Don's Reminiscences

He emailed me in response to my Website. I really enjoyed these glimpses into Churchill's past. It became clear, however, that Don wasn't too thrilled with where he was stationed.

The mission, More on Missle Launchers, leaves, facilities revisited, Life in Churchill at the time, The Aurora Borealis and sleeping in igloos, Churchill fish

Photos: Rocket Launch/ Don Fishing in the Churchill River

Reminiscence #1 The Mission

 

 Alice, 

As an American GI that spent over a year stationed at Churchill, I would like to offer a few comments. The missile launching and radar sites were not part of the DEW line, and had nothing to do with the cold war. The DEW line was considerably north of Churchill. The mid-Canada warning line was south. The site at Churchill was used only to launch and track unclassified research missiles, primarily one called the Aerobee. It was all part of a world wide research effort called the International Geophysical Year,
spanning parts of 1957 and 1958. There were several reasons for locating the site in Churchill, the main one being its location under the Aurora Borealis belt. At the time, the cause of the northern lights was a complete mystery. The Van Allen radiation belts were yet to be discovered. The fact that the First Arctic Test Center could provide support was another factor.

 

Click on photo to enlarge

 My duty station was at the radar site. We tracked the missiles, to assist in nose cone recovery, but also to prevent missiles from landing in Churchill. We never had to abort a mission or blow up a missile, but there were some anxious moments. One missile accidentally blew up in the launch tower. By the way, the Churchill launch tower was the only covered launch tower in the world.

We would get to our duty stations the day of a night time scheduled launch and prepare for the event. The count down would continue until launch minus two minutes, then go on indefinite hold. We could never be more than one
minute from our duty stations. Scientists would use light meters to measure the intensity of the lights over the launch tower. If a particular band got bright enough, we would launch, aimed at the lights. The Aerobee would go up about 125 miles, and fall back to earth, not far from the launch location. A helicopter would retrieve the nose cone, so the scientists could analyze the data.

In the fall of 1957, the first Soviet Union satellite, Sputnik 1 was placed in orbit. Shortly after, other satellites followed, revealing the Van Allen Radiation belts as the source of the aurora. I don't think all our launches and recoveries ever revealed anything.

I have a collection of 8"x10" black and white photos of missile launches and other Churchill scenes that I would contribute, if you thought them to be of interest.

Regards,

Don K_____, USA

 

Alice, 

As an American GI that spent over a year stationed at Churchill, I would
like to offer a few comments. The missile launching and radar sites were
not part of the DEW line, and had nothing to do with the cold war. The DEW
line was considerably north of Churchill. The mid-Canada warning line was
south. The site at Churchill was used only to launch and track unclassified
research missiles, primarily one called the Aerobee. It was all part of a
world wide research effort called the International Geophysical Year,
spanning parts of 1957 and 1958. There were several reasons for locating
the site in Churchill, the main one being its location under the Aurora
Borealis belt. At the time, the cause of the northern lights was a complete
mystery. The Van Allen radiation belts were yet to be discovered. The fact
that the First Arctic Test Center could provide support was another factor.

My duty station was at the radar site. We tracked the missiles, to assist
in nose cone recovery, but also to prevent missiles from landing in
Churchill. We never had to abort a mission or blow up a missile, but there
were some anxious moments. One missile accidentally blew up in the launch
tower. By the way, the Churchill launch tower was the only covered launch
tower in the world.

We would get to our duty stations the day of a night time scheduled launch
and prepare for the event. The count down would continue until launch minus
two minutes, then go on indefinite hold. We could never be more than one
minute from our duty stations. Scientists would use light meters to measure
the intensity of the lights over the launch tower. If a particular band got
bright enough, we would launch, aimed at the lights. The Aerobee would go
up about 125 miles, and fall back to earth, not far from the launch
location. A helicopter would retrieve the nose cone, so the scientists
could analyze the data.

In the fall of 1957, the first Soviet Union satellite, Sputnik 1 was placed
in orbit. Shortly after, other satellites followed, revealing the Van Allen
Radiation belts as the source of the aurora. I don't think all our launches
and recoveries ever revealed anything.

I have a collection of 8"x10" black and white photos of missile launches and
other Churchill scenes that I would contribute, if you thought them to be of
interest.

Regards,

Don K_____, USA

#2 More on Missle Launchers

 Subject: Churchill missile launch
Date: Tue, 1 Oct 2002 20:08:58 -0400
X-Priority: 3

Alice,

Now I am embarrassed! After searching high and low, I found an envelope
marked "Churchill Photos". Much to my chagrin, they were just photos of me
and some other GIs. I now vaguely remember wondering why I kept the old
missile photos, many years ago. I must have thrown them out. I did find
one photo, which I scanned as an attachment. I hope it comes through ok.

In explanation, there were actually two missile launchers. The Aerobee
launcher was a large pyramid shaped building with a square tower sticking up
from the apex of the pyramid. This tower could be tipped about ten degrees
in any direction. Aerobees were fairly large, and were spectacular to watch
at night. Next to the Aerobee launcher, was a smaller building that looked
like a large garage. When this launcher was used, the roof would swing open
about ten minutes before launch, and whoosh, away would go the missile. The
photo attached (I hope) is taken from the top of the Aerobee launcher,
looking down on the small launcher. The missile in flight was called a
Nike-Loki, because it was a hybrid - a Nike booster and a Loki research
rocket. I hope the photo gets through ok.

I saw a web site last year that said the military base and rocket facility
had been bulldozed and no longer exist. The military base was adjacent to
the airport, with a large hospital attached. During WWII, the military
built the airport at a staging spot for getting planes and supplies to
Europe. The hospital was designed as a stopover for returning wounded,
during the darkest days of the war.

After WWII, the military determined our equipment only functioned properly
in temperate climates where they had been designed. They formed a test
detachment, that spent their winters in Churchill and their summers in Fort
Huachuca, AZ. We were not part of that operation, but were issued all the
latest cold weather gear, during the long, dark, cold winter. The US base
was known as the First Arctic Test Center. The building I see in photos, I
believe housed the Canadian Naval Research Laboratory.

Our radar station was right on the coast, on the only road that went that
way from the base. The launch site was another six miles further away from
the base, but inland. During the 1957 bear migration, a helicopter pilot
counted over 100 bears within a mile of the radar station. That was in a
semicircle, because we were on the coast.

Sorry to disappoint you about the photos.

#3Leaves

Alice,  

One last message. I found a site showing an Aerobee being launched at
Churchill. It also shows a nose cone in the desert at White Sands Missile
Range in New Mexico.

http://www.nas.edu/history/igy/rocketry.html

We actually all were permanently stationed at White Sands, on temporary duty
to Churchill. I either came home to Massachusetts or returned to White
Sands for a short time in some part of every month I was stationed in
Churchill. That made the winter more bearable
.

#4Facilities Revisited

Alice, 

Surprise, surprise! Go here to learn more about the Churchill Rocket Range.
The story about the razing of the military base must be true, but the rocket
launch facility still exists. It apparently is not in use, but people are
trying to find a way to get it going again. Try this web site:

http://www.churchill-launch.com/

If you click on facilities you will see Pad 3, the Aerobee launch tower.
The storage building is the old Nike launcher, of which you have an action
photo. Pad 1, Pad 7, and the blockhouse are new since I was there.

#5 Life in Churchill at the time 

 Subject: Churchill
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 2002 17:07:48 -0400
X-Priority: 3

Hi Alice,

Please keep in mind that I have not been in Churchill since the spring of
1958. At age 69, memories from 44 years ago may be faulty. However, I am
sure of one thing. The tower you show, and that is listed as Pad 3 is the
Aerobee tower built for and used in the IGY. When first built, the tower
portion that sticks up above the main building was also enclosed. When the
aerobee blew up in the tower, it blew off most of the panels on the
enclosure, so the rest were removed. I am also quite sure the building next
to it is the other launch building, used for Nike-Cajun rockets. (I
incorrectly called them Nike-Loki before. We fired those at White Sands.)

What you call the main road actually was not there pre-IGY. It was built to
give access to the launch site. Our old radar site was on the way between
the military post and the launch site. The radome you show is post-IGY.
Our radar site was a rectangular building with three WWII radar dishes
mounted on the roof. They were exposed to the elements. When work on one
of the dishes was needed in the winter, a plywood shelter was assembled
around it.

I am quite sure that the CNSC residence building was not there during IGY.
Everyone lived at the military base and traveled back and forth daily in
buses, jeeps, trucks, and in experimental tracked vehicles in really bad
weather.

After the launch site was built, Churchill residents had a regular parade
back and forth on Sundays. It was the only place to drive their cars,
outside town.

In 1957, snowmobiles were a novelty; only the best trappers had them. Most
white and native trappers used dog teams. As you may know, when the
temperature is -40 degrees, snow is just like sand. It is not slippery at
all. The dogs really had hard work when it was really cold.

Is the native Canadian reservation still across the railroad tracks? White
men (GIs or civilian) were guilty, if found across the tracks. The Mounties
were police, judge, and jury, with the only appeal in Winnipeg. at your own
expense to get there.

The aurora peaks spring and fall, when the axis of the earth is
perpendicular to the sun, The rays from the sun hit the earth's magnetic
field, and follow the field north and south, interacting with the Van Allen
radiation belt and causing the glow. Winter and summer most of the rays
either come straight in to earth or are deflected into space.

The First Arctic Test Center GIs were permanently stationed in Churchill.
Annually, they had a three day mid-winter field trip. The first day they
traveled out and set up squad tents. They slept in the tents the first
night. The second day they built igloos. They slept in the igloos that
night. The third day they took down their tents and returned to base. They
thoroughly hated it and resented the fact we were exempt from that fun.

Enough rambling.

Regards,
Don

#6 Churchill Fishing

 

 

 Subject: Re: Churchill fish
Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2002 12:30:18 -0400
X-Priority: 3

Alice,

The fish are all northern pike. I attached another photo of me fishing in July. It was so cold I had my field jacket on and the hood up.

I wondered about the bugs myself. I distinctly recall wearing gloves to protect our hands. We tucked our pants into our boots, and had hats with netting that tied around our necks. At times, we had to fan our hands in front of our faces to see through the cloud of mosquitoes. The caribou flies were as big as the end joint of our thumbs. I think there must have been a season when that wasn't necessary. DDT was at its most popular, and we used cases of cans of spray indoors. It's a wonder we are still alive.

Don

 

 

Click on photo to enlarge

 

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