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Cape Charles Air Force Station | |
|---|---|
| Part ofAir Defense Command (ADC) | |
 1958 oblique airphoto looking west | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Air Force Station |
| Code | ADC ID: P-56, NORAD ID: Z-56 |
| Controlled by |
|
| Condition | mostly demolished |
| Location | |
  Cape Charles AFS Location of Cape Charles AFS, Virginia | |
| Coordinates | 37°07′58″N075°57′11″W / 37.13278°N 75.95306°W /37.13278; -75.95306 (Cape Charles AFS P-56) |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1950 |
| Built by | United States Army Corps of Engineers |
| In use | 1950-1981 |
| Demolished | 1980s |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 771st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron |
| Fort John Custis | |
|---|---|
| Part ofHarbor Defenses of Chesapeake Bay | |
 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 naval gun and projectile at Battery Winslow | |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |
|
| Condition | partly demolished, 16-inch gun battery remains |
 | |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1941 |
| Built by | United States Army Corps of Engineers |
| In use | 1941–1948 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison |
|
Cape Charles Air Force Station is a closedUnited States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 3.6 miles (5.8 km) south ofTownsend, Virginia. It was closed in 1981. From 1941 to 1948 it wasFort John Custis of theUnited States Army Coast Artillery Corps. Since 1984 the site has been in theEastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge. For this article's purposes the term "Fort John Custis" includes the nearbyFisherman Island.[1]
After theAmerican entry into World War I in April 1917, two "emergency batteries" were deployed on Fisherman Island. Two5-inch (127 mm) M1900 guns came from Battery Ritchie atFort DuPont, Delaware; the source of the other pair of guns is less clear, and some references list them as6-inch (152 mm) M1900 guns. With the war over, both batteries were dismantled in 1919. All types of Coast Artillery 5-inch guns were removed from service by 1920; the fate of the possible 6-inch guns is unclear.[1][2]
The military history of this station resumed in 1941 when the United States Army establishedFort Winslow at this location as acoastal defense artillery installation. It complementedFort Story on Cape Henry to defendChesapeake Bay as part of theHarbor Defenses of Chesapeake Bay (HD Chesapeake). The post was briefly renamedFort Custis, but it was soon realized this could create confusion withFort Eustis inNewport News, Virginia, and in October 1942 it was renamedFort John Custis.[1] It was named forJohn Parke Custis, son ofMartha Washington and an officer in the Revolutionary War.[3]
Shortly after the base was established construction began on Battery 122, later named Battery Winslow. This was for twocasemated16-inch (406 mm) ex-Navy guns, eventually creating a crossfire with two similar batteries at Fort Story. Battery 123, another 16-inch battery, was proposed but never built. Following theAmerican entry into World War II a four-gun battery of155 mm (6.1 in) guns was deployed onFisherman Island; circular concrete "Panama mounts" were built to improve their firing positions. This was a stopgap until two 6-inch (152 mm) gun batteries were completed at the fort in 1943.[3] A mine casemate for acontrolled underwater mine field was built on Fisherman Island.[1] The 1st Battalion,52nd Coast Artillery (CA) Regiment arrived at Fort John Custis on 27 August 1942, armed with eight8-inch (203 mm) ex-Navy railway guns. On 5 April 1943 this battalion was redesignated as the 286th CA (Rwy) Battalion.[4]
At least tenfire control towers were built on the Eastern Shore to support the fort. Three still stand onSmith Island near theCape Charles Lighthouse and another two were onMockhorn Island. One was on the mainland fort property and three were at Wise Point. Another was inCheapside, Virginia, north of what is nowKiptopeke State Park.[1][5]
The batteries on the mainland at Fort John Custis during World War II were as follows:[2][3]
| Name | No. of guns | Gun type | Carriage type | Years active | Condition in 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winslow (Battery 122) | 2 | 16-inch (406 mm) Navy MkIIMI gun | barbette M4 | 1943–1948 | Intact, 16-inch Mark 7 gun on site |
| Battery A, 286th CA Bn | 4 | 8-inch (203 mm) Navy MkVIM3A2 gun | railway M1A1 | 1942–1944 | demolished |
| Battery B, 286th CA Bn | 4 | 8-inch (203 mm) Navy MkVIM3A2 gun | railway M1A1 | 1942–1944 | demolished |
| Battery 228 | 2 | Not armed, slated for6-inch (152 mm) gun T2-M1 | shielded barbette M4 | 1943–NA | Buried |
The batteries on Fisherman Island during World War II were as follows:[2][3]
| Name | No. of guns | Gun type | Carriage type | Years active | Condition in 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery 227 | 2 | 6-inch (152 mm) gun M1905 | shielded barbette M1 | 1943–1965 | Guns toFort Pickens, Florida, intact |
| Anti-Motor Torpedo Boat (AMTB) 20 | 2 | 3-inch (76 mm) gun M1902 | pedestal M1902 | 1942–1944 | Guns from Battery Lee,Fort Wool, partly buried |
| AMTB 24 | 4 | 90 mm (3.54 in) gun | two fixed T3/M3, two mobile | 1943–1946 | |
| Battery 155 | 4 | 155 mm (6.1 in) gun | Panama mounts | 1942–194? |
From 1940 through October 1944, HD Chesapeake was garrisoned by the2nd Coast Artillery Regiment of theregular army,[6] with the246th Coast Artillery Regiment as theVirginia National Guard component, plus the railway units already mentioned.[7]
On 30 August 1944 the 286th Coast Artillery Battalion (Railway) and its railway guns were withdrawn from the fort.[8] On 20 April 1944 most of the 246th Coast Artillery Regiment was inactivated, with the remainder transferred toHD Beaufort, North Carolina.[7] On 1 October 1944 the 2nd Coast Artillery Regiment was reorganized as the 2nd and 175th Coast Artillery Battalions.[9] On 1 April 1945 those battalions were reorganized as elements of HD Chesapeake Bay.[6]
After the end of World War II the army scrapped almost all of its coast defense guns, including all but two of those at Fort John Custis, and inactivated the fort. TheUS Navy used Fisherman Island from 1949 to 1969. Two 6-inch M1905 guns remained at Battery 227 until 1976,[1] when they were transferred toFort Pickens, Florida, where they remain on display.[3]
The United States Air Force acquired the Fort Custis site from the army in 1948 as a temporary Lashup radar site, being designatedL-15 and initially called Fort Custis.[3][10] It installedAN/CPS-5 andAN/CPS-4 radars when the air force authorized theAir Defense Command to put thirteen radar stations in operation in the northeastern United States. This temporary system was namedLashup to distinguish it from the Interim Program for which the air force was seeking appropriations. The 771st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was activated to operate the site. A small airfield was established near the station, to provide logistical support due to its isolated location at the southern end of theDelmarva Peninsula.
L-15 was upgraded in 1952 and redesignated as Cape Charles Air Force Station in December 1953,[3] and was one of twenty-eight stations built as part of the second segment of the permanent radar network, called thePriority Permanent System.[11] Prompted by the start of theKorean War, on 11 July 1950 the Secretary of the Air Force asked the Secretary of Defense for approval to expedite construction of the permanent network. Receiving the Defense Secretary’s approval on 21 July, the air force directed theCorps of Engineers to proceed with construction. Because of difficulties with the new radar equipment, the Fort Custis station initially reused the radar equipment from the former Lashup site to expedite operational status. Thus it was redesignated asLP-56.[10] The 771st AC&W Squadron continued operating theAN/CPS-4 and as of April 1952 anAN/FPS-3 radar as well. The AN/FPS-3 remained operational until 1962. Initially the station functioned as a ground-control intercept (GCI) and warning station. As a GCI station, the squadron's role was to guideinterceptor aircraft toward intruders picked up on the unit's radar.
In 1955 anAN/FPS-8 was installed, converted to anAN/GPS-3, and operated through 1958. By the end of that year, twoAN/FPS-6 heightfinder radars were activated. During 1959 Cape Charles AFS joined theSemi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, initially feeding data to DC-04 atFort Lee AFS, Virginia. After joining, the squadron was re-designated as the771st Radar Squadron (SAGE) on 1 October 1959. The radar squadron provided information 24/7 to the SAGE Direction Center where it was analyzed to determine range, direction, altitude, speed, and whether the aircraft were friendly or hostile. On 31 July 1963, the site was redesignated as NORAD IDZ-56.
In addition to the main facility, Cape Charles AFS operated several unmannedAN/FPS-14 Gap Filler sites:
In 1963 the site hostedAN/FPS-7,AN/FPS-6, andAN/FPS-26A radars. In 1963 the site also became an ADC/FAA joint-use facility. The facility came underTactical Air Command jurisdiction in 1979 with the inactivation ofAerospace Defense Command and the activation ofADTAC. Air Force use ended in 1981 and Cape Charles AFS was replaced by theNaval Air Station Oceana,Virginia,Joint Surveillance System (JSS) radar site.
Today, the former Cape Charles Air Force Station has mostly been demolished, and is now part of theEastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge, although a few minor service buildings remain. The housing area remains and the units are now in private hands. The Gap Filler support buildings at Z-56A (Temperanceville, VA) and Z-56C (Elizabeth City, NC) remain, although the tower and radar are gone. Z-56B (Bethany Beach, DE) is now part of a golf course. Onefire control tower from Fort John Custis remains near the former runway; another remains north ofKiptopeke State Park. A16"/50 caliber Mark 7 gun and a projectile from anIowa-classbattleship have been placed at Battery Winslow.[1]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
