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70-588: Project Mastiff, to create a missile for delivery for an atom bomb began immediately after the existence of the atomic bomb was revealed. Due to protracted security concerns of the Manhattan Project the Army Air Force’s new Project Mastiff was a years long “Fiasco” Despite the failure of Project Mastiff the Army Air Force started a group of programs intended to create atomic bomb carrying missiles. During

140-467: A Convair B-36 heavy bomber was an alternative that was studied. The missile would climb at subsonic speed to its operating altitude, then conduct a supersonic dash to the target area, guided by a celestial navigation system. A "slipper" type drop tank would be jettisoned halfway through the flight. The Boojum was intended carry a warhead weighing up to 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) over a range between 1,500 to 5,000 miles (2,400 to 8,000 km). At

210-420: A ballistic trajectory towards its target. Due to the sudden shift in its center of gravity caused by separation, the fuselage would have performed an abrupt pitch-up maneuver in order to avoid a collision with the warhead. The resulting break-up of the missiles structure added clutter which confused enemy radar. In May 1957, a Detachment of Air Force instructors was formed at Amarillo Air Force Base , Texas as

280-419: A blimp squadron detachment, an Aviation Navigation Training School, and an experimental training unit termed Project Baker, a confidential program that developed and tested instrument landing equipment. NAS Banana River hosted a significant aircraft repair and maintenance facility. Later in the war, a small detachment of German POWs from Camp Blanding worked at NAS Banana River on cleanup details. At its peak,

350-568: A downturn in fortunes, and on 1 February 1977, the "Air Force Eastern Test Range" organization was inactivated and its functions transferred to Detachment 1 of the Space and Missile Test Center (SAMTEC) until the activation of the Eastern Space and Missile Center in 1979 on 1 October 1979. In 1990, ESMC was transferred from the inactivating Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) to the newly established Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). On 12 November 1991, ESMC

420-443: A federal government funding cleanup. Discarded material probably included munitions and practice bombs. Contractors bought the land, naming it " South Patrick Shores ". They constructed housing on it from 1956 to 1961. Homeowners had no mandatory solid waste removal until 1982. Residents reported health complaints starting in the 1990s and again in 2018. Responding to these complaints, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers investigated

490-407: A maximum range of about 5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km). Its complicated celestial navigation system gave it a claimed CEP of about 8,000 feet (2,400 m). The Snark was an air-breathing missile, intended to be launched from a truck-mounted platform by two solid-fueled rocket booster engines. The Snark was propelled by an internal turbojet engine for the rest of its flight. The engine

560-492: A new Lockheed U-2 aircraft operating location at Patrick AFB, Florida, on 29 January 1982. OL-OF was subsequently redesignated as 9 SRW, Detachment 5 on 1 January 1983 and concentrated on reconnaissance operations (to include MIDAS and HICAT) over Central America and the Caribbean basin, replacing an operational capability that had previously been resident at nearby McCoy AFB until that installation's closure in 1975. Detachment 5

630-479: A new, larger missile. The resulting Northrop N-69 was originally powered by a J71 engine and in later variants a J57. While 10 of 25 N-25 missiles were recovered, only 11 of 39 N-69s were recovered. As the available space for tests of an intercontinental ranged missile did not exist at Holloman, testing was moved to the Atlantic Missile Test Range at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Test Snarks were recovered to

700-546: A runway at the Joint Long Range Proving Ground which is still known as the "Skid Strip". Unfortunately facilities at Cape Canaveral were still being constructed at the same time aerodynamic problems with the intended dive by the Snark on the target persisted. The Snark, which was originally projected to become operational in 1953, suffered a protracted test program which involved significant redesigns. Development of

770-423: A search and rescue operation. After sunset on 5 December, two PBM Mariner seaplanes from NAS Banana River, originally scheduled for their own training flights, were diverted to perform square pattern searches in the area west of 29°N 79°W/29, -79. One of these aircraft, a PBM-5, Bureau Number (BuNo) 59225, took off at 19:27 Eastern Time from NAS Banana River, called in a routine radio message at 19:30 Eastern Time, and

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840-590: Is a United States Space Force installation located between Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach , in Brevard County, Florida , United States. It is named in honor of Major General Mason Patrick , USAAC . It is home to Space Launch Delta 45 (SLD 45), known as the 45th Space Wing (45 SW) when it was part of the Air Force. In addition to its "host wing" responsibilities at Patrick SFB, the 45 SW controls and operates Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) and

910-641: Is the only rescue wing in the Air Force Reserve , operating the HC-130P/N "King" variant of the C-130 Hercules and HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter, ready for worldwide deployment. In addition to its CSAR mission, the wing also participates in civilian rescue operations, ranging from rescue support for NASA crewed spaceflight operations, to augmentative support to U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue (SAR) operations, to Defense Support to Civil Authorities (DSCA) in

980-406: Is the sole Department of Defense agency operating and maintaining a global network of nuclear event detection sensors. The 920th Rescue Wing (920 RQW), part of Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), is another tenant command headquartered at Patrick SFB and is the installation's only military flying unit. An Air Combat Command (ACC)-gained combat search and rescue (CSAR) organization, the 920 RQW

1050-505: The 702d Strategic Missile Wing was formed. Snark launches for developmental purposes continued through 1958 but the training activities of the 556th were reduced. Training of Snark missile men at the Cape continued until December 1959. From December 1950 until December 1960 118 N-25, N-69 and SM-62 test flights were made. The jet propelled , 67-foot (20.5 m) long Snark missile had a top speed of about 650 miles per hour (1,050 km/h) and

1120-585: The Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI). Total employment is 10,400. There are 13,099 military, dependents, civilian employees, and contractors on base. The base is a census-designated place (CDP) and had a resident population of 1,642 as of the 2020 census , up from 1,222 at the 2010 census . It is part of the Palm Bay — Melbourne — Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The base also administers

1190-544: The Eastern Range . It was originally opened and operated from 1940 to 1947 as Naval Air Station Banana River , a U.S. Navy airfield. It was then deactivated as a naval installation in 1947 and placed in caretaker status until it was transferred to the Air Force in late 1948. Additional tenant activities at Patrick SFB include the 920th Rescue Wing , the Air Force Technical Applications Center , and

1260-677: The Malabar Annex in Palm Bay. The facility was due to be renamed Patrick Space Force Base in February or March 2020, but this was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The facility was finally renamed by Vice President Mike Pence on 9 December 2020. Authorized by the Naval Expansion Act of 1938, Naval Air Station Banana River was commissioned on 1 October 1940 as a subordinate base of

1330-589: The National Security Agency (NSA), as well as scientific payload launches in support of NASA , weather satellite launches in support of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , payloads in support of international customers such as the European Space Agency , and commercial payloads for various corporate communications entities. Units and individuals from the 45th Space Wing-now-SLD 45 have deployed abroad during wartime, most notably during

1400-629: The United States Air Force (which the USAAF had become in 1948) determined that the project was technologically unfeasible, given continuing development difficulties and technical problems encountered during the Snark's development. Accordingly, in 1951, the Boojum project was canceled, before any prototypes of the missile had been constructed. Patrick Air Force Base Patrick Space Force Base ( IATA : COF , ICAO : KCOF , FAA LID : COF )

1470-669: The War in Afghanistan (2001-2021) and the 2003 invasion of Iraq . The Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC) is a tenant command headquartered at Patrick SFB. Previously an activity of the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency (AFISRA), AFTAC became a subordinate unit of Twenty-Fifth Air Force (25 AF) and now the Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber), both of Air Combat Command (ACC). AFTAC

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1540-521: The 1960s, making it a regular focus of media attention. In the 1960s, a test range office at Patrick AFB with a missile backdrop was used to film scenes for the TV sitcom I Dream of Jeannie , which was set in nearby Cocoa Beach (no cast was present). But by the mid-1970s, the demise of the Apollo space program and the end of land-based ballistic missile development at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station signaled

1610-479: The 2010–2011 time frame and were often mistaken by onlookers for the previously retired VC-137 Presidential aircraft (i.e. Air Force One ), which looks similar. On 17 May 1950, the base was renamed the "Long Range Proving Ground Base" but three months later was renamed "Patrick Air Force Base", in honor of Major General Mason Patrick . On 3 May 1951, the Long Range Proving Ground Division

1680-412: The 702nd Wing was inactivated. Many in the U.S. Military were surprised the Snark, due to its dubious guidance system, was ever operational. The most accurate of the seven full-range flights from June 1958 and May 1959 had fallen 4.2 nautical miles (7,800 m) left of and 0.3 nautical miles (560 m) short the target. In flight tests many were lost. A missile launched from Cape Canaveral in 1956 that

1750-469: The Air Force to close the heavily used four-lane State Road A1A , which ran immediately in front of the AFTAC Headquarters building. A1A was later reopened to two-lane traffic with car inspections, followed by two-lane traffic without inspections until a barrier was constructed in front of the building, and the building was reinforced with steel and concrete with the windows sealed. In February 2005,

1820-561: The Atlantic, often at night and/or in bad weather. Because the USAF HH-60 can refuel in flight from the USAF HC-130 , MC-130 , or USMC KC-130 , it possesses a much greater range and mission radius versus similar military helicopters lacking such capability. The 920 RQW is a full participant in the Air Force's Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force (AEF) operating concept. Under this concept,

1890-564: The Banana River remain part of modern-day Patrick Space Force Base. NAS Banana River was transferred to the United States Air Force on 1 September 1948 and renamed the Joint Long Range Proving Ground on 10 June 1949. The installation was renamed Patrick Air Force Base in August 1950. From 1966 to 1975, the Space Coast was the second most visited spot by VIPs , after Washington, DC, due to

1960-480: The Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. The ICBM was capable of delivering the same thermonuclear weapon over the same distance much faster and without possibility of interception. Five Snark missiles survive in museum collections. They are located as follows: Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists SSM-A-5 Boojum The XSSM-A-5 Boojum , also known by

2030-528: The N-69 dragged on with many failures which caused wags to jest of the “Snark Infested Waters” off Cape Canaveral. As the prospective operational date of the Snark slipped continuously into the future, Strategic Air Command (SAC) grew more skeptical of the missile. Criticism of the Snark grew from doubts by SAC in 1951 to serious objections in 1954. A high-level study by the Teapot Committee in early 1954 described

2100-1264: The Naval Air Operational Training Command at Naval Air Station Jacksonville , Florida. The Navy bought 1,900 acres (770 ha) of scrub land south of Cocoa Beach. With the advent of war with Japan and Germany in December 1941, the Navy began anti-submarine patrols along the Florida coast using PBY Catalina and PBM Mariner seaplanes based at this facility. PBMs returned to training duty in March 1942 when replaced on patrol by OS2U Kingfisher seaplanes. Landing strips were constructed in 1943, allowing shore-based aircraft to operate concurrently. The Free French Naval Air Service officers also trained in PBMs at NAS Banana River. Various military-related activities took place at NAS Banana River, including maritime patrol aviation operations against German U-boats, air search and rescue operations, patrol bomber bombardier training, seaplane pilot training, and communications research. Other activities included

2170-529: The Patrick AFB Officers Club was destroyed by an accidental fire. In 2010, the Air Force announced its intention to replace the existing AFTAC building in front of State Road A1A with a new facility costing $ 100 to $ 200 million. At the time of this announcement, this constituted the largest single military construction (MILCON) project in the United States for the Air Force. Completed in 2014,

SM-62 Snark - Misplaced Pages Continue

2240-413: The Snark allowed its most accurate test, which appeared to fall 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) wide of the target. However, even with the decreased CEP, the design was notoriously unreliable, with the majority of tests suffering mechanical failure thousands of miles before reaching the target. Other factors, such as the reduction in operating altitude from 150,000 to 55,000 feet (46,000 to 17,000 m), and

2310-421: The Snark to achieve the necessary accuracy for the original W-8 nuclear weapon (striking within 1,500 feet (460 m) of target) was offset somewhat by the change to the much more powerful W-39-Y1 Mod 1 thermonuclear bomb (striking within 8,000 feet (2,400 m) of target). Extensive flight testing, weight reduction efforts, an improved 24 hour stellar navigation system, and the addition of pylon fuel tanks below

2380-800: The South Housing area, and Seaside Chapel (Building 440). A "45th Space Wing Chapel" travels with the Wing when it is deployed. The Catholic Group is called "St. George Parish" and meets in Chapel One or Two. While the buildings are owned by the Space Force, the Catholic Parish is under the spiritual direction of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA . In 2009, base housing

2450-681: The Space Coast Inn for visiting personnel, dormitories for permanent party single enlisted personnel, quarters for families in three separate housing areas, recreational housing on the beach, beach access, combined officers and enlisted clubs, Commissary , a large AAFES base exchange (BX), library and numerous Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) facilities. Facilities are used by 4,000 military men and women, 11,500 civilian workers, contractors, and dependents, 43,000 military retirees, and 82,000 members of retirees' families. There are several chapels, including Chapel One, Chapel Two, South Chapel at

2520-588: The Space Program. A protocol officer was assigned to Patrick to coordinate these visits, about three weekly, consisting of 10 to 150 people. In 1971, the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI) was established at Patrick AFB. Five of the victims of the Khobar Towers bombing in 1996 were home stationed at Patrick AFB as part of the 71st Rescue Squadron (71 RQS). The 71 RQS relocated to Moody AFB , Georgia, in 1997. The 9/11 attacks prompted

2590-479: The base complement included 278 aircraft, 587 civilian employees, and over 2800 officers and enlisted personnel. Three months after the end of World War II, on 5 December 1945, NAS Banana River had an ancillary role in the search for Flight 19 , five TBM Avenger torpedo bombers that had departed Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale , Florida on a routine over-water training mission. When the flight failed to return to home station, multiple air and naval units undertook

2660-494: The base design and requirements of the missile. In late 1957 SAC’s 556 Strategic Missile Squadron launched its first N-69E to begin the Snark Employment and Suitability Test program. In December 1957 the 556th Strategic Missile Squadron was activated and began training to launch operational SM-62 Snark Missiles. In January 1958, SAC began accepting delivery of Snark missiles at Patrick Air Force Base for training, and in 1959,

2730-500: The bilges of PBM series aircraft and associated no-smoking regulations, which were reportedly well-posted and rigidly enforced aboard all PBMs. Although the board's report is not a verbatim record and no accusations were made, there seems to be enough inference present to cause one to suspect that the board was aware of the PBM's nickname as "the flying gas tank." As such, it is possible that the PBM-5

2800-531: The bulk of the wing deployed to Iraq in 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . Subsequent AEF deployments have included Djibouti and Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . The U.S. State Department 's Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Air Wing helps foreign countries combat drugs and narcotics criminals. The Bureau operates a fleet of aircraft, primarily former USAF and USMC OV-10 and former USAF C-27 aircraft at Patrick SFB to help detect and interdict

2870-475: The delivery of nuclear weapons, the Northrop Corporation was awarded a development contract in March 1946 for the design of two long-range cruise missiles designated MX-775. The contract called for a subsonic missile MX-775A, later designated SSM-A-3 Snark , and a more advanced supersonic missile MX-775B, which in 1947 was given the name SSM-A-5 Boojum. Northrop named the missiles after characters from

SM-62 Snark - Misplaced Pages Continue

2940-596: The drug trade in Bolivia , Colombia , Peru and Afghanistan. Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which, although based at Patrick, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location. See Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for units of the 45th Space Wing permanently based there. Space Operations Command (SpOC) Air Combat Command (ACC) Air National Guard (ANG) Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs The base has

3010-403: The end of 1946, the contracts that had been awarded to Northrop were revised; the Snark was canceled, while the Boojum was to be fully developed as an operational system. Northrop lobbied for the reinstatement of the Snark, however; this was successful in getting the program reauthorized during 1947, with the Boojum being deferred to a follow-on project. Despite the design having been finalized,

3080-763: The end of that year. Pan American operated under contract to the Air Force for the next 34 years (until early October 1988). In 1988, the old range contract was divided into the Range Technical Services (RTS) and the Launch Base Services (LBS) contracts. The RTS contract was awarded to Computer Sciences Raytheon (CSR) in June 1988, and the LBS contract was awarded to Pan American World Services (later known as Johnson Controls ) in August 1988. The Eastern Range supported various missile, crewed, and uncrewed space programs in

3150-586: The first cadre of Air Force personnel supporting an Intercontinental missile system. None of the detachment members had any previous training or experience in missile maintenance. They were trained at the Northrop factory in California and then returned to Amarillo to establish the training school for the Snark maintenance personnel. On January 1, 1959 the 702nd Strategic Missile Wing was activated at Presque Isle, Maine. On 27 May 1959, Presque Isle Air Force Base , Maine,

3220-589: The guidance subsystem and creation of a guidance test vehicle. The guidance test missile was the Northrop N-25. Development of the heavy stellar navigation system intended for the N-25 Snark was very difficult and required many hundreds of hours of flight aboard aircraft. Twenty-one flights of the N-25 occurred at Holloman AFB, New Mexico between April 1951 and March 1952. A new requirement for intercontinental range required

3290-407: The inability of the Snark to detect countermeasures and perform evasive maneuvers also made it a questionable strategic deterrent. A total of 97 N-25, N69 and SM-62 Snarks tests were made between December 1950 and December 1960. SAC then changed requirements to require the launch 20% of Snarks within 15 minutes of notification, 40% within 75 minutes, and all in four hours. A daunting requirement given

3360-498: The nascent Atlas ICBM project as beset by technical and administrative problems while advising that the ballistic missile offered the best means of delivering a thermonuclear weapon over intercontinental range. Also in early 1954 the Strategic Missile Evaluation Committee concluded that the Snark was an “overly complex” and would not become operational until “substantially later” than scheduled. The failure of

3430-508: The new facility is a 276,000-square-foot (25,600 m ) multistory command and control building with a 38,000-square-foot (3,500 m ) radiochemistry laboratory, 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m ) central utility plant and a 600-space 180,000-square-foot (17,000 m ) parking garage located approximately .25 miles (0.40 km) west of the original AFTAC headquarters building. US Navy Boeing E-6 Mercury aircraft, part of Operation Looking Glass , were sometimes seen at Patrick AFB during

3500-427: The only Snark missile base, received its first missile. It was ten months before the 702nd placed its first Snark on Alert on March 18, 1960. The first far superior Atlas D had already gone on Alert on October 31, 1957. Exercises in 1960 indicated that only 20% of the missiles at Presque Isle met SAC standards of effectiveness. Reliability improved over time with reliability achieving 95% in February 1961. The 702nd Wing

3570-585: The project number MX-775B , was a supersonic cruise missile developed by the Northrop Corporation for the United States Air Force in the late 1940s. Intended to deliver a nuclear warhead over intercontinental range, the project was determined to be too ambitious given technical difficulties with the SM-62 Snark which it was planned to follow, and it was canceled in 1951. As part of a United States Army Air Forces effort to develop guided missiles for

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3640-472: The same position and time. No wreckage of PBM-5 BuNo 59225 was ever found. During a board of inquiry investigation regarding the entire Flight 19 incident, attention was given to the loss of the NAS Banana River-based PBM. Several witnesses from both NAS Banana River and other PBM Mariner operating locations were questioned concerning occurrences of aviation gasoline (AvGas) fumes collecting in

3710-577: The significant first decade of American strategic missile development the Air Force’s attention was upon developing air-breathing missiles. Designations for individual programs changed over time and thus they are best known by their MX numbers. Following the end of WWII the Guided Missile Committee decided that the development of guided missiles should be shifted from the existing ad hoc programs in order to concentrate upon basic research. Northrop

3780-455: The site to determine whether a cleanup was necessary. NAS Banana River closed in September 1947 after a gradual deactivation and was placed in a caretaker status. In September 1948, the facility was transferred to the U.S. Air Force. Several of NAS Banana River's original structures, including runway segments, particular hangars, support buildings, seaplane parking areas and seaplane ramps into

3850-590: The subsonic MX-775A Snark was the only Northrop program. By March 1948 the MX-775A Snark was the preferred missile while the super-sonic MX-775B Boojum had been reduced in importance to a speculative prospect. Further intense budgetary pressure in 1949 saw the USAF surface to surface missile program reduced to two programs of which one was the MX-775A Snark. By July 1950 the Snark program was further reduced to development of

3920-437: The wake of major disasters. Most notable is the 920th's role in crewed spaceflight support to NASA , providing Eastern Range monitoring and having provided search and rescue support for Space Shuttle launches originating from Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Additional operations have included searching the Caribbean for downed aircraft, as well as retrieving critically ill sailors and passengers from ships hundreds of miles out in

3990-530: The wings to restore range capabilities eventually resulted in the N-69E Snark which became the prototype for the SM-62 Intercontinental Missile (ICM) By late 1957 N-69E Snarks had complete two flights down range to Ascension Island, showing the Snark achieved an estimated circular error probable (CEP) of 17 nautical miles (31 km; 20 mi). By 1958, the celestial navigation system used by

4060-415: The works of Lewis Carroll , with Boojum coming from the final line of The Hunting of the Snark . Designated N-25B by the company, the final design called for a long, slender missile, fitted with delta wings , and powered by a pair of General Electric turbojet engines, mounted in nacelles near the tips of the wing. The missile was intended to be launched using a rocket sled ; air-launch from

4130-418: Was a Pratt and Whitney J57 , which was the first jet engine featuring a thrust of 10,000  lbf (44,000 N) or more. Since the Snark lacked a horizontal tail surface, it used elevons as its primary flight control surfaces, and it flew with an unusual nose-high angle during level flight. During the final phase of its flight, its nuclear warhead would have separated from its fuselage and then followed

4200-553: Was assigned to the newly created Air Research and Development Command (ARDC). The following month the division was redesignated the Air Force Missile Test Center (AFMTC). Cost comparison studies in the early 1950s indicated the desirability of letting contractors operate the station. Pan American World Services signed the first range contract on 31 December 1953. The Air Force Missile Test Center began transferring property and equipment to Pan American World Services at

4270-419: Was destroyed by an explosion resulting from either (a) violation of the no-smoking regulations in the aircraft or (b) a stray electrical spark in the lower aircraft hull that may have ignited AvGas fumes in the bilges. The Navy buried its solid waste southeast of the base, on private land, from 1942 to 1947. The dump was estimated at up to 52 acres (21 ha), of which 25 acres (10 ha) may be eligible for

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4340-626: Was inactivated at Patrick AFB in 1992. Reference for history summation, major commands assigned and major units assigned The host wing for Patrick SFB is the Space Launch Delta 45 , whose personnel manage all launches of uncrewed rockets at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) 12 miles to the north. These rockets include satellites for the Department of Defense , including the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and

4410-483: Was inactivated, and the 45th Space Wing (45 SW) assumed its remaining functions. In 1961, Patrick AFB began hosting a joint Federal Aviation Administration / Air Defense Command (later Aerospace Defense Command ) joint-use radar site featuring an AN/FPS-66 general surveillance radar set for air defense of the Patrick AFB/Cape Canaveral area. Designated site "Z-211" (FAA J-05), the 645th Radar Squadron

4480-590: Was never heard from again. At 19:50 Eastern Time, the tanker SS  Gaines Mills reported seeing a mid-air explosion, then flames leaping 100 feet (30 m) high and burning on the sea for 10 minutes. The position was 28°35′N 80°15′W / 28.59, −80.25. Captain Shonna Stanley of the SS ; Gaines Mills reported searching for survivors through a pool of oil but found none. The escort carrier USS  Solomons  (CVE-67) reported losing radar contact with an aircraft at

4550-486: Was not declared to be fully operational until February 1961. A total of 30 Snarks were deployed to the USAF's first and only long-range cruise missile base. The duration of the SM-62 in active service was brief before the reality which had haunted the program since the Teapot Committee caught up with it. In March 1961, President John F. Kennedy declared the Snark to be "obsolete and of marginal military value", and on 25 June 1961,

4620-657: Was privatized and, in addition to active duty personnel and their families, also became available for lease by members of the Reserve and Guard, military retirees, Department of Defense civil service employees, and DOD contractors. In 2010–2012, the 74,000 square feet (6,900 m ) medical clinic underwent a major remodel project. It was estimated to cost $ 18.5 million. In 2020, the Satellite Pharmacy and Dental Clinic were remodeled to bring current with today's standard of care under DHA (Defense Health Administration), and

4690-399: Was reactivated on 28 June 1962 to operate the radar, feeding data to Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Data Center DC-09 at Gunter AFB , Alabama. Aerospace Defense Command (ADC) operated the radar until 25 April 1976, when it was replaced by a detachment of the 20th Air Defense Squadron (OLA-A). The USAF radar was removed around 1988. After its closure by the Air Force, the facility

4760-401: Was selected to study two concepts, the sub-sonic MX-775A Snark, and the super-sonic MX775B Boojum . The defense budget cuts of what was called the Black Christmas of 1946 drastically reduced the number of Army missile programs. Few of those programs which survived resembled the later missiles which they eventually produced. In March 1947 the MX-775B Boojum supersonic 5,000 mile range and not

4830-498: Was supposed to fly to Puerto Rico and back, flew so far off course that it was last seen on radar off the coast of Venezuela. The wreckage of the wayward Snark missile was found in northeastern Brazil in 1983. Many of those connected with the program commented in jest "that the Caribbean was full of 'Snark infested waters'." The Snark suffered from deficiencies in missile technology, design, and development which delayed its entry into service until it had been overtaken by development of

4900-449: Was turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The former ADC site was replaced by a new site near Melbourne, Florida , as part of the Joint Surveillance System (JSS), designated by NORAD as Southeast Air Defense Sector (SEADS) Ground Equipment Facility "J-5", with a new ARSR-4 radar. The 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (9 SRW) of the Strategic Air Command established Operating Location OLYMPIC FLAME (OL-OF),

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