Cold War Relics, Maine is full of them!!!

[p-Bar]

I grew up in So Cal I am 54 now so remember the drills at school ,we have Vandenburg A. F. B. a couple hundred miles away from us they would launch a rocket and left a beautiful vapor trail over the pacific ocean it wasn't till years later having a boss who worked in the space programs who told me there was a lot of stuff rotating around the earth for our protection and I need to thank the American "we can do it spirit" that propelled us ahead of the rest of the world and for Ronald Reagan scaring the crap out of the Soviets with his Star wars program ( which was impossible but they didn't know that) . Can we do it again?? I'm not sure. These sites are interesting . Thanks for the post

 

[mwilson]

Read Dave's Notes that are with the pictures.

For those of you that are using the link from my first post and viewing Dave's site I wanted to make sure that you click on the pictures if you have not done so. Use the control and advance through the photos.

He lists what each building is to the best of his knowledge. He has done some serious research.



Mike.

 

[mwilson]

This is our attempt to show just how straight the receiver panels are. 5000 feet long and true. It is unreal.

 

[mwilson]

The pressure treated fence goes up both sides and across the ends of each array.

Rough calculations would be 36,000 linear feet of it in total for the three arrays.

 

[mwilson]

This is the power/control station for 202. From what I can figure out there must be at least one genset in there. There is a remote equipment sized radiator with a hydraulic drive fan mounted to it. There are also several A/C condensors mounted outside as well.

Each station has a drilled well, fire hydrants w/standpipe and were under remote control. The one that is being dismantled was the main building, this one is a remote unit.

 

[mwilson]

Mike,



Thanks for sharing. While I was never stationed in ME, it was on my dreamsheet. OK, so some say I was nuts... On the list... Minot, Ellsworth, Loring, K I Sawyer, Altus, Greenland, Alaska, among other cold, isolated locations. Well... I got CA - thrice - Beale, Norton (non-SAC) and Castle (The BX had a t-shirt that said "Castle AFB - 20 miles to water, 2 miles to hell" - I thought: "Who'd I tick off to get this assignment" Wasn't bad at all) then finally got AK - Uh, Shemya . Sheesh... Ain't no BUFFs there. Not quite what I was expecting - but - uh - still a fun mission. At least it was SAC. Having been SAC-umcised from day one in the AF, I found many of the other SAC bases had mirrored facilities. Sure brought back some good memories seeing your pictures and the pics in the link you supplied. Sad to see them in such lonely disrepair, contrasting from the former bustling 24 hour activities of the days past.



When our KC-135s had a stop at Loring and all personnel dismbarked, upon return to the aircraft there would be little stickers, with a characture of a laughing (maniacal?) KC-135, plastered in and around the entry hatch, as well "in" the electronics cabinets (to be found much later), letting one and all know the Maine-e-acs had been there.

Was looking for the MAINEiac sticker and found this video... ... .



http://telstarlogistics.typepad.com...5-the-ultimate-caffeine-delivery-machine.html



Mike.

 

[HBarlow]

I can testify that the Cold War was real for those in the military at the time.

I was a crew member on two submarines from early '64 through '74. The first was a relic built at the close of WWII but maintained and fully operational. We made an "excursion" while submerged into a large, busy, and well known Soviet Navy harbor with Soviet warships steaming overhead among other adventures.

The second one I rode was an SSBN (submarine, strategic, ballistic, nuclear). I made ten submerged patrols on it in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. All sixteen missiles with multiple nuclear warheads were targeted and ready to launch against enemy targets during all those years. If the order had been received we would have launched all sixteen with minutes. The result would not have been pretty for those on the receiving end. Our enemy had similar equipment armed and ready to launch against us.

 

[mwilson]

I can testify that the Cold War was real for those in the military at the time.



I was a crew member on two submarines from early '64 through '74. The first was a relic built at the close of WWII but maintained and fully operational. We made an "excursion" while submerged into a large, busy, and well known Soviet Navy harbor with Soviet warships steaming overhead among other adventures.



The second one I rode was an SSBN (submarine, strategic, ballistic, nuclear). I made ten submerged patrols on it in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. All sixteen missiles with multiple nuclear warheads were targeted and ready to launch against enemy targets during all those years. If the order had been received we would have launched all sixteen with minutes. The result would not have been pretty for those on the receiving end. Our enemy had similar equipment armed and ready to launch against us.

And had you been given the order to launch, I believe the signal to do so would have been transmitted from Cutler, Maine. I have some photos of that antenna array that the wife and I took over the weekend.

The site is still operating but they have "excessed" the base that supported it. Now on remote control.



1,000,000 watts plus!!! Will penetrate any ocean in the world with its low frequency signal to a depth of 150 feet.



Harvey, you had mentioned the tow behind antenna that the subs trailed when you were up here touring.



Do you remember if the sub had to come up to less that 150 feet to receive any orders?????



Mike.

 

[HBarlow]

Mike,

I believe you are correct about the antenna array at Cutler, ME being the source of our communication. You triggered a long lost memory.

You are probably also correct about the penetration capability of the Cutler array but I probably shouldn't confirm or deny the depth requirement - lets just say I don't remember exactly. We did trail a wire when submerged on patrol for the purpose of receiving communication. I have no idea is the current crop of SSBN replacementss have better technology now than we did. They probably do.

The base at Cutler or at least the antenna farm was probably constructed to support the strategic submarine force requirements.

 

[mwilson]

I'll put some Cutler shots up tonight.



Antennas are equipped with counterweights to allow the array to drop if the ice builds up on them. Two matching sets are on the grounds, point being that one can be taken off line for repairs or DE-ICING. If iced up they shut one down and apply electricity to it in order to thaw it out.

Can handle up to 3" of ice!!!!! Then they bring the freshly de-iced unit back on line and proceed to thaw the other one out.



5 gensets hammering away to keep that puppy up and running... ... ... I doubt that they are little either... .



Mike.

 

[Jim W]

Will future generations appreciate the Cold War?



Hell no. The younger generation right now coming out of high school or college doesn't know the difference between the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Cold War, Iraq I, Iraq II, Afghanistan, and Disneyland and they have no interest.



Much of the current early 20-something generation is interested in their genitalia, cell phone, I pad, big gulps at the convenience store, and fast food.

Harvey; I tend to disagree on this subject with you. I have a 2nd grade granddaughter and today she asked me about Vietnam and asked if I was in it. I had to tell her no but we discussed it a little than she asked about WWII. Her great-grandfather was in that war and she was asking me about it also.

I also have a nephew who was just accepted to West Point this year after graduating from Marmion Military Academy and I am sure he knows about all of our conflicts from the revolutionary war to the latest conflict in Afghanistan.

Jim W.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Looks like SOMEONE is learning that HIS IGNORANT (one of many ) COMMENTS ARENT THE HOLY GRAIL AFTERALL. :-laf

 

[HBarlow]

Jim,

Of course a few do but I would bet those who do have knowledge and interest are a small minority. A second grade girl with an interest is a member of a family who values military service and speaks of such issues. Elementary school teachers are unlikely to have a clue.

 

[BIGNASTY]

:-laf Its A FEW DO now!!!!!:-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf BACKPEDDLE BIG TIME



Hell no. The younger generation right now coming out of high school or college doesn't know the difference between the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Cold War, Iraq I, Iraq II, Afghanistan, and Disneyland and they have no interest.


Excuse me, HELL NO dont look like, A FEW DO to me

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

Jim,

Of course a few do but I would bet those who do have knowledge and interest are a small minority. A second grade girl with an interest is a member of a family who values military service and speaks of such issues. Elementary school teachers are unlikely to have a clue.

I can agree with Harvey on this one. I work with a number of "college educated" attorneys who are clueless on any details regarding either Viet Nam or the Cold War, let alone how to spell either one. Often, if they do claim to "know" something, it is presented in some ridiculously biased, revisionist statement. All too important to a number of them are "technology" (facebook, tweeting, texting, etc), snowboarding, hiking, partying - anything but work.

 

[BIGNASTY]

And there ya have it

college educated

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

For those interested, here is a link with some SAC statistics on Loring AFB.

http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Loring_AFB.htm

And some WIKI reading stuff:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loring_Air_Force_Base

 

[BIGNASTY]

That was a great base. The people around the town were laid back and the snowmobiling was great on my Rupp 440 Nitro. Watch the moose they charge anything , seen one take on a deuce and and half and win. THAT'S TOUGH!!!

 

[DavidC]

I spent approx. 3. 5 years at Loring as a aircraft electrician from 1972-1976. I went back a few years ago and it was really sad to see what the base is now compared to when I was stationed there. There were definately some exciting times there with UFO's and some world events that had loaded B-52's sitting at the end of the runway.

Dave

 

[mwilson]

Hey, see what was in the paper this morning. Now they are thinking that shutting all this stuff down was not such a great idea.



Read some of the comments below the story... ...



http://bangordailynews.com/2012/09/...e-could-deter-missiles-national-academy-says/



Mike.