Texas Tower 4
Encyclopedia
Texas Tower 4 is a former United States Air Force
Texas Tower General Surveillance Radar station, located 63 miles (101.4 km) south-southwest off the coast of Long Island
, New York
in 185 feet (56.4 m) of water. The tower was the site of a tragic accident and was destroyed by a winter storm
on January 15, 1961. None of the twenty-eight airmen and civilian contractors who were manning the station survived.
Texas Tower 4 was one in a series of manned radar stations that were so named because they resembled the oil-drilling platforms of the Gulf of Mexico
. Air Defense Command (ADC) estimated that the Texas Towers would help extend contiguous East Coast radar coverage some 300 to 500 miles seaward. In terms of Soviet military capabilities, this would provide the United States with an extra 30 minutes of warning time in the event of an incoming bomber attack.
plant at South Portland, Maine
. On 28 June 1957, it was successfully floated and towed to its site and erected. During transportation 2 or 3 structural supports were dislodged in rough seas. The Air Force considered two options: whether to fix the problem before or after erecting the radar platform. The latter was chosen which affected the structural integrity of the platform.
In 1958 enough of the structure was complete that one AN/FPS-3 search radar and two AN/FPS-6 height finder radars developed by Air Force Rome Air Development Center [RADC] New York, were installed.
Personnel from the 646th Radar Squadron, stationed at Highlands Air Force Station
, NJ performed the operational use of the tower. The 4604th Support Squadron (Texas Towers) at Otis AFB, MA provided logistical support. Originally 70 personnel manned the station under the command of Lt. Col. Robert Cutler. Life aboard Texas Tower 4 was difficult. Both the structure and its crew suffered from the near-constant vibration caused by rotating radar antennas and diesel generators. The surrounding ocean and tower footings also transmitted distant sounds along the steel legs, amplifying them throughout the entire structure.
By mid-1960 that had been reduced to 14 Air Force personnel and 14 repairmen due to concerns over the inability of successive repairs crews to halt the movement of the structure. Prior to the collapse, the tower had weathered 2 cyclones over a 2-year period.
Texas Tower 4 suffered severe structural damage during Hurricane Donna
in September 1960 and, before repairs could be completed, was destroyed by a winter storm
on January 15, 1961. None of the twenty-eight airmen and civilian contractors who were manning the station survived. Only two bodies were recovered.
A Congressional Board of Inquiry was convened on Otis AFB to investigate the collapse of Texas Tower 4. The finding that this Tower was constructed with the same specifications as the prior Towers was the prime reason for causing the shaking of the Tower, and its collapse. The prior Towers had much shorter "legs," were built in much shallower water, and were built on a rock base, whereas Texas Tower 4 was built on a sand base.
Today the wreckage of TT-4 remains at the bottom of the ocean, and has become a site for scuba diving. Its depth, however, limits access to the wreckage to advanced divers.
Assignments:
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...
Texas Tower General Surveillance Radar station, located 63 miles (101.4 km) south-southwest off the coast of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 185 feet (56.4 m) of water. The tower was the site of a tragic accident and was destroyed by a winter storm
Winter storm
A winter storm is an event in which the dominant varieties of precipitation are formed that only occur at low temperatures, such as snow or sleet, or a rainstorm where ground temperatures are low enough to allow ice to form...
on January 15, 1961. None of the twenty-eight airmen and civilian contractors who were manning the station survived.
Texas Tower 4 was one in a series of manned radar stations that were so named because they resembled the oil-drilling platforms of the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. Air Defense Command (ADC) estimated that the Texas Towers would help extend contiguous East Coast radar coverage some 300 to 500 miles seaward. In terms of Soviet military capabilities, this would provide the United States with an extra 30 minutes of warning time in the event of an incoming bomber attack.
History
Texas Tower 4 began construction in December 1956 at the Bethlehem SteelBethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
plant at South Portland, Maine
South Portland, Maine
South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state. Founded in 1895, as of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,002. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of...
. On 28 June 1957, it was successfully floated and towed to its site and erected. During transportation 2 or 3 structural supports were dislodged in rough seas. The Air Force considered two options: whether to fix the problem before or after erecting the radar platform. The latter was chosen which affected the structural integrity of the platform.
In 1958 enough of the structure was complete that one AN/FPS-3 search radar and two AN/FPS-6 height finder radars developed by Air Force Rome Air Development Center [RADC] New York, were installed.
Personnel from the 646th Radar Squadron, stationed at Highlands Air Force Station
Highlands Air Force Station
Highlands Air Force Station was a Navesink Highlands military installation in Middletown Township near the borough of Highlands, New Jersey. The station provided ground-controlled interception radar coverage as part of the Lashup Radar Network and the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment network, as...
, NJ performed the operational use of the tower. The 4604th Support Squadron (Texas Towers) at Otis AFB, MA provided logistical support. Originally 70 personnel manned the station under the command of Lt. Col. Robert Cutler. Life aboard Texas Tower 4 was difficult. Both the structure and its crew suffered from the near-constant vibration caused by rotating radar antennas and diesel generators. The surrounding ocean and tower footings also transmitted distant sounds along the steel legs, amplifying them throughout the entire structure.
By mid-1960 that had been reduced to 14 Air Force personnel and 14 repairmen due to concerns over the inability of successive repairs crews to halt the movement of the structure. Prior to the collapse, the tower had weathered 2 cyclones over a 2-year period.
Texas Tower 4 suffered severe structural damage during Hurricane Donna
Hurricane Donna
Hurricane Donna in the 1960 Atlantic hurricane season was a Cape Verde-type hurricane which moved across the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispanola, Cuba, The Bahamas, and every state on the East Coast of the United States...
in September 1960 and, before repairs could be completed, was destroyed by a winter storm
Winter storm
A winter storm is an event in which the dominant varieties of precipitation are formed that only occur at low temperatures, such as snow or sleet, or a rainstorm where ground temperatures are low enough to allow ice to form...
on January 15, 1961. None of the twenty-eight airmen and civilian contractors who were manning the station survived. Only two bodies were recovered.
A Congressional Board of Inquiry was convened on Otis AFB to investigate the collapse of Texas Tower 4. The finding that this Tower was constructed with the same specifications as the prior Towers was the prime reason for causing the shaking of the Tower, and its collapse. The prior Towers had much shorter "legs," were built in much shallower water, and were built on a rock base, whereas Texas Tower 4 was built on a sand base.
Today the wreckage of TT-4 remains at the bottom of the ocean, and has become a site for scuba diving. Its depth, however, limits access to the wreckage to advanced divers.
Units and assignments
Units:- 646th Radar Squadron (Flight), (Operations unit based at Highlands AFS, NJ), 1 April 1959-15 January 1961
- 4604th Support Squadron4604th Support SquadronThe 4604th Support Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 26th Air Division, Aerospace Defense Command, stationed at Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts...
(Texas Towers) (Logistics support unit based at Otis AFB, MA), 1 April 1959-15 January 1961
Assignments:
- New York Air Defense Sector, 1 April 1959-15 January 1961