Historic California Posts, Camps,Station and Airfields

Whitmore Gap Filler Annex SM-157B

 

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

 

 

History (2005) by Dan Sebby, Military Historian, California Department

 

The Site was acquired by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for the U.S. Air Force on 2 November 1956 by means of a special use permit issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service. The Site consisted of a radar tower, a generator and equipment building and two 15,000 USTs. The mission of the Site was to fill in the gap(s) in Red Bluff Air Force Station's radar coverage caused by geography.

At an undetermined time a major storm destroyed the radar tower that was not rebuilt. (www.radomes.org) The tower or its remains were not indicated on the Standard Form 118, Report of Excess Real Property, dated 10 February 1961. On 10 February 1961, the USACE, acting for the U.S. Air Force reported the site as excess to the needs of the DoD to the Public Buildings Service of the General Services Administration.

On 15 September 1961 the special use permit between the USDA, Forest Service and the U.S. Air Force was terminated and the Site was returned to the Forest Service.

 

 

US Army Corps of Engineers Real Estate Map

 

Click above for a larger image

 

 

 

Search our Site!

Search the Web Search California Military History Online

 

Questions and comments concerning this site should be directed to the Webmaster

 

Updated 8 February 2016