Watertown Air Force Station
 | |
|---|---|
| Part of Air Defense Command (ADC) | |
| Town of Watertown, New York | |
 Main entrance gate and guardshack. 1975 | |
| Coordinates | 43°55′31″N 075°54′33″W / 43.92528°N 75.90917°W |
| Type | Long Range Radar Site |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1950s |
| Built by | U.S. Air Force |
| In use | 1952-1979 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | Watertown, New York |
| Occupants | 655th Radar Squadron |
Watertown Air Force Station is a defunct Air Force Station that operated from the 1952 until 1980. It is located in the town of Watertown, just south of the city of Watertown, New York. It is the site of a radar station and other buildings. It was redeveloped into the a jail for New York State. It was a part of the 21'st RCC (NORAD Regional Control Center) a SAGE network, located at Hancock AFB, Syracuse, New York. The station was not connected or affiliated with Fort Drum, which was located on the opposite side of Watertown.
History
At its latest configuration, the 655th was manned by about 150 airmen who supported or maintained or operated the FPS-27 search radar and an FPS-26 height finder, linked to NORAD by an FYQ-47 "Common Digitizer" computer.
In 1980, the site was turned into a jail for the state of New York. The jail opened around 1983.
Air Force units and assignments
Units:
Assignments:
See also
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- 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
- 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.
- Information for Watertown AFS, NY
External links
- http://web.archive.org/web/20091023220116/http://geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/3548/facility/watertown.html
- http://marcmny.tripod.com/jeffco5.htm
