Hawes Radio Tower
Encyclopedia
Hawes Radio Relay Facility (also known as the Hawes Radio Tower) was a United States Air Force
installation built on the site of the former Hawes Airfield at Hinkley, California
, USA at 34°55′1"N 117°22′36"W. The site contained a 373.7 meters ( 1226 ft ) tall guyed mast
antenna and hardened underground facility used for the Strategic Air Command
's AN/FRC-117 Survivable Low Frequency Communications System
. Detachment 2, 33d Communications Group out of March AFB, ran the site until its deactivation in 1986.
, the Commander-in-Chief of Strategic Air Command (CINCSAC), SAC Headquarters, the Airborne Command Post (ABNCP), and the SAC Force with a Survivable Low Frequency Communications System
for passing record communications between the above agencies. Hawes provides SAC Emergency War Order communications before, during and after a nuclear attack, acts as the alternate ground station for the SAC ABNCP, and relays secure record communications from and into the Automatic Digital Network (AUTODIN).
, determined Hawes was no longer needed to perform the SLFCS mission. HQ SAC Program Directive 01-85, titled "Hawes SLFCS Transmitter Site Deactivation", outlined the steps needed to shut the site down. On 30 September 1986, at 1601 local time (1 Oct 1986, 0001Z), the main power breaker for the transmitter was permanently turned off. Minutes before, Hawes transmitted one final SLFCS message, commemorating its 18 years of operation.
. It transmitted at a maximum power of 100 kW. The facility was partially built into the ground and was designed to withstand a moderate nuclear blast from a distance of 10 miles. The facility was self-sustaining and employed a sophisticated ventilation system as well as backup diesel generators.
The bunker was demolished by the Bureau of Land Management
and Air Force in April-May 2008 after two local teenagers, Christopher Cody Thompson of Apple Valley and Bodhisattva “Bodhi” Sherzer-Potter of Helendale, were found murdered in the bunker on January 5 after a botched robbery attempt. The prime suspects, David Brian Smith, Collin Lee McGlaughlin and Cameron James Thomson of the Covina area, are being tried for the murders.
File:Hawes Antenna Base.jpg|Base of antenna
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
installation built on the site of the former Hawes Airfield at Hinkley, California
Hinkley, California
Hinkley is an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert in California, U.S., northwest of Barstow, east of Mojave, and north of Victorville. It sits just north of California State Highway 58....
, USA at 34°55′1"N 117°22′36"W. The site contained a 373.7 meters ( 1226 ft ) tall guyed mast
Guyed mast
A guyed mast is a tall thin vertical structure that receives support from guy lines.Guyed masts are frequently used for radio masts. The mast can either support aerials mounted at its top, or the entire structure itself can function as an antenna ; this is called a mast radiator...
antenna and hardened underground facility used for the Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
's AN/FRC-117 Survivable Low Frequency Communications System
Survivable Low Frequency Communications System
The AN/FRC-117 Survivable Low Frequency Communications System was a communications system designed to be able to operate, albeit at low data transfer rates, during and after a nuclear attack....
. Detachment 2, 33d Communications Group out of March AFB, ran the site until its deactivation in 1986.
Mission
The mission of Detachment 2 (Hawes Radio Relay Site) was to provide the Joint Chiefs of StaffJoint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
, the Commander-in-Chief of Strategic Air Command (CINCSAC), SAC Headquarters, the Airborne Command Post (ABNCP), and the SAC Force with a Survivable Low Frequency Communications System
Survivable Low Frequency Communications System
The AN/FRC-117 Survivable Low Frequency Communications System was a communications system designed to be able to operate, albeit at low data transfer rates, during and after a nuclear attack....
for passing record communications between the above agencies. Hawes provides SAC Emergency War Order communications before, during and after a nuclear attack, acts as the alternate ground station for the SAC ABNCP, and relays secure record communications from and into the Automatic Digital Network (AUTODIN).
Activation
The SAC SLFCS site at Hawes was activated on 3 Apr 1967 as a project assigned to the 33d Communications Squadron. The site was accepted by Headquarters USAF on 31 May 1968, and was activated for continuous operations a day later. On 19 Jul 1968, 15th Air Force assumed maintenance responsibility. Hawes was located in the Mojave Desert, approximately 100 miles northeast of March AFB, and 40 miles east of Edwards AFB. Site personnel lived on Edwards AFB, and took a shuttle bus to the site.Deactivation
During the Fiscal Year 1987-1991 Program Objective Memorandum development, Headquarters SACStrategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
, determined Hawes was no longer needed to perform the SLFCS mission. HQ SAC Program Directive 01-85, titled "Hawes SLFCS Transmitter Site Deactivation", outlined the steps needed to shut the site down. On 30 September 1986, at 1601 local time (1 Oct 1986, 0001Z), the main power breaker for the transmitter was permanently turned off. Minutes before, Hawes transmitted one final SLFCS message, commemorating its 18 years of operation.
Facility
Hawes Radio Tower was a mast radiator insulated against ground, which provided VLF communication to ground and mobile nuclear missile facilities during the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. It transmitted at a maximum power of 100 kW. The facility was partially built into the ground and was designed to withstand a moderate nuclear blast from a distance of 10 miles. The facility was self-sustaining and employed a sophisticated ventilation system as well as backup diesel generators.
Post USAF Operations
In the mid-1980s, the site was given up, and in 1986, the mast was demolished by explosives. The two-story bunker, left abandoned, became a popular hang-out site for local teenagers. Unfortunately, it also became a center for wild and sometimes violent parties. The interior was blackened from numerous bonfires and riddled with graffiti. In addition, holes and debris created by the radio tower demolition, as well as standing water in the basement after rains, made navigating the dark interior of the bunker extremely dangerous.The bunker was demolished by the Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
and Air Force in April-May 2008 after two local teenagers, Christopher Cody Thompson of Apple Valley and Bodhisattva “Bodhi” Sherzer-Potter of Helendale, were found murdered in the bunker on January 5 after a botched robbery attempt. The prime suspects, David Brian Smith, Collin Lee McGlaughlin and Cameron James Thomson of the Covina area, are being tried for the murders.
See also
- Strategic Air CommandStrategic Air CommandThe Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
- Post Attack Command and Control SystemPost Attack Command and Control SystemThe Post Attack Command and Control System was a network of communication sites for use before, during and after a nuclear attack on the United States. PACCS was designed to ensure that National Command Authority would retain sole, exclusive, and complete control over US nuclear weapons...
- Survivable Low Frequency Communications SystemSurvivable Low Frequency Communications SystemThe AN/FRC-117 Survivable Low Frequency Communications System was a communications system designed to be able to operate, albeit at low data transfer rates, during and after a nuclear attack....
- Silver Creek Communications AnnexSilver Creek Communications AnnexSilver Creek Communications Annex was a 373.7 metres tall guyed mast used by the USAF Survivable Low Frequency Communications System Site, which was built near Silver Creek, Nebraska at...
- sister site to Hawes, located in Silver Creek, NebraskaSilver Creek, NebraskaSilver Creek is a village in Merrick County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 441 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Grand Island, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Silver Creek is located at ....
Photo gallery
File:Hawes Antenna Base.jpg|Base of antenna
External links
- http://www.airfields-freeman.com/CA/Airfields_CA_PalmdaleN.htm
- http://ludb.clui.org/ex/i/CA4997/
- http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b63081
- http://www.mojaveroads.com/Hawes%20Journal%20Page%201.html This is a very detailed photo blog with pictures of the facility when it was in use.
- http://community.livejournal.com/abandonedplaces/1185938.html Some pictures of the inside of the facility prior to demolition
- http://community.livejournal.com/abandonedplaces/1032897.html More pictures from the same site