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MEMORABILIA
Mem·o·ra·bil·i·a:
- Objects valued for their connection with
historical events, culture, or entertainment: posters, photographs, and other memorabilia.
- Events or experiences worthy of remembrance:
a book containing the memorabilia of a life..
This page is an ongoing
"Work in Progress." We will post pictures solicited
from and submitted by former Coast Guard Radiomen --
pictures that capture their memories of what it was
like to practice their craft both ashore and afloat.
It is an interactive research project -- akin to
oral history. Some of the content will seem
disjointed -- or even spurious at times -- as
research and data collection is added in a "live"
environment. Please bear with us, and if you find
anything inaccurate, please let the
Webmaster know. |
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DEVELOPMENT OF COAST GUARD SHORE RADIO STATIONS
Incident to the anti-smuggling operation
in 1924, the Coast Guard underwent a major expansion in communications
capabilities. Prior to this time its vessels were equipped with Navy
type radio apparatus and used Navy frequencies for handling ship-shore
traffic -- there was no need for Coast Guard shore radio stations. The
great 1924 expansion in coping with the law enforcement duties resulting
from the suppression of smuggling developed the need for vaster and more
far-reaching radio communication services than the Navy or commercial
facilities could furnish. Not the least of such service was the great
amount of traffic to and from the large number of small craft,
particularly the 75-footers, over 300 of which were pressed into
operation. To take care of this traffic, a shore radio station was
established at the Rockaway Point Life Saving Station at Fort Tilden,
NY. This station proved so highly successful that additional units were
shortly established at Nahant, MA; New London, CT; Cape May, NJ; Cape
Henry, VA; Fernandina, FL; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Mobile, AL; San
Francisco CA; San Pedro, CA; Port Angeles, WA; and Anacortes, WA.
Over the years, operational priorities
changed, Coast Guard Districts were combined, and communications
technology improved. Radio stations were relocated and merged based on
various factors, and by the 1950s a rather stable system or network of
"Primary" and "Secondary" shore radio stations was in place in each
Coast Guard District, all of which had CW and voice capabilities and
which handled Coast Guard, commercial/maritime and recreational boating
radio communications. But technological advances continued with the
development of radio teletype, computerization and satellite
communications, and this led to further mergers of radio stations and an
inevitable decrease in their total number. By the 1990s most Coast Guard
major communications facilities were concentrated into two
Communications Stations: "CAMSPAC" and "CAMSLANT" (located,
respectively, at the old Primary Radio Stations of San Francisco [NMC]
and Norfolk [NMN]).
The following information about the old
CW Coast Guard Radio Stations of the 50s, 60s and 70s is meant to
provide some historical perspective, as well as bring back some memories
for those of us who lived that history
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COAST GUARD RADIO NAPLES, ITALY (NCI)
Air station and LORAN Net -- and COMMEDSEC in the Mediterranean and
Atlantic
(Awaiting historical content and photos)
If you have any photos of this radio
station, its staff, or pictures of any patch or logo, please email them
to the
webmaster. Include dates and names of people pictured and, if
possible, a brief description of your time at the station and what you
know about its history.
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COAST GUARD RADIO ARGENTIA
(NJN/NIK)
(Awaiting historical content and photos)
If you have any photos of this radio
station, its staff, or pictures of any patch or logo, please email them
to the
webmaster. Include dates and names of people pictured and, if
possible, a brief description of your time at the station and what you
know about its history.
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Sam Leach (ATN2/USN) sends: "Chris
Abernathy RM2, sent me this great picture of himself operating at NJN.
As a Navy Airborne Radio Operator flying out of Argentia, I often sent
my position reports to NJN on 4050 (the Navy ops at NWP got totally
steamed when we sent our traffic via NJN, but, hey, we knew the real
thing when we heard It, and there were quite a few of us who preferred
to talk to you guys)".
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Sam Leach sends: What
things looked like on our end: The operator is Alan West from
Greenwood, SC, aboard Navy 141312. The picture was taken off the
southern tip of Greenland. You’ll note the two straight keys (one comes
bolted to the aircraft; the other was carried aboard by the radio op).
The voice traffic he is handling was probably a position report
(transmitted via HF AM to either Gander, Iceland, or Prestwick (5626 or
8913 KHz in those days) |
COAST GUARD RADIO MIAMI (NMA)
Following from Mark T. Holmes:
Mark the old RM1 (1971-79) here with a couple of NMA photos.
The inside photo (photo 1) is the 500khz workstation as you can see the clock with
the silent zones in red, the main CW key and receivers. I don't remember the name
of the person in the photo. The other one
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COAST GUARD RADIO SAN FRANCISCO (NMC)
The original radio station (RADSTA)
San Francisco "NMC" was commissioned February 1, 1937. It was
established at Fort Funston in a former lifeboat station on the beach
about one mile south of the present location of the San Francisco Zoo in
Golden Gate Park. In addition to the converted lifeboat station, the
original NMC is believed to have had a completely equipped communication
truck that could act as an emergency radio station. These trucks
typically had crews of our to six people and provided communications
during natural disaster emergencies throughout the San Francisco
Division of the U.S. Coast Guard. The RADSTA quickly became a pivotal
part of the Coast Guard's communications resources -- July 1937 found
NMC involved in listening for any communications from the lost place of
Amelia Earhart, while the CGC Itasca was tasked with search for the
famous flyer.
In June 1943, RADSTA San Francisco relocated
to a brand new communications facility atop Mt. San Bruno on Sweeney
Ridge, just west of the San Francisco County Jail. The new
communications facility consisted of one 10kw Western Electric HF
transmitter and one 1kw MF transmitter.
On October 12, 1972 the Coast Guard moved
its communications from Mt. San Bruno to north of the Golden Gate and
San Francisco in what is now the beautiful Pt. Reyes National Seashore.
The COMMSTA was designated the Pacific Area Master Station and renamed
CAMSPAC in 1986. Recently, the geographical title of "Pt. Reyes"
replaced the old "San Francisco" title to more accurately portray its
location. Today the station
exercies overall control of the Pacific Area Communications System (PACCOMMSYS).
CAMSPAC and PACCOMMSYS are curretly undergoing major changes in
conjunction with the Coast Guard's COMMSYS 2000 Master Plan -- a plan
designed to upgrade, automate and consolidate Coast Guard communications
in the Pacific Basin. In 1993,
COMMSTA Guam (NRV) was closed and its communications services remoted to
CAMSPAC. NRV's transmitters and receivers are now remotely controlled
and operated by CAMSPAC operators. COMMSTA Honolulu (NMO) was scheduled
to be closed and operations remoted to CAMSPAC in July of 1997. In
support of these consolidation efforts, CAMPAC's billet strength was
scheduled to increase from 86 to 102 personnel to support operations.
Through all these progressive evolutions,
CAMSPAC remains dedicated to serving the mariner and providing support
to the many Coast Guard operations throughout the immense Pacific Basin. |
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NMC 500 Position 1972
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RM2 Jim Sliker at NMC AMVER Console A
(circa 1972) |
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RM3 Rick McCusker at NMC
-- February 1975
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| THE ORIGINAL NMC AT FORT
FUNSTON (SAN FRANCISCO) |
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NMC at Fort Funston, Before . . . |
. . . and After |
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Coast Guard Life Boat Station at Fort Funston
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| THE OLD NMC AT SAN BRUNO:
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Aerial view of NMC (San Bruno) 10/26/1948.
The barracks building is to the left, and the radio station is just off
center to the right (up the hill from the barracks. (The large building
toward the top, down the hill, is the County Jail.)
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NMC, San Bruno, Barracks (1958) |
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NMC San Bruno - Operations
(circa early 1960s) |
NMC San Bruno -- New style
console (circa 1960) -- OBS Position, then RATT
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"Old RADSTAs never die;
they just fade away."
(NMC San Bruno grounds
after demolition 197?) |
RM1 Boughton retires from San Bruno NMC
Khakies (left): Gaida/XO, E7s Scott, Ellia, Clancy
Khakies (right): McBride/CO, E7s Zukowski, Gibbs
Back row (L/R): Phillips, Mortimer, Boughton, then ?
Front Row (next to Gibbs): RM1 Wade, then ??? |
IN SEARCH OF A SITE for a new NMC, three
Radiomen, RM1 A. Keith Tennier (in the auxiliary comms truck with
microphone), RM2 Avery (standing next to truck), and then RM3 Dick Levesque
(standing next to Fort Ross marker) traveled up and down the 12th Coast
Guard District checking out possibilities. The Coast Guard finally chose a
site near Point Reyes. |
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NMC's Current-Day Version of the Comm-Truck
or, Rather, "Transportable Command
Center (TCC)" |
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| CAMSPAC (NMC) Pt. Reyes:
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CHRISTMAS CARDS FROM NMC
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NMC (San Bruno) Christmas
Card insert -- 1962
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NMC (San Bruno) Christmas
Card insert -- 1963 or 1964 |
NMC (San Bruno) Christmas
Card insert -- 1965 |
NMC (Combined San Bruno, Pt. Reyes)
Christmas Card insert -- 1972 |
Sign from front of the NMC building
-- July 2013 |
Warning sign on the fence -- July 2013 |
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COAST GUARD RADIO CLEVELAND
(NMD)
"NMD" - Gates Mills Radio - Chesterland Radio - Cleveland Radio Notes
about the Station history and duty assignments in early 1960s by Ron Russell, x-RM2 and WD3F
Back in the mid 1930s the Ninth Coast Guard District, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio,
commissioned the District's Primary Radio Station, operating with the call-sign "NMD."
The radio station was located some 14 miles east of Cleveland on a 300+ acre parcel of flat
ground located on County Line Road, Geauga County ...located between the towns of Gates Mills
and Chesterland. Due to its location, over its existence "NMD" can be found operating under
several different names: At times it was referred as Gates Mills Radio, while other times
is was called Chesterland Radio and Cleveland Radio. But the station was always operating
at the same location and using the same call sign. Two Secondary Stations were also put into
service that extended radio coverage throughout the Great Lakes area. One was located on Dundee
Road, Northbrook, IL., operating with the call-sign "NMP" and the second was located in Sault
Ste. Marie, Mich. operating with the call-sign "NOG." In addition to providing extended
routine radio communications for Coast Guard vessels and commercial shipping, these radio
stations were vital in the handling of emergency radio traffic and in some cases
coordinating life saving efforts throughout the Great Lakes area.
Primary Radio Station, "NMD" was a much sought after "choice" duty site. Many of the staff
assignments were preferential duty assignments granted to Radioman and Electronic Techs
coming off isolated or semi- isolated duty. These assignments could have been at any of
the Coast Guard Alaskan stations, Loran stations or ice-breakers...etc. Occasionally
the "NMD" assignments were short stays of duty prior to being shipped off to one of those
more difficult assignments.
An important chapter in the "NMD" story occurred during and shortly after WWII. Coast
Guard Radiomen were known to be "first Class" radio operators and they were needed in
the war effort. Women were recruited to replace these radiomen as they were shipped-off
to sea. This group of women were known as "SPARS." The name SPARS was derived from the
Coast Guard motto: Semper Paratus, Always Ready.
SPAR members were initially comprised of Navy WAVES that were transferred to Coast Guard
duty. Their duties included: Recruitment, Pharmacist Mates, Store Keepers, Public
Relations and Communications. By 1944 there some 398 SPARS filling duty stations in
the Ninth Coast Guard District. Most were filling clerical and communication billets.
The SPAR program reached its peak in 1945, when 662 SPARS were assigned throughout the
District. During this time 12 SPARS were assigned to Chesterland Radio, "NMD." The
SPAR program was demobilized in 1947 but was reinstituted on a much smaller scale in 1949.
On June 13, 1961, I (Ron Russell) was sworn in at the Federal Building located in
Scranton, Pennsylvania. I spent 13 weeks of Basic Training at Cape May, N.J.
(Company Quebec 46). At the conclusion of boot camp the Coast Guard school that
I wanted to go to had no openings; so instead, I was given my first choice of duty
assignment. I chose the Ninth District in Cleveland. Upon reporting to the District
office, the OOD asked me what school I wanted to attend. I did not have any idea of
schools to consider. He informed me that he was sending me out to Cleveland Radio,
Chesterland to decide. He said: "Either make up your mind in the next few months
(or less), or you will be shipped out." ....and you probably will not like where we
send you. My stay at the Cleveland Primary Radio Station "NMD" became my first duty
assignment as a SA and SN.
My temporary duty assignment lasted from September 1961 to February 1962: assigned
to the 9th District Primary Radio Station NMD, Chesterland, Ohio. It was called
Cleveland Radio at that time.
The duty roster (as I remember and from documents that I have saved): P.C. Carman,
CHRELE W-2, was the Commanding Officer; "Red" Massman(?), RMC, radioman in charge;
"Buzz" Sawyer, RM1; Allen "Frenchie" LaPraire, RM2; B. MacQueen, RM2; B. Moore,
RM2; Russell L. Smalley, RM3***; Richard Mason, ET3; Eugene Battles, SC1;
Ted Wands, BM3 and Ron Russell, SA/SN.
***A special note: Russell L. Smalley RM3 was 19 years old when he reported for
duty at NMD. Just a few months after reporting to duty he was killed in an auto
accident while traveling to visit his uncle in Titusville, a small town located
just south of Erie, Pennsylvania. Smalley was replaced by two RM3s. For the life
of me, I cannot remember their names. I am submitting this short history narrative
and accompanying pictures in Smalley's memory. He and all assigned to Cleveland
Radio were great radiomen, great friends and fine "COASTIES!"
With the advent of Satellite and micro-wave communications the Coast Guard radio
stations were phased out. NMD was decommissioned sometime around 1970. The Station
site and buildings were leveled. Now only the memories persist. Some of the land is
now used as an education facility: As per their website: The Gates Mills Environmental
Education Center, located at 390 County Line Road, Gates Mills. The school opened in 1974,
on 27 acres that used to hold a Coast Guard Station.
By the way, I decided to attend Radio School in Groton. I graduated in the Radioman
Class of 9-62 (graduation picture is on the ZUT/CGCWOA website) and spent the rest of
my enlistment aboard the Weather Ship/Ocean Station vessel: CGC McCulloch,
WAVP386/NODA Boston. I sailed 2 Bravo's, 1 Charlie , 2 Delta's, 2 Echo's, 2 Bermuda
S&R Stand-bys, the International Dory races in Lunenburg, N.S, summer of 1963 in the
yards at Curtis Bay and my last voyage was to Gitmo in June, 1965. My stay aboard the
Cutter McCulloch was mostly routine: Standing radio watches, monitoring 500kcs,
maintaining communications with Washington Radio "NMH", working trans-Atlantic
vessels, receiving and relaying AMVER traffic and transmitting weather reports.
Nearly all of this was done by "pounding the brass" ... but at the very end of my
assignment we were slowly converting over to RTTY. It was a great time in my life:
The Coast Guard, my shipmates, my fellow radiomen and Radio Chief, George Manning
left me with life experiences and memories that have been and will remain with me
forever! Semper Paratus and to all CW OPS a 73!
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An aerial photo of NMD in the 1950s, a CG District 9 photo. Entrance road with transmitter bldg on the right.
A second transmitter bldg was just opposite on the left, just off the picture. Next comes the barracks, garage
and the Communications Center in the distance along with most of the antenna field.
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NMD Back of barracks and transmitter bldg. January 1962, by Ron Russell
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Inspection at the Coast Guard Gates Mills Radio Station by Commanding Officer: CWO Leonard A. Arnold and Chief Radioman Albert R. Krouser, Jr. The picture was taken in 1957 and is part of the Cleveland Memory Project, Cleveland State Univ.
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NMD picture of Barracks, garage and Communications building. 1961 picture taken by Ron Russell.
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NMD picture of Barracks. Picture taken by Ron Russell in 1961.
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NMD Barracks layout Ron Russell 1961
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NMD One of two transmitter buildings located on the road coming into the radio station.
Picture was taken in 1961 by Ron Russell.
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NMD Garage and staff parking located across from barracks. In addition to housing station
vehicles and machinery, a small ham shack was also located in the garage. Taken 1961 by
Ron Russell.
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NMD Radio operations. Picture taken 1961 by Ron Russell
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NMD Winter storm moving in off Lake Erie. January 1962, picture by Ron Russell
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Two NMD radiomen raising the stations colors. Picture was taken in 1957 and was taken by photographer Byran Filkins. The photo is part of the Cleveland Memory Project, Cleveland State Univ.
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COAST GUARD RADIO BOSTON (NMF)
The first district Primary Radio Station
(or "Main Radio Traffic Station," as this class of station was at first
known) to be established in Coast Guard District 1 (at that time
"Eastern Division") was placed in commission at the Nahant Coast Guard
Station, Nahant Massachusetts at 8:00 P.M. on 6 October, 1926, using the
call sign "NCP." (Also in
CGD1, a radio station had been established at Base 4, State Pier, New
London, CT in November of 1924. Its purpose was the handling of
communications for the large number of destroyers, cutters, patrol boats
and section bases operating in the New London area. This station first
operated with the call sign NLO.)
Following negotiations with the War
Department in 1930, the Coast Guard was granted permission to erect a
radio station at Fort Heath, Winthrop, Mass. This station was placed in
commission at 10:00 a.m. on 12 November 1931, replacing Nahant. This
marked the first use of the world-famous call letters "NMF." The
location was remarkably well suited for transmission and reception. On
the initial test, stations along the coast were worked with ease, and
traffic was relayed from Point Bonita, California.
In April 1943 the station moved to its
final location on Ferry Street in Marshfield, Mass. It was known as
Boston Radio and also Radio Boston. Situated on sixty-five acres
on what was once known as the Hunt Estate, The property was purchased by
the Coast Guard in 1942. The 1911 home, known as "The Mansion" located
on South River Street was converted to office, barracks and messing
facilities and the Coast Guard built an operations building, vehicle
garage, several small detached transmitter buildings and a complex
antenna array system. In time, NMF outgrew its original Marshfield
quarters. In 1975, a new Operations building to house the Receiver Site
was built on the Marshfield grounds and all of the transmitters were
moved to a 542 acre former Air Force site on Otis Air National Guard
Base on Cape Cod. This major upgrading program was completed and the new
Communications Station Boston/NMF was dedicated on 2 June 1975.
In 1972-74 Communication Station
Boston took over the duties of the old Radio Station New York (NMY),
which was then discontinued. A major upgrading program was undertaken at
Marshfield, including moving the transmitters to Cape Cod. The
modernized station was dedicated at 10:00 a.m. on 2 June 1975.
Before being decommissioned, NMF
processed over 30,000 radio messages each month. When serving as the
International Ice Patrol radio station, the international call sign "NIK"
was also used by Communication Station Boston. The station provided long
range ship-shore and air-ground communications for Coast Guard cutters
and aircraft in the Arctic, North Atlantic and Caribbean areas, using
radioteletype, voice and Morse Code transmissions. In addition to
maintaining a continuous watch for radio distress calls, NMF broadcast
marine weather forecasts, notice to mariners, storm warnings, iceberg
locations, and received position reports from merchant ships
participating in the Coast Guard's AMVER system. Mariners of all kinds
depended upon Coast Guard communications and relied with confidence on
the services provided by NMF with its longstanding motto, "No Call
Unanswered".
(At the time the above was written, NMF had a compliment of 2 Officers
and 39 Enlisted personnel. Also, according to info that was picked up
from other sources, "NCP" was manned by four radiomen with a Chief Petty
Officer in Charge. It was equipped with a T-1A transmitter and a CGR-1A
receiver. When NMF was decommissioned in early 1998 however, the Otis
transmitter site was retained and is run remote from the CG Area Master
(CAMS) located at Chesapeake, Va. The call sign of NMF is still used; to
my knowledge, even though it is controlled from NMN/Chesapeake.)
In early 1998 NMF was decommissioned, and
the ops building was turned over to the Town of Marshfield. The old
mansion where many USCG personnel used to live was sold in the early
1970s.
Source: A Brief History of NMF and also
Society of Wireless Pioneers
Additional information and pictures
provided by Phil Ellia, USCG LCDR (Ret), who served as CO of NMF during
the 1970s.
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RM1 Bill Gulledge (ZUT1)
Working 500
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A candid shot of the
"Mansion" (Barracks and Administration).
After closing the building
was bought by a person who rehabilitated it into a private home.
New "Ops" Building
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The original Ops Bldg
that was made into the new Admin & ET repair spaces. The building
stayed within its original footprint. New Ops was next to it with
enclosed adjoining passageway connecting both. Slightly elevated
main floor with lower floor housing heads, locker and conference
room.
Not a single window -
guess they were worried about the "bad" guys.
CWO Phil Ellia, who
supplied some of these pictures and information was the CO to
vacate the Mansion and occupy the new Administration Bldg.
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Aerial View - NMF |
NMF Comm Truck at Mansion
Garage |
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The "Radio
Gangs" on Coast Guard cutters and stations routinely sent out Christmas
Cards to all other units having RM billets.
It was their
way of informally keeping track of where their fellow RMs were stationed
and, generally, to "keep in touch" with one another.
The example to
the left is the Christmas Card insert mailed out by the RMs at NMF in
1976. Like this one, some of the cards included the names of other staff
at the unit.
Here are the remnants of the wire antenna
support utility poles out in the marsh where the receiving array grabbed
signals from across the Atlantic to northern Europe. |
COAST GUARD RADIO NEW ORLEANS
(NMG
(Awaiting historical content and photos)
If you have any photos of this radio
station, its staff, or pictures of any patch or logo, please email them
to the
webmaster. Include dates and names of people pictured and, if
possible, a brief description of your time at the station and what you
know about its history.
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| CHRISTMAS CARDS
FROM NMG
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1967
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COAST GUARD RADIO WASHINGTON
(NMH)
Radio Washington was established late in
1933 at Fort Hunt, Virginia, as a radio monitoring station, and was
moved to Fairfax County (on Telegraph Road, just outside of Alexandria)
in 1939, assuming the call sign NMH.
The radio monitoring function was
designed to monitor frequencies with specially prepared equipment. It
was instrumental in keeping all Coast Guard transmitters on assigned
frequencies through regular and random checking. It measured frequencies
of the transmitters of other Services which often got off their assigned
frequencies and drifted onto those of the Coast Guard, and it sometimes
also determined the frequencies of clandestine and enemy stations.
During World War II, NMH performed many
important services. Among these was the handling of the constant flow of
traffic to and from the Commander, North Atlantic Patrol. It maintained
constant communication with Coast Guard vessels of the Atlantic Weather
Observation Service (cutters operating within a square sector of ocean
defined on four sides by latitude and longitude coordinates, serving
also as radio beacons, check points—and a place for aircraft to ditch if
necessary) which later became the peacetime Ocean Weather
Station Program. The scheduled collection and transmission of data by up
to 13 weather patrol ships in the Atlantic from the equator to Greenland
kept its three circuits fully loaded. The wartime "Radioman" staffing of NMH was largely comprised of SPARs, who had separate berthing quarters
on the second deck of the Operations Building.
After the War, and well into the 1960s,
it maintained communications with the Coast Guard's Ocean Station
Vessels on stations named "Bravo," Charlie," "Delta" and "Echo" (call
signs: 4YB, 4YC, 4YD, 4YE) via two dedicated radio circuits (designated
"Anita" and "Bertha"). NMH also manned an "Aviation" position (CW and
A3), and later (circa 1961) added a Commercial operating position to
handle AMVER and OBS traffic from merchant vessels.
NMH was known as the "Voice of the Commandant"
until its closure in 1976. At that time it was renamed "Station
Alexandria," and later redesignated as TISCOM (Telecommunication and
Information Systems Command).
The first
officer in charge of NMH
was Warrant Radioman William B. Dawson, who continued as CO until the
mid-1960s when he retired with the rank of Commander. He was succeeded
by LCDR Frank Barnett.
ZUT, the Fraternal Order of Coast Guard
CW Operators (later the CGCWOA), began here in October, 1962. |
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NMH Radiomen -- World War
II
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SPAR "Radiomen" -- NMH
World War II
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NMH Administration
Building/Radio Laboratory |
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Operations Building circa 1960
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Aerial View of NMH Grounds |
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Radio Operating Positions 1955 |
Radio Supervisor's Position 1960 |
NMH Entry Sign -- 1960s |
MARS K4CG -- 1960s |
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COAST GUARD RADIO KETCHIKAN
(NMJ)
Coast Guard Radio Station Ketchikan (NMJ)
was a primary radio station of the Seventeenth Coast Guard District. Its
responsibilities included radio communications in support of the
protection of life and property at sea in the waters of the southern
portion of the Gulf of Alaska and Alaska's Inside Passage from Skagway
to the United States/Canada border line (Dixon Entrance). Included were
several Coast Guard Buoy Tenders, home ported out of Juneau, Sitka, and
Ketchikan; USCG 95 foot Patrol Boats which were based at Auke Bay
(Juneau), Petersburg, and Ketchikan; and a chain of manned lighthouses
which included Cape Decision, Eldred Rock, Point Retreat, Cape Spencer,
and Five Finger Islands.
Radio Station Ketchikan also received
weather observations and AMVER messages plus worked any distress traffic
originating in its operating area of the Gulf of Alaska and Inside
Passage.
In 1972-73 Radio Station Ketchikan had
three operator positions, one for CW, one for Voice Frequencies, and a
Supervisor's position. There was very little radio teletype. The buoy
tenders guarded all used CW as their primary radio modes. The patrol
boats and lighthouses all utilized single sideband (voice).
The station was located about 15 miles
north of the town of Ketchikan on Point Higgins. The site consisted of
three major buildings - Operations, where the radio watches were stood,
Barracks, which housed about 15 bachelor personnel and contained a small
galley, recreation deck and radio ham shack; and the Commanding
Officer's house. The CO was a Chief Warrant Officer (COMM). The galley
had a Commissaryman First Class as the station cook who usually cooked
breakfast, and lunch during the weekdays. During the evening meal and on
weekends, staff enjoyed open galley where they were their own cooks.
RADSTA Ketchikan Historic District:
Several World War II era buildings and structures now constitute a
historic district eligible for listing on the National Register of
Historic Places. (Source)
Much of this
information is courtesy of Mark
Wood.
If you have any more photos of this radio
station, its staff, or pictures of any patch or logo, please email them
to the
webmaster. Include dates and names of people pictured and, if
possible, a brief description of your time at the station and what you
know about its history.
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NMJ Operations (circa
1960s) |
NMJ Commanding Officer
Residence
(Circa 2002 - Post-decommissioning)
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NMJ Administration and
Galley
(2002 - Post-decommission - Prior to Demolition) |
NMJ Administration, Galley
and Garage
(2002 - Post-decommission - Prior to Demolition) |
COAST GUARD RADIO CAPE MAY (NMK)
In order to handle communications for the
vessels and aircraft operation from Base Nine, Cape May, NJ, radio
facilities were established at that unit during 1925. The station first
used the call letters NOV, and in August, 1940 this station was moved
from the Navy Air Station site to the Cape May Point Lifeboat Station.
With the Coast Guard taking over part of the Naval Air Station in 1946
for use as an operating base, facilities were established in conjunction
with Navy activities at that location, whereby Primary Radio Station
facilities for the then CCD4 were provided, using the call sign NMK.
(Later, when CGD4 was merged into CGD3, NMK became a Secondary Radio
Station of District 3.)
(Awaiting historical content and photos)
If you have any photos of this radio
station, its staff, or pictures of any patch or logo, please email them
to the
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COAST GUARD RADIO ST. LOUIS
(NML)
Established:
Closed:
NML was the Primary Radio Station of the
Second Coast Guard District, the boundaries of which encompassed what is
generally known as the Midwestern United States. The Second Coast Guard
District, merged with the Eighth Coast Guard District in May 1996,
creating the present expansive Eighth Coast Guard District boundaries.
(Awaiting more historical content and photos)
If you have any photos of this radio
station, its staff, or pictures of any patch or logo, please email them
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know about its history. |
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NML30 Comm Truck in front
of the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas circa 1961, while
deployed from St. Louis on a PIO trip to a trade show in Denver. ET2
Orris W. Wharf in foreground.
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COAST GUARD RADIO NORFOLK (NMN)
The first radio station to serve the
Norfolk area was established at Cape Henry, Va., in February 1926. The
original compliment consisted of a Chief Radioman, three RM1's and one
RM3.
The first of several moves for NMN
occurred on 6 December 1929 when the station was relocated to Virginia
Beach and received several upgrades. The station remained there until
the next move to Princess Anne where it operated until 16 July 1943 when
it was moved to London Bridge, Oceana, VA. This location was near the
Naval Air Station Runway, and as missions grew and equipment expanded,
so did the antennas. This caused some concern from pilots who had to
land at night, NMN's antennas were un-lighted.
The station again packed up and moved in
the mid-1950's, this time to Pungo Field.
The station operated there
until 17 June 1976 when the current operations facility was commissioned
at Naval Security Group Activity Northwest, Chesapeake, Va. Not only did
this new station assume the call sign and duties of its predecessor at Pungo, but Radio Station Washington, D.C., NMH was closed and NMN
assumed those duties as well.
As a coastal radio station NMN has a long
and proud history of service to the maritime community. That tradition
lives on, and CAMSLANT operates today with a motto of “No Call
Unanswered”.
(Awaiting more historical content and photos)
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NMN/CAMSLANT - Chesapeake,
Va. |
NMN/CAMSLANT |
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COAST GUARD RADIO HONOLULU (NMO)
(Awaiting historical content)
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NMO (circa 1955)
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NMO (circa 1958) |
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NMO (circa 1965)
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NMO (circa 1965) |
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NMO (circa 1958)
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NMO (circa 1958) |
My Time at NMO contributed by ex-ET3 R. Bruce Bunch (NMO 1969-1971)
I arrived at CGRADSTA Honolulu, NMO in May of 1969 as an SNET, fresh out of ET school! It was a two year stay, with the first year spent at the receiver site near Wahiawa, Oahu. The receiver site was a part of the Navy's communication center, but we operated totally separate, with separate barracks and radio building. We did rub elbows with the squids for chow and movies! As an ET, my shop was a "closet", about 5'X10'. Most of my time was spent cleaning out all the dust and smoke from the receivers. Back in those days they were all allowed to smoke in that closed room, and most of them did smoke!!! Oh, my poor aching lungs! We took a shuttle truck from the barracks to the radio room every shift change. Some more energetic types would walk up that 1/4 mile long hill! Our barracks for the enlisted singles was just one very large room with 2-man cubicles. hard to get sleep at night with the second shift getting off duty, then going into town to get smashed, then coming back in the middle of the night just to make a rukus stumbling into bed! There was a '57 Chevy Bel-Aire that managed to stay at the station, although it was privately owned and sold from one man to another as they rotated in and out! It was frequently packed with guys coming or going on duty!
The only names of the crew at the receiver site that I could recall at this time were as follows;
CWO Kenneth Heinzen, C.O.
CWO Gale Feick, Exec.
RMC(M?) Darrel Greenawalt
RM1 Larry.....(can't remember his last name, except that he was tall and slender, with a very deep voice!)
RM2 Larry Gispert
RM3 John(?) Trombley
RM3 Bob Langone (good buddy!)
RM3 Steve Tillet (best friend!!!)
RM3 Pat Carney
RM3 John Diehl
I especially don't want to leave out the Chief ET that was there when I arrived, but I cannot even come close to remembering his name. I believe his first name was Robert. I would remember it if somebody spoke it! I can see his face so clearly and remember spending time learning from him. There were more crew members, but I don't even remember their faces!
My second year was at the transmitter site, across the island. It, too, was in the middle of the Navy's transmitter fields near Lualualei. It was also part of the Navy's remote supply storage shacks that dotted the fields. Again, we would drive the station's International Carryall truck to chow at the Navy chow hall. We had our own barracks at the site. It was a two-room "house" that had a day-use room in one half with a large sleeping room in the other half. Of course it made it quite difficult to sleep most of the time, just like at the receiver site's barracks! Most of us arrived at the transmitter site as SNET's, so we had the bulk of the work assigned to us. As soon as we made 3rd class we got to push the work off onto the new SNET's, and we only had to be on site during our shift. We had two man shifts, usually with a SNET assigned to a 3rd class ET, with our 2nd class ET and our Chief on call and around during the day. Most of us caught up on our sleep during our duty time and just enjoyed what the island had to offer in between! But, if anything ever went down, the ET3 was awfully busy until it was back up! Life was good! I learned how to build surf boards and to surf while at the transmitter site, thanks to my good buddy, ET3 Jim Sykes, from Texas! Another of our favorite pass-times was hopping on the station's riding mower to go out and mow down more than 20 acres of fast groing grass. That mower ran constantly and was a good way to increase our tans! Our Chief let us go without shirts for that! We also played lots of football and baseball in those huge fields! Me? I rebuilt ET2 Davis' engine for his Ford van, then re-built my own Datsun pickup engine before shipping out for Oregon! I received a commendation from the C.O. at weekly inspection for repairing the engine in the second riding mower in my spare time! It had been broken for over six years! We had a very obese dog named "Lady". She was reported to have more rank than even our C.O.!!! She received her health care from the navy's infirmary! But, she was quite loveable, and liked pizza the best! We also had a cat that just wandered down the road to our site one day. Of course we adopted him, too! Unfortunately, he managed to find an under-floor passage to get inside the T-134 transmitter and was badly injured and lost one ear, one hind leg and the divider between his nostrils when they switched from 440 to 500Khz and he was standing on top of a capacitor when they keyed the transmitter. I found him laying there and we rushed him to the infirmary and they revived him and removed the remains of that leg. He survived to live a long time. he also had three black dots on the top o his head. Name? What else, but "Three".
Life at the transmitter site was much more relaxed than at the receiver site where the command was every day! Our Chief was very generous with freedom as long as the transmitters kept running, so EVERYBODY around would jump on it when one of them went down!
We had a dedicated landline to communicate with the receiver site when they needed a transmitter frequency changed. All they had to do was pick up their handset and talk to us. When the receiver site would get a new radioman, they would call ahead on the regular phones and set us up to play a prank. They would have the new guy get on the dedicated line to have us do something. We would answer, "Nanakuli Barber Shop!". Dead silence on the other end for a few seconds as they tried to figure out how they got a wrong number on a dedicated military line!!!! Then they would usually catch on, but not always!
We had four AN/FRT-15B transmitters for the constant use stuff, with a T-134 for our main 440 and 500Khz use. We also had an ancient TAB-7 as a backup for the T-134 on 440 and 500Khz. The story that I heard, and believe, about the "Farts" was that when they got the orders to build CGRADSTA Honolulu, NMO, they went out to a WWII Navy scrap heap and found the cabinets, then found some manuals and procured all the parts to build these transmitters from scratch. The manuals did have "US Navy" on them with a 1946 date!!! They looked nothing like the manuals depicted inside, and none of their circuits followed the schematics, so we had to re-engineer everytime we had to repair them! For some reason we had to stand there and constantly monitor and tweak the "Farts" if they were on 2182Khz, especially Fart 3! That was a main working frequency in those days! They were very contankerous transmitters! The T-134 was just the opposite! It was a custom-built, huge piece of electronics that was a very large room unto itself, about 35ft long and maybe 18ft deep! Very robustly built. It's output tube was about 3ft tall and 18" wide. The relays for switching from 440 to 500Khz were small teeter-totters, with 3" diameter contacts! Some of the capacitors inside were the size of truck batteries. I don't recall what it's power output was, but the cables that carried the signals were three cables about as big around as a D-cell battery. When keyed it put out enough RF power that it would light up a bare 8ft flourescent tube just by pointing it toward the top of the antenna! We would lean several tubes aginst the fencing around the antenna when it was in use to be able to quickly mow and trim at night when it was cooler. They really lit up the area! The T-134 was a beautiful piece of equipment, so we took good care of it, even polishing it's face with car wax. We also had a smaller 440/500 transmitter called the TAB-7, but we seldom used it, except to cycle it and check it for performance. All four "Farts", the T-134 and the TAB-7 were all very much pre-transistor equipment, but we eventually received a Collins transistorized transmitter that covered all frequencies and had built in diagnostics! WOW! What a treat! They got it up and running just before I shipped out for Oregon. It, too, however, was just a hand-me-down from the Air Force. In those days all the Coast Guard got was hand-me-downs from the other services!
During my year there, a contractor from Santa Rosa, California showed up to build us three new transmitter antenna towers. He asked our C.O. if he could use us, voluntarily and paid, for part of his labor force. We were given permission as long as it didn't interfere with our duties. I worked for him quite a bit, and in our conversations I discovered that his name was Bill Kiker. Hmmm! I dated a girl named Lois Kiker the summer before boot camp. Turns out it was his younger sister! She was visiting relatives that lived right next door to us in Sacramento! Tiny world!
Some of the transmitter site crew members that I can recall:
ETC George Tate
ET2 Davis (don't recall his first name!)
ET3 Roger Foster
ET3 Jim Sykes (good buddy!)
SNET Mike Garza
We also had another ET3, as well as others, but once again, my memory fails me. I can still see his face, though.
I grew up, professionally, during my two years at NMO. We had some great crew members and had a lot of fun! Good memories!
Below are captions for the pics. All pics are from March, 1971. I only have personal pics in the barracks from the receiver site. The pics previously posted from 1965 look exactly like it did in 1969. Even the receivers and TTY machines are the same!
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on the road in front of the tranmitter site
Contributed by Bruce Bunch
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looking at the transmitter site from the road
Contributed by Bruce Bunch
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The entry to our underground transmitter building. It was half buried in the ground.
Contributed by Bruce Bunch
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One of the two riding mowers (with the other one behind it) that ran constantly, when they weren't broken down!
Contributed by Bruce Bunch
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the "office area" in the transmitter building
Contributed by Bruce Bunch
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our shop area
Contributed by Bruce Bunch
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Our main-frame with receivers for testing. The landline phone is seen in the lower right corner.
Contributed by Bruce Bunch
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Farts 3 & 4 with their doors open. Main-frame just beyond them.
Contributed by Bruce Bunch
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Farts 3 & 4 again, with some FM gear just beyond in the shorter cabinets.
Contributed by Bruce Bunch
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the face of Fart 3. Each Fart has three cabinet sections.
Contributed by Bruce Bunch
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the mighty T-134!!! The entry door was just to the left, out of the picture. It was a walk-in transmitter!
Contributed by Bruce Bunch
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the TAB-7 just after a tune-up. Davis on the left, with Fart 1 behind him, and me (ET3 Bruce Bunch) on the right, with Fart 2 behind me.
Contributed by Bruce Bunch
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"Lady", performing for her favorite treat! ET3 Jim Sykes feeding it to her.
Contributed by Bruce Bunch
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ET3 Jim Sykes teasing "Lady" with another piece of pizza. SNET Mike Garza in the background.
Contributed by Bruce Bunch
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COAST GUARD RADIO CHICAGO (NMP)
(Awaiting historical content and photos)
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station, its staff, or pictures of any patch or logo, please email them
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know about its history. |
COAST GUARD RADIO LONG BEACH
(NMQ)
(Awaiting historical content and photos)
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know about its history. |
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1975 Voice Posn HF_VHF
click on photo to enlarge
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Interior-1951-3
click on photo to enlarge |
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Interior-1951-2
click on photo to enlarge
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1974 Aerial View
click on photo to enlarge |
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1974 Aerial View
click on photo to enlarge
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1966 Aerial View
click on photo to enlarge |
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Interior-1958-1
click on photo to enlarge
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Interior-1958-2
click on photo to enlarge |
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NMQ - RM3 Harper 1958
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NMQ Phone Room 1959 |
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NMQ Supervisors Position
1951
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NMQ Operations Room 1950s |
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COAST GUARD RADIO SAN JUAN (NMR)
If you have any photos of this radio
station, its staff, or pictures of any patch or logo, please email them
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transmitters at NMR 1954-1956
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Operator's Posithion NMR 1953-1956
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COAST GUARD RADIO POINT BARROW
(NMT)
Coast Guard Radio Station Point Barrow (NMT), a secondary
radio station of the Seventeenth Coast Guard District, was tasked with
providing radio communications support for U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard
icebreakers working in the Western Arctic waters.
It also provided radio support
for National Science Foundation researchers based on Fletcher's Ice
Island T3. From time to time, we provided flight following services for
a Navy R4D (military version of a DC-3), used to fly logistics missions
for the national DEW Line network of air defense radar sites strung
between Alaska and Greenland.
USCG Radio Station Barrow was
located within the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory, a few miles from
the town of Barrow. The radio station utilized radio teletype and single
sideband (voice) communications. Since radio communications at extreme
northern latitudes can become extremely unreliable, we had the ability
to use CW (International Morse Code) as our primary back-up mode.
RADSTA Point Barrow closed in December 1977. It was operated
remotely from Kodiak until April 1986.
Much of
this information is courtesy of
Mark Wood.
If you have any
additional photos of this radio
station, its staff, or pictures of any patch or logo, please email them
to the
webmaster. Include dates and names of people pictured and, if
possible, a brief description of your time at the station and what you
know about its history. |
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Naval Arctic
Research Lab, Barrow, located on the northern tip of Alaska, was the
parent command for the Coast Guard Radio Station |
An operator
position at NMT. |
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Another
operator position showing NMT radio teletype terminal equipment |
COAST GUARD RADIO JACKSONVILLE
BEACH (NMV)
Situated on a plot of land the use of
which was obtained by the Coast Guard at no cost from the City of
Jacksonville, this station was completed on 18 June 1940. Upon the
combining of CGD6 and CGD7 as the 7th District in 1946, the
Primary Station was established at Richmond, FL on 1 May 1946.
Coast Guard Radio Station in Jacksonville Beach, Fl It was taken around 1946
(Awaiting historical content and photos)
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know about its history. |
COAST GUARD RADIO WESTPORT (NMW)
(Awaiting historical content)
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about this radio
station please email them
to the
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possible, a brief description of your time at the station and what you
know about its history. |
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The bldg indicated as the
New Barracks was built to house the RM SPARS during WW-II.
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We had the Grays Harbor
Lighthouse on the property and CO was responsible for its
operations. Taken in 51-52 from the top of the light.
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This is the voice and s/s
position. RM2 Pete Arkin (short timer with 1 hitch) (Date unknown)
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Main Barracks -- NMW 1952
or there abouts. |
CO Quarters -- NMW 1952 or
there abouts. |
COAST GUARD RADIO BALTIMORE
(NMX)
(Awaiting historical content and photos)
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COAST GUARD RADIO NEW YORK (NMY)
The first Coast Guard radio station was established at the Rockaway
Point Coast Guard Station at Fort Tilden, NY on July 15, 1924. (This station proved so
successful that additional units were soon established at Nahant, MA;
New London, CT; Cape May, NJ; Cape Henry, VA; Fernandina, FL; Ft.
Lauderdale, FL; Mobile, AL; San Francisco; San Pedro, CA; Port Angeles,
WA;, and Anacortes, WA.) The radio station's building had previously
served as a barn and carpenter shop. In September, 1926 it was moved to
a two story frame building formerly a structure of the old Navy Air
Station which had been extensively renovated by the Coast Guard. This
building housed the New York Radio Station until a modern station was
commissioned on 30 April 1943 at East Moriches. The original complement
at Rockaway was Gunner (R) (T) R. W. Finley, Officer in Charge; Chief
Radioman L. D. Bohner; and RM1C R. S. Smith.
(July 25, 1956:
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The Andrea Doria's distress
signal over 500 kilohertz, a medium low-range frequency,
traveled on a ground wave for 300 to 400 miles and on an air
wave 2,000 miles. If the ship had been in the middle of the
Atlantic, her call for help would have been heard by shore
stations in the United States and Europe and presumably all
points in between. Her radio signals were in fact picked up by
Coast Guard stations in Argentia in Newfoundland, and Bermuda.
But it was Radioman First Class
RobRoy A. Todd, monitoring messages on 500 khz at the New York
Coast Guard's radio listening station in East Moriches, on the
southern shore of Long Island, who triggered the Coast Guard's
Sea and Air Rescue Co-ordination Center into action. Yelling for
the other two men on his watch, he handed over the two messages
that had come in almost simultaneously from ships with the call
signs ICEH and SEJT. The call signs were quickly translated into
the names of the two ships and at 11:25pm word was sent by a
direct teletype circuit to the Rescue Center in New York City: )
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(Awaiting historical content and photos)
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know about its history. |
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The First CG RADSTA --
Rockaway NY
Later moved to Moriches -
NMY |
Photo of RADSTA Moriches NMY presently hanging on the wall at ESD Moriches NY
Click on photo for a larger view |
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COAST GUARD RADIO BERMUDA (NOC)
(Awaiting historical content and photos)
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know about its history. |
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COAST GUARD RADIO
SAULT STE. MARIE (NOG)
Established as a Secondary RADSTA (along with NMP, Chicago) for CCD9.
NOG was the guard for CGC Mackinaw (NRKP), the CGC Woodrush out of
Detroit, and any vessel with Northern Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.
The station normally guarded 4337 Khz A1, plus 2182 and 2670 A3.
The other half of the building pictured
below was "Soo Control," working VHF and handling shipping for the
Canal, and manned by an SO, QM or RD. The VHF equipment was remoted ut
to a site south of twon on M129 -- old ComCo gear that required a lot of
attention.
During the early 60s, the RMIC was RMC
Timothy Ponton, relieved by RMC Ira Pollock in the mid 60s.
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In the 1960s, NOG occupied
half of this building, sharing it with "Soo Control." The 90 foot pole
was support for the end fed wire for HF CW. |
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COAST GUARD RADIO KODIAK (NOJ)
NOJ was commissioned as a Radio
Station in 1957 to provide communication support for the Air Detachment,
Kodiak, and the Kodiak SAR Coordinator.
NOJ maintained
communication responsibilities for the northern Gulf of Alaska and
eastern Bering Sea and was a primary radio station of the Seventeenth
Coast Guard District. In May 1972 the Navy
disestablished their Kodiak operations and RADSTA Kodiak assumed much of
their responsibility.
Radio Station Kodiak had the
military responsibility for a 210' Medium Endurance Cutter (CGC
Confidence), buoy tenders working out of Adak, Kodiak, Homer, and
Cordova plus light houses located at Cape Hinchenbrook, and Cape St.
Elias.
Recommissioned as Communication Station Kodiak in
August 1973, NOJ assumed a prominent position in the Coast Guard's
Pacific Area communication system.
Upon the closing of RADSTA Point Barrow (NMT)
in December 1977, it was remotely operated by NOJ until April 1986. When
RADSTA Adak (NOX) closed in October 1979, COMMSTA Kodiak remotely
operated Adad until December 1996.
The location of tech control was on
the second floor of building 576 atop Aviation Hill.
The lower floor was
given over to Electronics Support Unit Kodiak back in the mid to late
80's. Prior to that time, Commsta admin was located on that floor.
Tech Control (the electronics shop,
network control facility and administrative spaces) was destroyed by fire
in September
1985. This was the central hub for all communications circuits for the
Coast Guard (and Navy prior to that time). All cables and microwave
circuits terminated in this facility. Tech control was built in 1952 as
part of the Navy's HF communications upgrade after WW2.
After the fire, tech control was moved to
the garage complex next to building 576. The location was refered to as
building 603. In 1990, plans were laid to remotely control all functions
of tech control from a central location at the Buskin Lake transmitter
site. By December 1992 this was completed and building 603 was
abandoned and turned over to Coast Guard Support Center Kodiak. Alaska
Communications Systems DMS telephone switching equipment and a small
microwave repeater station (that the Commsta owns) is now located in
what was the tech control center of the Commsta.
Since being commissioned in 1973, NOJ has
been awarded 5 Unit Commendations, four Meritorious Commendations and
two Secial Operations Service Ribbons.
More information about NOJ as both a
Navy and Coast Guard facility can be found at the
Kodiak Alaska
Military History web site.
Much of this
information is courtesy of Mark Wood.
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Collins microwave transmitters at NOJ -- Early 1980s
NOJ Antenna Field |
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COAST GUARD RADIO ADAK ISLAND
(NOX)
Radio Station Adak (NOX) was
attached to the Naval Communication Station on Clam Lagoon of Adak
Island, located in the middle of the Aleutian Chain, Middle of
Nowhere. The RADSTA's primary responsibility was to provide radio
communications support for U.S. Military Sealift Command ships plying
the Great Circle route from U.S. Pacific Coast ports to Southeast Asia
(Vietnam for instance). It also received marine weather observations
and movement reports (AMVER) messages from other ships at sea including
foreign fishing vessels operating in U.S. territorial waters. Radio
Station Adak also provided the ears of the Coast Guard for distresses at
sea, listening for that infamous SOS no matter how minute the signal.
Coast Guard Radio Station Adak's only mode of radio communication was CW
- International Morse Code.
RADSTA Adak closed in October 1979. (COMMSTA Kodiak
operated Adak remotely until December 1996.)
Much of this
information is courtesy of Mark
Wood.
(Awaiting more historical content and photos)
If you have any photos of this radio
station, its staff, or pictures of any patch or logo, please email them
to the
webmaster. Include dates and names of people pictured and, if
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know about its history. |
|
Coast Guard
Radio Station Adak was a tenant command of Naval Communication
Adak, as seen from across Clam Lagoon. The mountain behind the station
is
Mt. Adagdak, an extinct volcano. |
COAST GUARD RADIO CORPUS CHRISTI/GALVESTON
(NOY)
(Awaiting historical content and photos)
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know about its history.
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NOY (circa 1960)
Then RM2 David L. DeGeorge
(Now RMCM-RET -- ZUT 1282)
LT Ken Hood was CO, Chrele Calimer was XO,
along with fellow RM's - RMC Byrd (RMIC), RM1 Callies, RM1 Bauer, RM1
Hank Roesing, RM2 Smith, RM2 Cal Lanford, and RM2 Jim Kinner were among
the watchstande |
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Following submitted by Ray Sanford CWO4 (Comms) (Ret) ZUT #614.
Coast Guard Aero Base Radio Station Port Isabel, TX, callsigns NOY4/NCH.
I was an RM3 at NOY4 in 1962 and was there
when NCH was established. It was a one operator radio station for assisting
Corpus Christi Airsta in maintaining comms with their aircraft when flying
south of the U.S. into the southern Gulf of Mexico on Campeche/Tampico patrols.
The radioroom was in the Commanding Officer's office (where he could keep an
eye on me) and later, when he retired, it was constructed in the CO's Quarters
in the Group Office/Lifeboat Station.
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COAST GUARD RADIO GUAM (NRV)
(Awaiting historical content and photos)
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know about its history. |
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Aerial View USCG RADSTA
Guam
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Unidentified RMs at NRV
(August 1972) |
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General View of Operating
Position at NRV (1972) |
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