Ground Equipment Facility J-36A
FAA radar station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ground Equipment Facility J-36A (San Clemente Island Air Force Station until 1960) is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) radar station of the Joint Surveillance System (JSS) in the Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) of NORAD.
United States Air Force32°53′04.95″N 118°27′04.05″W (ARSR-4)[2]
| Ground Equipment Facility J-36A | |
|---|---|
| Part of 1951: | |
| Locations | |
| Site information | |
| Type | radar station |
| Code | ADC: LP-39, P-39 USGS: D-4-66-SC JSS: J-36A |
| Controlled by | United States Air Force |
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 32°58′37″N 118°33′10″W (AFS)[2] 32°53′04.95″N 118°27′04.05″W (ARSR-4)[2] |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1951 |
| In use | ADC: 1951-1960 USGS: 1966 USN: 1972-present |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 670th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron |
History
In World War II, Los Angeles Harbor Defenses included posts on some islands of Southern California, e.g. in March 1942, "a 200-man Army detachment set up two radar stations" on San Clemente Island, and in March 1944, Navy "Seabees built two permanent radar installations[where?] on the island."[3]
USAF radar station
San Clemente Island Air Force Station was Permanent System radar station LP-39 which began operations in November 1951 with an AN/TPS-1C general surveillance radar. Designated as one of two offshore radar stations at the Southern California coast, the 670th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was activated at the station on 1 February 1952 by the 27th Air Division. As an AC&W radar station, the facility provided radar tracks for a Manual Air Defense Control Center to direct Ground control interception (GCI) of unidentified aircraft.
The Air Force Station was upgraded to designation P-39 with a single AN/FPS-3 radar in May 1952 and an AN/FPS-4 height-finding radar the following year. In 1955 an AN/FPS-8 was added and subsequently converted to an AN/GPS-3 and in 1956, an AN/FPS-6 height-finder replaced the AN/FPS-4. As with other Air Defense Command stations replaced by facilities of the joint-use site system (JUSS), San Clemente Island AFS was replaced in 1960, and 670th operations moved to the JUSS RP-39 station at San Pedro Hill AFS with barracks at Fort MacArthur near the Project Nike direction center (part of the Los Angeles Air Defense Area).
In 1960, San Clemente Island[verification needed] transferred to the Navy[4] and the USAF operations building was subsequently used as a Navy photo lab (the AFS site is vacant, deteriorating and difficult to reach.)[opinion]
USGS radar station
In 1966 (July 30-August 9), field activity D-4-66-SC of the United States Geological Survey in the Coastal and Marine Geology Program used San Clemente Island with a Western Electric M-33 radar for a study of the Bathymetry and Structure of San Clemente Island (e.g., the "CURV vehicle of Naval Undersea Research and Development Center, was...used for seafloor sampling.")[5]
Mount Thirst radar station
In 1972 south of the former AFS, the Navy installed an AN/FPS-20 general surveillance radar at Mount Thirst (32°53′03″N 118°27′03″W). The FPS-20 was later modified to an AN/FPS-93A in an Arctic Tower for range safety and bombing exercises.[6]
Joint Surveillance System
In the late 1990s, an Air Route Surveillance Radar (ARSR-4) radar at Mount Thirst replaced the AN/FPS-93A, and is now shared with the Air Force for the JSS program[2] (the FAA maintains the radar for the Navy, but reportedly does not use the data).[citation needed]
Station Tombstone
The late 1980s Station Tombstone Radar, an AN/SPS-73 surface search radar, is located north of Mt. Thirst.[7]
