Historic California Posts, Camps, Stations and Airfields

Lockwood Gap Filler Annex Z-2A

 

Typical AN/FPS-14 Gap Filler Radar

 

"During the late 1950s another area of progress was the development and deployment of AN/FPS-14 and AN/FPS-18 gap-filler radars. Having a range of around sixty-five miles, these radars were placed in areas where it was thought enemy aircraft could fly low to avoid detection by the longer-range radars of the permanent and mobile radar networks. Gap-filler radar deployment peaked in December 1960 at 131 sites throughout the continental United States. Because the introduction of gap-filler radars alleviated the need for civilians to scan the skies for enemy bombers, the ADC disestablished the Ground Observer Corps on January 31, 1959."

 

Searching The Skies
USAF Air Combat Command
June, 1997

 

Typical floorplan of a Gap Filler Annex

 

 

Location: Approximately five miles east of Lockwood in Monterey County.

Site History: Air Force use began in 1957 with the acquisition of 2.06 public domain acres from the Department of the Interior (DOI), and 5.62 easement acres. An unmanned radar gap filler station to supplement the radar at Cambria Air Force Station was established on part of the 2.06 public domain acres, and the 5.62 easement acres were used as an access road. On 30 April 1968, the 5.62 easement acres were conveyed to Floyd L. Patterson, Jr. et ux. On 17 August 1966 the 2.06 public domain acres were retransferred to DOI, with the exception of 0.27 acre retained by DoD under open license. The radar gap filler station is located on this site and is still in use by the Army (Fort Hunter Liggitt). Adjacent to the Army communications station, on the remainder of the 2.06 DOI acres, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) currently operates a fire observation station and communications site. A new road is used to access the communications sites from the west.

 

Corps of Engineers Real Estate Map

 

 

 

 

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Updated 8 February 2016