TERN ISLAND
1952 - 1979
Station Information
| Site Survey: | |
| Construction Date: | APR - AUG 1952 1964: Station rehabilitation 1972: Station rehabilitation |
| Constructed by: | 1952: C. W. Winstedt Ltd. cost $225.000 - rehabilitation of old Naval facilities 1964: M&R Honolulu Detachment |
| Established: Commissioned: |
1952 14 OCT 1952 |
| Decommissioned: Disestablished: |
JUL 1979 |
| Operated by: |
USCG |
| Project code name: |
Loran-C SAM: DOOR VIII |
| Unit Identifier: |
1952: 14-350520 1961: 14-360527 LORAN C Monitor 1967: 14-40152 |
| Mail address: | 1962: Navy, No.14, Box 57, FPO San Francisco 1964: 1962: Navy, No.14, Box 57, FPO San Francisco 96611 1969: c/o CGD14, PO Box 499, Honolulu, HI 96809 1973: Box 48, FPO San Francisco 96611 |
| AKA: |
|
| HAM Call Sign: |
KH6ABH |
| Personnel Allowance: | 1953: 1 Officer, 15 Enlisted 1965: 1 Officer, 18 Enlisted 1967: 1 Officer, 18 Enlisted 1973: 1 Officer, 18 Enlisted |
| Station Mascot: | 1964 – Ferd - Died 25 JAN 1971 1964 - Runt; Pele 1966 - Dolly 1969 - Dummy |
| Station events: | 28 JAN 1952: The Hawaiian Aeronautics Commission approved the Coast Guard request to relocated to Tern Island 1952: CG signed an agreement with the Hawaiian Aeronautics Commission for use and occupancy of Tern Island. 1952 SEP 15: CG assiusted in the mercy flight to rescue a fisherman 1954 JAN 10-11: station suffered storm damage 1957 SEP 4: Cyclone Della passed by - station off air for approx 9 hours – water in transmitter and radiobeacon coupler, loss comms ant. Repaired by station complement 1958 MAR: Power conversion 1959 AUG 6: station evacuation for hurricane – Rates blink 2L7 & 2L6 – FFS off-air CGC MATAGORDA assisted. 1959 OCT: CGC PLANETREE punctured her hull 2 1/2 miles from FFS 1960 SEP: Provided support for a Navy Telemetry Station 1960 SEP 6: Loran-C monitor site survey declassified 1960 DEC 15: Navy Telemetry station established on Tern Is. 1961: A CG SN committed suicide (reported) 1962: AEC established an observation post on Tern Is. during tests 1964: Station rehabilitation completed 1964: Wild cat on island - station crew tried in vain to capture - CO requested advise from district - reply was to capture the cat 1964 JUL: Navy seaman required to be medvac - seas too rough for landing near ship - CG aircraft landed on Tern Island at night. 1966: Fish & Wildlife stated that the CG was trespassing on Tern Is…D14 disagree…situation resolved with a permit issued to CG with the CG right to refuse all other permits 1967 MAR 01: CG entered into an Cooperative Agreement with Fish & Wildlife in the use and occupancy of FFS. 1969 DEC 1: Tidal wave forcing the crew to evacuate. The station was destroyed. 1969 DEC 6- Station returned to air on operations. 1974 OCT: Station assisted an overdue 41ft Ketch |
| Commanding Officers/Officer in Charge: | 1952 - 1953 ENS John W. Dredge (? - 26 MAY) 1953 - 1954 LTJG Thomas E. Hawkins (26 MAY - 4 OCT) 1953 - 1954 LT Raymond H. Wood (4 OCT - 8 OCT) 1954 - 1955 LTJG Melvin W. Hallock (8 OCT – 3 OCT) 1955 - 1956 LTJG Edward H. Bragg (3 OCT - 14 AUG) 1956 - 1956 BMC Billie D. Archer (14 AUG – 10 SEP) TEMP 1956 - 1957 LTJG Robert T. Getman (10 SEP - 26 JUL) 1957 - 1958 LTJG Jerome R. Cronk (26 JUL - ?) 1958 - 1959 1959 - 1960 LTJG David A. Sumi (JUL – 20 JUL) 1960 - 1961 LTJG Edward B. Holtzman (20 JUL – 31 JUL) 1961 - 1962 LTJG Bryson S. Randolph (31 JUL – 27 JUL) 1962 - 1963 LTJG Bruce Patterson (27 JUL – 25 MAY) 1963 - 1964 LTJG Walter T. Leland (25 MAY – 25 MAY) 1964 - 1965 LTJG Brent C. Mills (25 May - JUN) 1965 - 1966 LTJG George E. Archer (JUN - APR) 1966 - 1967 LTJG Robert G. Bates (APR - APR) 1967 - 1968 LTJG Jack E. Rader (APR - APR) 1968 - 1969 LTJG Calvin W. Dail (APR – 01 APR) 1969 - 1970 LTJG Hank Kofron (01 APR – APR) 1970 - 1971 LTJG Herman F. Hirsch (APR - MAR) 1971 - 1972 LTJG Durham J. Monsma (MAR – APR) 1972 - 1972 LTJG Mark A. O'Hara (APR – ?) 1972 - 1973 LTJG Walter L. Martin 1973 - 1974 LTJG Robert Trainer (? - MAR) 1974 - 1975 LTJG Edwin E. Rollison (MAR - APR) 1975 - 1976 LTJG Douglas S. Hertz (APR - MAY) 1976 - 1977 LTJG Dale E. Hower (MAY - ?) 1977 - 1978 LTJG Charles T. Lancaster 1978 - 1979 LTJG Arne M. Heggers (Decomm) |
Change of Command relief documentation:
26 AUG 1953 ENS Dredge/LTJG Hawkins - pdf
04 OCT 1953 LTJG Hawkins/LTJG Wood - pdf
08 OCT 1954 LTJG Wood/LTJG Hallock -pdf
03 OCT 1955 LTJG Hallock/LTJG Bragg - pdf
14 AUG 1956 LTJG Bragg/BMC Archer - pdf
10 SEP 1956 BMC Archer/LTJG Getman -pdf
26 JUL 1957 LTJG Getman/LTJG Cronk - pdf
20 JUL 1960 LTJG Sumi/LTJG Holtzman - pdg
31 JUL 1961 LTJG Holtman/LTJG Randolph - pdf
27 JUL 1962 LTJG Randolph/LTJG Patterson - pdf
25 MAY 1963 LTJG Patterson/LTJG Leland - pdf
25 MAY 1964 LTJG Leland/LTJG Mills - pdf
Station Operations
LORAN-A
23 51 50.80 N 166 17 16.50 W
| Chain: | HAWAIIAN |
| Station Letter designation: | "T" |
| Radio Call Sign: | NRO-3 |
| Declared Operational date: | 2L4: 25 OCT 1952 |
| Operations terminated: | 302400Z JUN 1979 |
| Station Operation: | 25 OCT 1952 - 08 JAN 1958 Single MASTER (SM) 08 JAN 1958 - 30 JUN 1979 Double MASTER (DM) |
| Station pair: Loran rate: Coding delay: Baseline: Station pair: Loran rate: Coding delay: Baseline: |
FFS (M) - KAUAI 2L4, 2L6 N/A Approx. 397 Nautical miles FFS (M) - JOHNSTON (S) 2L7 N/A Approx. 463 Nautical miles |
| On-air testing date: | 2L4: OCT 1952 |
| On-Air: | 2L4: 25 OCT 1952 2L6: 08 JAN 1958 2L7: 08 JAN 1958 |
| Off-Air: | 2L4: 08 JAN 1958 2L6: 302400Z JUN 1979 2L7: 302400Z JUN 1979 |
| Monitor Rate: | cross rate monitoring |
| Equipment: | 1969: AN/FPN-30 Timers; T-325A Transmitters; T-138A Amplifiers; T-801 Radio beacon transmitters |
| Radiator: | 125ft Steel tower |
Station Operations
LORAN-C SAM
23 52 23.066 N 166 17 19.600 W (WGS-72)
| Chain: | CENTRAL PACIFIC |
| Radio Call Sign: | NRO-4 |
| Declared Operational date: | 211000Z JUL 1961 |
| Operations terminated: | 302400Z JUN 1979 |
| Monitor Rate: | 1961: SH-4 1969: S-1 1975: 4990 |
| Equipment: | 1961: AN/SPN-29 (3) 1973: AN/SPN-30 (3) |
1953 - 1974 Scrap Guest Book - pdf
Documents:
1952 - 1978 Land use and occupancy correspondence - pdf
03 DEC 1952 AEC request for return of sample kits - pdf
31 JAN 1953 Future Construction - pdf
10-11 JAN 1954 Storm damage report - pdf
1956 - 1957 AC&I Riprap project - pdf
1956 - 1957 Sooty tern control correspondence - pdf
12 JUN 1956 Notification of Radiation Corresponence UNCLASS - pdf
16 AUG 1956 Commercial fishing licenses - pdf
SEP 1957 Typhoon Della SITREPS - pdf
31 MAR 1959 Use of Loran Station Property for Commercial Fishing - pdf
05 AUG 1959 Evacuation - pdf photos of crew
20 SEP 1960 Navy inquiring to established a Telemerty station at Tern Island - pdf
1961 Proposal to relocate FFS to Kure - pdf
17 APR 1963 JCS-6 Advise the requirement for FFS until 1968 - pdf
1965 General Information Book - pdf
1965 - 1966 Station Rehabilitation Project correspondence - pdf
01 DEC 1969 Tidal wave storm damage recovery - pdf photos of the damage scoll down to 1969
AUG 1969 General Information Book - pdf
JAN 1970 Pacific Shield French Frigate Awash - Bad Day at Tern Island - pdf
16 JAN 1970 Repair of Deteriorated Bulkhead - pdf
AUG 1973 General Information Book - pdf
Pictures:
Coast Guard Official photos
Bob Pina 1954 photo collection
C./1971