Port Aux Basque, Nfld

USCG LORAN Station - Assorted Sources

In 1942, the US Naval Coast Guard came to Channel - Port aux Basques to set up a top secret Radio Receiver and Transmitter site near Mouse Island. It should be emphasized that while the station was not physically located on Mouse Island, it did take its name from this tiny island. The complex was physically located on the coast of Newfoundland, opposite Mouse Island. The station was USCG Unit #79 and was manned by over 50 US Coast Guard, who maintained and operated the "Loran/A" master station until 1945.

Although the Mouse Island complex was supplied with basic food items and other supplies by ship or train from Argentia, many of the fresh vegetables and maintenance items were purchased in Channel - Port aux Basques.

We have been advised that the original site consisted of six Quonset huts. Five of these were connected together in an H shape (see the diagram below), but this group burnt down in the 1946-1947 time period. The oil on the floor in the Hydro room was always cleaned up with gasoline, but an oil drum outside that had a fire in it, seemed to jump to the fumes of the gasoline and the 5 huts (separate from that one that house the communications equipment) burned down because they were connected together.

The Americans were quick to replace these with five new Quonset huts - and this time they were not connected, but side by side. There are a number of photos available on our web site that depict the replacement Quonset huts. The five buildings were used for: Officers quarters, Kitchen, Hydro area, Men's barracks, and a building that was used for recreational purposes. We have been advised that the Americans put down copper pipes 2' - 10' into the ground (even thru some graves) and they strung cable that, from the air, would look like a cobweb, then put up a fence around the whole area... a metal fence that had large square holes (about 6" squares).

This diagram depicts the layout of the original American Base.