

    Typed Name and Grade of Commander

    John Aitken Jr., Lieutenant Colonel

    Signature