LORAN-C transmitter Lampedusa
Encyclopedia
LORAN-C transmitter Lampedusa is the X-Ray secondary station of the Mediterranean Sea LORAN-C
Chain ( GRI 7990).
It uses a transmission power of 325 kW.
The Lampedusa LORAN-C transmitter is situated on the island of Lampedusa
at 35°31′21"N 12°31′31"E. The Lampedusa LORAN-C transmitter uses as an antenna a 190.5 metre (625 ft) tall mast radiator, which was commissioned in 1972. An Omega monitoring station was also constructed on the base.
In 1979, Lt. Kay Hartzell
took command of the Coast Guard base, becoming the first female commanding officer of an isolated U.S. military base.
On April 15, 1986, Libya
fired two Scud
s at the U.S. Coast Guard navigation station on the Italian island, in retaliation for the American bombing
of Tripoli
and Benghazi
. However, the missiles passed over the island, landing in the sea, and caused no damage.
As a result of the attack, the Coast Guard station was commissioned as a NATO base, including security hardening and an armory, as well as an Italian security detail stationed nearby.
At the time of the missile attack, the LORAN station was under the command of Lt. Ernest DelBueno. DelBueno had spent the previous winter arming the crew and hardening the station against a possible terrorist attack. DelBueno received orders to evacuate non-essential members of the crew to the U.S. Naval Air Station in Sigonella, Sicily and to stay behind with a small team to keep the signal on air. The commander of a U.S. Navy transport helicopter from Helicopter Combat Support Squadron Four (HC-4
), upon landing advised DelBuono that he had received orders to evacuate the entire crew. Unable to communicate with his superiors in London, DelBueno and the crew left the base. They returned early the next morning. The incident damaged relations with the some of the local Italians. Despite additional threats from Qaddafi throughout the spring of 1986, the station continued to provide signal availability to NATO forces. Prior to leaving at the end of his tour in July 1986, DelBueno installed enhanced secure communications equipment, fences and additional weapons to ensure that future commanding officers had the equipment to respond to potential terrorist threats.
On January 4, 1989
, U.S. Navy aircraft from the carrier USS John F. Kennedy shot down two Libya
n fighters approximately 200 kilometers from the island. At the time, a U.S. Navy logistics aircraft from HC-4 was on the ground at the NATO base, preparing for takeoff. The base commander, Lt. Kenneth Armstrong, received notice from U.S. Sixth Fleet Intelligence at La Maddalena
that the Libyan fighters had been shot down, and immediately grounded the unarmed logistics flight, which was scheduled to move on to Tel Aviv
. Sixth Fleet Intel also informed Armstrong that Libyan dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi
had made direct reprisal threats against the American commanders at Sigonella, Sicily, and at Lampedusa.
The aircraft remained on the ground overnight, and an Italian media frenzy followed, putting Lampedusa and Armstrong in the spotlight. Armstrong responded by hosting a media tour of the base, conspicuously wearing his body armor and pointing out defensive forces on the base. The move quieted speculation that the Americans were once again preparing to leave.
The NATO base was decommissioned in 1994 and transferred to Italian military control. It can still be seen clearly on Google Earth
(keyword: Lampedusa), at the west end of the island, with swimming pool and outbuildings visible.
The LORAN Station ceased transmission on 312400Z DEC 94 and was decomissioned in January 1995.
LORAN
LORAN is a terrestrial radio navigation system using low frequency radio transmitters in multiple deployment to determine the location and speed of the receiver....
Chain ( GRI 7990).
It uses a transmission power of 325 kW.
The Lampedusa LORAN-C transmitter is situated on the island of Lampedusa
Lampedusa
Lampedusa is the largest island of the Italian Pelagie Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The comune of Lampedusa e Linosa is part of the Sicilian province of Agrigento which also includes the smaller islands of Linosa and Lampione. It is the southernmost part of Italy. Tunisia, which is about ...
at 35°31′21"N 12°31′31"E. The Lampedusa LORAN-C transmitter uses as an antenna a 190.5 metre (625 ft) tall mast radiator, which was commissioned in 1972. An Omega monitoring station was also constructed on the base.
In 1979, Lt. Kay Hartzell
Kay Hartzell
Kay Hartzell is a former United States Coast Guard lieutenant who is notable for being the first female commanding officer of an isolated U.S. military base, when she assumed command of the Coast Guard LORAN/Omega station at the Island of Lampedusa, Italy, in 1979.-References:...
took command of the Coast Guard base, becoming the first female commanding officer of an isolated U.S. military base.
On April 15, 1986, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
fired two Scud
Scud
Scud is a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and exported widely to other countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name SS-1 Scud which was attached to the missile by Western intelligence agencies...
s at the U.S. Coast Guard navigation station on the Italian island, in retaliation for the American bombing
Operation El Dorado Canyon
The 1986 United States bombing of Libya, code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon, comprised the joint United States Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps air-strikes against Libya on April 15, 1986. The attack was carried out in response to the 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing.-Origins:Shortly after his...
of Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
and Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
. However, the missiles passed over the island, landing in the sea, and caused no damage.
As a result of the attack, the Coast Guard station was commissioned as a NATO base, including security hardening and an armory, as well as an Italian security detail stationed nearby.
At the time of the missile attack, the LORAN station was under the command of Lt. Ernest DelBueno. DelBueno had spent the previous winter arming the crew and hardening the station against a possible terrorist attack. DelBueno received orders to evacuate non-essential members of the crew to the U.S. Naval Air Station in Sigonella, Sicily and to stay behind with a small team to keep the signal on air. The commander of a U.S. Navy transport helicopter from Helicopter Combat Support Squadron Four (HC-4
HC-4
Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 4 was a United States Navy helicopter squadron based at Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia. Nicknamed the "Black Stallions", they flew the CH-53E Sea Stallion and MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters.-History:...
), upon landing advised DelBuono that he had received orders to evacuate the entire crew. Unable to communicate with his superiors in London, DelBueno and the crew left the base. They returned early the next morning. The incident damaged relations with the some of the local Italians. Despite additional threats from Qaddafi throughout the spring of 1986, the station continued to provide signal availability to NATO forces. Prior to leaving at the end of his tour in July 1986, DelBueno installed enhanced secure communications equipment, fences and additional weapons to ensure that future commanding officers had the equipment to respond to potential terrorist threats.
On January 4, 1989
Gulf of Sidra incident (1989)
The second Gulf of Sidra incident occurred on 4 January 1989 when two US F-14 Tomcats shot down two Libyan MiG-23 Flogger-Es that gave all appearances of attempting to engage them, as had happened seven years prior in the first Gulf of Sidra incident ....
, U.S. Navy aircraft from the carrier USS John F. Kennedy shot down two Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n fighters approximately 200 kilometers from the island. At the time, a U.S. Navy logistics aircraft from HC-4 was on the ground at the NATO base, preparing for takeoff. The base commander, Lt. Kenneth Armstrong, received notice from U.S. Sixth Fleet Intelligence at La Maddalena
La Maddalena
La Maddalena is a town and comune located on the island with the same name, in northern Sardinia, part of the province of Olbia-Tempio, Italy.-The town:...
that the Libyan fighters had been shot down, and immediately grounded the unarmed logistics flight, which was scheduled to move on to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. Sixth Fleet Intel also informed Armstrong that Libyan dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
had made direct reprisal threats against the American commanders at Sigonella, Sicily, and at Lampedusa.
The aircraft remained on the ground overnight, and an Italian media frenzy followed, putting Lampedusa and Armstrong in the spotlight. Armstrong responded by hosting a media tour of the base, conspicuously wearing his body armor and pointing out defensive forces on the base. The move quieted speculation that the Americans were once again preparing to leave.
The NATO base was decommissioned in 1994 and transferred to Italian military control. It can still be seen clearly on Google Earth
Google Earth
Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
(keyword: Lampedusa), at the west end of the island, with swimming pool and outbuildings visible.
The LORAN Station ceased transmission on 312400Z DEC 94 and was decomissioned in January 1995.
External links
- http://www.tech-service.net/loran/LORAN-1.XLS
- http://www.megapulse.com/chaininfo.html
- http://www.loran-history.info/lampedusa/lampedusa.htm