Caribou Air Force Station
Although some sources cite Site E (Easy) as Loring Air Force Base2.1, Site E refers to the nuclear weapons storage site, Caribou Air Force Station near Limestone, Maine.1.1 In 1951, the Department of Defense (DOD), through the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project, allocated funds for an ordnance storage site in the vicinity of Loring Air Force Base. This was the first of four operational storage site (OSSs) to be constructed in association with nuclear weapons.6.1 In service from 1952 to 19884.1 Caribou Air Force Station was one of the first five Operational Storage Sites (OSSs) established by Sandia. These sites would be constructed neighboring selected Strategic Air Command (SAC) bases.5.1
The facility was to be designed as a forward distribution point for atomic weapons. The planning and construction of the facility would be undertaken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The architect-engineer for the project was the Black and Veatch firm of Kansas City, Missouri. Following completion of construction, the facility would fall under the jurisdiction of the Air Materiel Command. The facility would be charged with the mission of protecting and maintaining the weapons used by SAC. Construction began on 4 August, 1951. The facility was originally composed of two Ordnance Storage Areas (Q-Area), an Assembly Area, and a Base Spares Area, all of which were surrounded by two layers of security fencing. An Administration Area and a Service Area were also included and were placed just outside the maximum-security storage area to the southwest, surrounded by an independent security fence.6.1
The Weapons Storage Area Complex at Loring AFB, previously known as the Caribou AFS and later as East Loring, occupies an irregularly shaped site in the northeastern corner of the base. The area contains facilities designed for the handling, maintaining, processing, testing, and storage of weapons, ammunition, and related items. The maximum-security area is surrounded by parallel belts of chain-link security fencing. Patrol roads encircle this area. Areas immediately southeast and southwest were originally developed as administrative and service areas for Caribou AFS, and as a separate ordnance storage area for the main base. The Loring Ordnance Storage Area (9000-series buildings) is southeast of Caribou AFS, and was completed in late 1954 as a project separate from that of the main Weapons Storage Area. It is a much smaller complex and was designed for the storage of ordnance under the jurisdiction of the main base. The area is surrounded by a security fence that is separate from that of the main Weapons Storage Area. The Loring Ordnance Storage Area was not active after 1964. Due to a need for clear safety zones around the Weapons Storage Area, the immediate surrounding land has not been developed.6.3
The Ordnance Storage Areas were dedicated to storage. They are primarily composed of vaulted concrete storage structures called igloos.6.1
The Assembly Area included structures dedicated to the assembly of weapons in preparation for loading on bombers, or the disassembly of the weapons upon return. The structures in the area were a Storage Building (Building 272), a Paint Shop (Building 269), three assembly buildings (Buildings 216, 232, & 233), an entry control point (Building 220), a Fire Station (Building 227), and a Power Station (Building 229).6.1, 6.3
The Base Spares Area was constructed between 1952 and 1956, and included structures necessary for the storage of components and spare parts needed to modify, maintain, and or repair the weapons on site.6.1 Located at the westernmost point of the Weapons Storage Area and contains seven buildings (Buildings 361, 365, 367, 368, 370, 372 & 374).6.4
The Administration Area was the headquarters of the 3080th Aviation Depot Group. The Administration Area, established south of East Loring Lake outside of the Weapons Storage Area Complex. It included a headquarters office building (Building 1), a Dining Hall (Building 8), a Gym and Library (Building 7), Barracks (Buildings 2, 4, 5, 11, 12, & 13), and a first station (Building 24). The Barracks and Dining Hall were grouped around a quadrangle and were connected underground, a distinct advantage in the event of nuclear fallout.6.2
The Service Area, situated southeast of the Administrative Area, was the center of station maintenance, repair, and service. The Service Area originally included six structures, the main building (Building 106), which accommodated the civil engineering department, A Storage Building (Building 102), two warm Storage Sheds for Materials Handling Equipment and Motorized Road Equipment (Buildings 109 & 110), a Supply Warehouse and Administrative Office (Building 101), and a Motor Pool and Supply Building (Building 107).6.2
Though not complete, the weapons storage facility was partially occupied and activated on 1 November 1951. This early activation was probably the result of the increased conflict in Korea. On 15 December 1951, the 3080th Aviation Depot Group was activated as a unit of the Air Materiel Command, and assumed control of the maximum storage area. Its personnel occupied the barracks, offices, and work stations, and the area became temporarily known as the 3080th Area. Construction of the weapons storage facility was completed on 10 April 1952. By the end of summer 1952, the 3080th was ready for full operations. On 16 September 1953, the Weapons Storage Area was renamed Caribou Air Force Station. By 1956, 13 other OSSs were in use in the United States. In all, Loring AFB’s total weapon storage capacity was 10,247,882 Net Explosive Weight (NEW), qualifying it as the highest in SAC, and one of only two fully capable conventional weapon storage facilities in the continental United States (CONUS) maintained by SAC.6.2
Training was crucial to the proper use of the atomic weapons, and crews were trained and tested on a regular basis. Unannounced alerts tested crews under simulated war-time conditions. Crew members would be called upon, sometimes in the middle of the night, to perform practice drills. The crew was given a specific practice mission for each drill. Team members assembled and tested the training weapon, transported the weapon to and loaded the weapon on the aircraft, and prepared for aircraft takeoff. When the aircraft returned to the base, the training weapon was disassembled and replaced in stockpile.6.2
In April 1959, personnel of the Caribou AFS included 38 officers, 401 airmen, and 79 civilians. In that year, the weapons storage and maintenance program at Loring AFB was reviewed. Subsequently, the numbers of personnel and facilities required to accomplish the mission of the 3080th were reduced. The 3080th was notified in January 1962 that it would be disestablished on 1 July 1962. The transition would be a shift from the 3080th’s command of a depot maintenance facility to SAC and the 42nd Bombardment Wings (BWs) command of an operational weapons storage area. By late June 1962, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) had transferred ownership and control of the weapons to SAC, giving the 42nd BW complete responsibility for its own combat capability. The area was renamed East Loring at this time.6.2
With the institution of Project ICE (Increased Combat Efficiency) in 1964, officials attempted to reduce the amount of space required by all functions on base. At East Loring, the munitions storage areas were consolidated by closing the Loring Ordnance Storage Area. Functions in the main area were also consolidated by closing a total of 36 structures. The barracks building in the Administration Area was vacated in early 1966, and between 1972 and 1973, the barracks, headquarters building, and gym were sold to a Canadian contractor.6.3
Despite the closing of these structures, the Storage and Service areas remained quite active through the 1960s and 1970s. On 23 November 1963, SAC requested a short-range air-to-surface attack missile for its G and H model B-52s. With a solid propellant rocket motor, a nuclear warhead, and an ability to be launched from a bomber prior to reaching its target, the SRAM (AGM-69) revolutionized the B-52. The first operational SRAM (AGM-69) was delivered to Loring AFB by the Boeing Company on 1 March 1972. Loring AFB’s 42nd BW became the first SRAM (AGM-69) operational unit on 15 September 1972. The strategic location of the base made it the primary choice for SRAM (AGM-69) operations.6.3
At the end of the 1980s, Loring AFB’s nuclear mission was withdrawn and its bombers were equipped to carry conventional bombs. As a result, conventional weapons were stored in the Weapons Storage Area from that time on. With the 1991 SAC stand down, the Cold War function of the Weapons Storage Area ended and crews began transferring the weapons to other locations. In early 1994 only Building 233 and one storage igloo were occupied.6.3
Access to the Weapons Storage Area is through Loring AFB. The area is situated at the northern end of Maine Road and access is gained from this road through two gates in the southern part of the area. The eastern half of the Weapons Storage Area is occupied by the Storage Area, which is composed of two sections of storage igloos. The northeastern section of igloos also contains a control tower, a storage building (Building 260), and two sentry posts (Buildings 259 & 262). The northwestern storage section also contains an entry control building (Building 345) and two small ammunition storage structures (Buildings 342 & 343).6.4
References
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- Me, H. (n.d.). Loring Air Force Base Weapons Storage Area; Written Historical and Descriptive Data (HAER No. ME-64-D; p. 45). National Park Service. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/master/pnp/habshaer/me/me0300/me0311/data/me0311data.pdf
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