Schellhase 2016 New England Trip: 20 Aug - Loring Open House Day 1, Revisit to Transmitter and Receiver Sites, Banquet

20 Aug
Today we headed out for a big day at Loring, the first day of the open house/reunion. We are also trying to wrap up our picture taking as time will start drawing short in the next couple days.

Our first stop was back out to the transmitter site where I worked for three years, from 4 Jan 1974 to 3 Mar 1977. Satellites changed a whole lot is both military and civilian communications, and I suspect it was satellite communications that doomed the Global HF Command and Control Network
that Loring Airways used to play such a key part.

A little history: This site was formerly the Loring Nike Integrated Fire Control (IFC) Site L-58C.

L-58C was active from September 1957 to June 1966 when it was transferred from the Army to the Air Force. It was then converted to Loring Airways, Scope Control Transmitter Site as part of Strategic Air Command's GCCS (Global Command & Control System) and operated as such until the mid-1990's. Loring AFB closed in 1995 and it then was transformed into an FAA ARSR-4 long-range radar site, designated "J-63" to restore radar coverage lost when Caswell AFS (Z-80) closed 1 July 1980. It is also used by the Air Force and NORAD as part of the Joint Surveillance System for NORAD. So that is a whole lot more than you probably wanted to know about the "site".

This is what the site looked like in 2005, after it had closed, but before the FAA put their radar in there. The building on the right was a generator. The building on the left was out building, that housed the transmitters and the control equipment. To the far left you can see the fence that surrounded our basketball/tennis court, which was here from the days it was a Nike Missile site.

The transmitter building

The transmitter building in 2005

The same angle today. You can see some of the trees remain

This is what is there today

The rest of the site has been designated a National Wildlife Refuge and is off-limits.

Then we drove over to the Receiver Site, which remains pretty much intact except the equipment is gone.

The road is a little rough, but usable.

The Receiver Site building, pretty much like it was when I was here except run-down.

The equipment room

One of the patch panels we used to use.

The coaxial cables still enter the building. The antennas are long gone.

We then headed on-base and toured around there a bit.

The main gate. Abandoned.

The sign at the entrance to Loring now.

The road to the ski slope. You can see straight ahead at the far end.

Defense Accounting and Finance Service (DFAS) occupies the old hospital building. This is where our daughter Michelle was born, but there have been a couple of hospital buildings at this site since she was born.

Maine Forestry Service helicopter here for the open house.

Inside the Heritage Center. Many items on display.

The Loring AFB Fire Department was officially decommissioned today. A ceremony was held and their flag was furled and turned over to the Heritage Center.

We had lunch and then headed down to the flightline to watch for the B-52 and KC-135 fly-over. They could not land but they did coordinate a fly-over. While we were waiting we entered the old Crash-Fire-Rescue building to look at some of the remaining apparatus. None of it is in service of course.

Doreen standing next to a P-15 tire.

P-15 Pumper. Largest in the inventory. 2400 gallon per minute pump. Carries 6100 galloms of water and 515 gallons of firefighting foam. This is a beast!

The Air Traffic Control Tower. Abandoned.

The KC-135 refueler, same as we use at Sioux City, was from the 101st Air Refueling Wing at Bangor ME.

The B-52H bomber from Minot ND.

The old station, dilapidated as is the apparatus. What a waste.

The old alarm room.

The iconic Loring Arch hangar.

Me, spoting my 2192d Communications Squadron hat given to me by Ernie Souther at my military reunion a year ago

Doreen and I with the arch hangar in the background.

Back to the campground to change clothes for the banquet. The banquet was held at the Caribou Convention center. There were about 125 or so in attendance. The colors were posted, the Air Force Song sung, loud and proud I might add, a nice meal was served and some guest speakers spoke. It was a nice ceremony with a DJ to follow but we did not stay around for the dance.