LORAN STATION CONSON

08 43 11.620 N 106 38 12.440 E (Indian Datum) DEC 1966
Calibration of the Southeast Asia LORAN-C System
Electronics Engineering Report 45 (CG-163-45)
08 43 17.69 N 106 37 59.12 E*
*26 MAY 1972 LORAN C and Loran D System Navigation Manual

8 43 19.79 N 106 37 52.03 E Building Site - provided by Chris Dailey

Fact Sheet

Site Survey:
Construction Date	APR 1966 – construction started
Constructed by:	Materials delived by USCGC NETTLE Chicago Bridge and Iron Construction R.M.K. Co. - contruction of brick and cremet buildings
Established:	2 SEP 1966 - Commissioned
Disestablished:	30 APR 1975
Operated by:	USCG
Chain:	SOUTHEAST ASIA
Station Letter designation:	S-3, SH-3 “Y”
Station code name:
Station Unit Number:
Address:	APO 96314
Radio Call Sign:	NPB2
Station aka:
On-air testing date:	8 SEP 1966
Declared Operational date:	280400 OCT 1966
Operations Ceased:	29 APR 1975
Station Operation:	S-3, SH-3 YANKEE
Station pair:	S-3 - LAMPANG, SATAHIP SH-3 - LAMPANG, SATAHIP, TAN MY
Loran Rate:	S-3, SH-3
On-Air:	S-3, 280400Z OCT 1966 - LAMPANG, SATAHIP SH-3, 1969 - LAMPANG, SATAHIP, TAN MY
Off-Air	S-3, 1969 - TAN MY added to the chain SH-3, 291246Z APR 1975 – US pull out from Vietnam
Monitor Rate:
Equipment:	AN/FPN-44/46, AN/GSH-8, Rubidium standard Transmitters located in the S/P building
Antenna Type:	625ft TLM – Trylon, Model 6000s, 1966 – Apr 1975
Personnel Allowance:
Mascot	1968 - Randy
Miscellaneous:	01 JAN 1973 - Station Operations and Maintenance preformed by FEC contractors.
Commanding Officers / Officers in Charge	1st CO: LCDR Ralph W Judd 02 SEP 1966 - 1967 CO: LCDR L R McDowell 1968 - 1969 CO: LT Michael Bell 1970 - 1971

HEALTH: Agent Orange Presumptive - pdf

Awards:

1966 Unit Commendation Ribbon

Fred's Place Reunion Hall:

Old New

Documents:

30 DEC 1968 - General Information Book - pdf
1969 General Information Book - pdf
190210Z APR 75 - State Department SEA Loran - pdf
Lonely Islands - pdf

Pictures

View from Google Earth

The below phots were retrived from CGHQs Historian Office

01 MAR 1967 LCDR Ralph Judd 1st Commanding Officer

Below photos are Aerial Views taken on 28 FEB 1967

In the background is the Signal Power Building. The tank contails diesel fuel.
There are three other similar tanks located on the beach. c./ SEP 1968

Below are shots of the station early 1967

CS2 Michael Pantaleo

DC1 David Barry

DC3 Johnny Hagood

ET2 Charles Zanti

ETCS William Burghart

FA Charlie Taylor

SN John Daneels

The Photos below taken in Feb 1967

A special thanks to the CG Historian Office Staff!
Scott, Helen, Beth, Nora

The following photos were contributed by Michael Phuta c./1968-69

Timer Room

Tower Maintenance

Con Son Toilet

Thanks Michael!

The below photos were contributed by Rod Christian c./1966-67

Station entrance sign

Tower looking up from the base

Tower maintenance

Aerial view of station

Thanks Rod!

EM1 Ken Schuller c./1968-69 shared his experiences while serving in Vietnam

My Time At Con Son RVN by (Former EM1) Ken Schuller

After a MAC flight from Travis AFB in California I arrived at the 'Armpit of Southeast Asia' Ton Son Nhut AFB in Saigon along with ET3 Tom Georges who went through the Alameda transit station together.

First stop was the transit barracks at Ton Son Nhut where I never sweated so much taking a shower. While we were sitting on our bunks I noticed a lot women (mama sons) in the barracks. Lots of guys came out of the showers with just a towel over their shoulders walking to their bunks and I let them know that there were women in here. They replied back ---You're new in country aren't you.

The next day we went down the sirstrip to the 19th Air Commandors who flew us to our final destination on C123's. They were the main suppliers of our necessities. They usually flew in twice a week with mail and supplies and we treated the flight crew well. We cooked up a great lunch for them when they arrived. When they found out that we only got powered milk some of their deliveries ended up with us, so we had real milk from then on. A great bunch of guys. When I came back from R&R I stayed the night in their barracks and they had a outdoor movie screen strung between the barracks and had beer and showed porno movies. A wild bunch!

Con Son was infamously known as Tiger Cagee Island as many prisoners were treated to the inhumane treatment. It is a pretty small island and US forces were limited to the Loran station, a small Navy radar site (maybe a complement of six), Army DECCA site with about the same and three Seabees were pretty much homorary coasties as they only had a small hut on the beach by the tiny airstrip for sleeping but used our base for everything else and gave a hand when we needed dozers and backhoes to do any work. The DECCA site shut down at the end of '68.

We were all restricted to our side of the island and forbidden to cross over the ridge where the main town/prison was. There was a small Vietnamese trustee camp on our side and several of the inmates worked at our station.

One event that stands out is one of our SNET's was on mid-watch and out of boredom went to one of these teletypes and types F&$K-It over and over. Unfortunately he didn't realize it was online. That morning our CO McDowell had a lot to explain as it was sent to COMSEASEC.