Charleston Air Force Station

For the current Air Mobility Command base in South Carolina, see Charleston Air Force Base

Charleston Air Force Station
Part of Aerospace Defense Command
Charleston, Maine
Overview of the Station
Type	Long Range Radar Site
Coordinates	45°05′30″N 069°05′42″W / 45.09167°N 69.095°W / 45.09167; -69.095 (Charleston AFS P-65)
Location code	ADC ID: P-65 NORAD ID: Z-65
Built	1950-1951
Built by	U.S. Air Force
In use	1952-1980
Controlled by	United States Air Force
Garrison	Charleston, Maine
Occupants	765th Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron

Charleston AFS

Location of Charleston AFS, Maine

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Emblem of the 765th Radar Squadron

Charleston Air Force Station is a defunct Air Force Station that operated from the 1952 until 1980. It was located in Charleston, Maine. It is the site of a radar station and other buildings. It was redeveloped into the a jail for the state of Maine.

History

In late 1950, construction began on Charleston Air Force Station. Known as Bull Hill for its location in the town, the station was one of twenty-eight stations built as part of the second segment of the permanent Air Defense Command national radar network. Prompted by the start of the Korean War, on July 11, 1950, the Secretary of the Air Force asked the Secretary of Defense for approval to expedite construction of the second segment of the permanent network. Receiving the Defense Secretary’s approval on July 21, the Air Force directed the Corps of Engineers to proceed with construction.

Completed in early 1951, and fully manned and operational when the 765th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron brought Charleston AFS to life in April 1952 and assumed coverage that had been provided by a temporary Lashup radar site at Dow AFB (L-l). The site initially had AN/FPS-3 and AN/FPS-5 radars, and initially the station functioned as an aircraft control and warning station.

In 1957 an AN/FPS-6 replaced the AN/FPS-5 height-finder radar. Another height-finder radar came in 1958 along with an AN/FPS-20 search radar that replaced the AN/FPS-3. During 1959 Charleston AFS joined the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, feeding data to DC-05 at Topsham AFS, Maine. After joining, the squadron was re-designated as the 765th Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 October 1959. The radar squadron provided information 24/7 the SAGE Direction Center where it was analyzed to determine range, direction altitude speed and whether or not aircraft were friendly or hostile.

In 1963 the site became the first in the nation to receive an AN/FPS-27 radar and on 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-65. This radar subsequently was upgraded to become an AN/FPS-27A. The AN/FPS-26A was then converted into an AN/FSS-7 submarine-launched ballistic missile radar in 1966 for Detachment 6, 14th Missile Warning Squadron to monitor for Ballistic Missile launches by submarines.

In addition to the main facility, Charleston operated two unmanned Gap Filler sites:

• Topsfield, ME (P-65A/Z-65A) 45°23′18″N 067°47′50″W / 45.38833°N 67.79722°W / 45.38833; -67.79722 (P-65A/Z-65A)
• Sedgwick, ME (Z-6BB) 44°18′51″N 068°38′22″W / 44.31417°N 68.63944°W / 44.31417; -68.63944 (Z-65B)

Topsfield was equipped with an AN/FPS-18; Control of Sedgwick was transferred to Charleston AFS after Brunswick AFS (Z-13) closed in 1965 and was equipped with the AN/FPS-14.

Over the years, the equipment at the station was upgraded or modified to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the information gathered by the radars. The 765th Radar Squadron was deactivated on 29 September 1979 as part of a general draw down of anti-aircraft forces by Aerospace Defense Command and the transfer of ADC to Tactical Air Command. The 14th MWS detachment was inactivated a year later.

After the base closed, the radar site was abandoned, with several radar towers still standing. The station area was transformed into the Charleston Correctional Facility, which opened in 1980. The family-housing area has been entirely demolished.

Air Force units and assignments

Units:

• 765th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, Assigned 1 January 1951

Activated at Dow AFB (L-1), ME, 1 June 1950

Redesignated 765th Radar Squadron (SAGE), 1 October 1959

Upgraded to 765th Air Defense Group, 1 March 1970

Redesignated 765th Radar Squadron, 1 January 1974

Inactivated 29 September 1979

Assignments:

• 540th Aircraft Control and Warning Group, 1 January 1951
• 32d Air Division, 6 February 1952
• 4711th Air Defense Wing, 16 February 1953
• 32d Air Division, 1 March 1956
• Bangor Air Defense Sector, 15 August 1958
• 36th Air Division, 1 April 1966
• 35th Air Division, 15 September 1969
• 21st Air Division, 19 November 1969
• 21st ADCOM Region, 8 December 1978-29 September 1979

See also

• List of USAF Aerospace Defense Command General Surveillance Radar Stations

References

	United States Air Force portal
	Military of the United States portal

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

• Winkler, David F. (1997), Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command.
• A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
• Information for Charleston AFS, ME

External links

• Angelfire.com: Charleston AFS