LORAN STATION KURE ISLAND

Station Information

Site Survey:	06 OCT - 09 NOV 1959* *Note: Site survey was for the DOOR project Survey team attacked at night by rats during their stay on the island
Construction Date:	1960 - Construction commenced on Green Island - LCDR Harold Block project manager 1960 - During construction the tug; Port of Bando drag anchor and sank on the reef.
Constructed by:
Established: Commissioned:	180300Z MAR 1961
Decommissioned: Disestablished:	02 JUL 1992
Operated by:	USCG
Station Project code name:	DOOR VI
Unit Identifier:	1961 - 14-350530 1970 - 14-40158
Mail address:	1971 - USCG Naval Station Box 36, FPO, San Francisco 96614 1986 - FPO, San Francisco 96619
Ham Call sign:	KH6EDY
Personnel Allowance:	1964 - 2 Officers; 26 Enlisted 1976 - 2 Officers; 19 Enlisted 1989 - 2 Officers; 20 Enlisted
Station Mascot:	1961 - A monkey - since construction 1962 - Bridgette Bardot 1965 - Porky (pig) 1971 - Honey (Bridgette's pup) 1975 - Sigmund 1977 - Dogs transferred to French Frigate Shoals - BIRDS
Station events:	21 SEP 1959 - Kure declared a "Bird Sanctuary" under the Bird Act 06 SEP 1960 - Kure site survey declassified 19 JUN 1961 - C-121 with 84 passengers  and crew made an emergency landing during a heavy storm. Station crew provided relieve to 76 and 8 crew. A total of 168 extra meals and 50 gallons of coffee was served. 1962 - CO (LTJG Bates) and DC2 Young capsized runabout and spent several hours in the water. NOV 1964 - Station crew adopted a little Vietnamese girl. 1966 - Boeing 707 made an emergency landing at Kure. Passengers overnight at the station. JUL 1969 - CG received a new fire truck capable of Purple K and Light water for the airfield. APR 1970 - Unit received a Letter of Commendation from Mr. Goddard for the assistance with the trans lunar injection phase of the Apollo 13 recovery. 1971 - raised the first baby Monk seal in captivity per Hawaiian Fisheries and game 06 FEB 1976 - A Naval Logistics flight sighted the wreckage of the Japanese fishing vessel "HOUEI MARU No.5" hard aground on a reef three miles north of Kure. A full scale search for survivors initiated for six days. The search was call off without a trace of the crew. On February 24 LTJG Bratton and three enlisted boarded the ship in search of surviving crew members. Legal documents, charts and personnel diaries were among items found in the water-tight bridge which were turned over to the Government of Japan. DEC 1986 - "Christmas with MacDonald's at Kure" MacDonald's crew from Honolulu was 'stranded' overnight due to a mechanical problem with the C-130. Summer 1987 - Discovery Channel on island to film the NMFS Monk seal project. DEC 1990 - Station awarded the eighth consecutive 180 day Operational Performance Award. Second only to LORSTA SYLT for this outstanding performance.
Commanding Officers:	1960 - 1961 LTJG John J. Muldoon 1961 - 1962 LTJG Kenneth W. Bates 1962 - 1963 LTJG David M. McCann 1963 - 1964 LTJG Joseph B. Goodwin (? - MAY) 1964 - 1965 LTJG David A. Worth (MAY - MAY) 1965 - 1966 LTJG Richmond D. Greenough (MAY - MAY) 1966 - 1967 LTJG Joseph J. Smith (MAY - APR) 1967 - 1968 LTJG Philip J. Connell (APR - APR) 1968 - 1969 LTJG William S. Denham (APR - ?) 1969 - 1970 LTJG Raymond J. Tusken 1970 - 1971 LTJG Malcolm B. Playfair (? - MAR) 1971 - 1972 LTJG Joel I. Greenberg (MAR - APR) 1972 - 1973 LTJG Robert L. Hoyt (APR - ?) 1973 - 1974 LTJG Byrant M. Nodine (? - JUN) 1974 - 1975 LTJG John Larned ((JUN - JUN) 1975 - 1976 LTJG Deryck Bratten (JUN - ?) 1976 - 1977 LTJG Jerzy J. Kichner 1977 - 1978 LTJG Henry Bailey 1978 - 1979 LTJG James W. Stark 1979 - 1980 LTJG Michael D. Farrell 1980 - 1981 LTJG Daniel C. Whiting 1981 - 1982 LTJG Michael J. Scanlon 1982 - 1983 LTJG Dennis M. Holland (APR - APR) 1983 - 1984 LTJG David L. Hill (APR - 13 APR) 1984 - 1985 LTJG David C. Ely (13 APR - 12 APR) 1985 - 1986 LTJG Luilla J. Lee (12 APR - 09 APR) 1986 - 1987 LTJG Michael D. Sakahara (09 APR - MAR) 1987 - 1988 LTJG Robert W. Sheen (MAR - 05 APR) 1988 - 1989 LTJG Jeffrey S. Schneider (05 APR - ?) 1989 - 1990 LTJG John M. Fitzgerald 1990 - 1991 LTJG Fred J. Milbury 1991 - 1992 LTJG James B. Nicholson 1992 - 1992 LTJG Max A. Caruso(? - 02 JUL)

Station Operations

LORAN-C

28 23.7 N - 178 17.5 W (01 OCT 1964)
28 23 41.770 N - 178 17 30.200 W (WGS-72)
28 23 41.903 N - 178 17 29.646 W (WGS-84)

Chain:	1961 - 1969: HAWAIIAN 1969 - 1992: CENTRAL PACIFIC
Radio Call sign:	1961 - NRO-7 Loran Net
Operational date: Declared Operation:	211000Z JUL 1961
Operations terminated:	302400Z JUN 1992
Station Operation:	Single SLAVE/SECONDARY (SS)
Loran rate: Function: Baseline:	SH-4; S-1; 4990 "Y" M-Y Approx. 850 Nautical miles
On-air testing date:	APR 1961
On-Air:	SH-4 (Y) 211000Z JUL 1961 S-1 (Y) 1969 4990 (Y) 25 FEB 1975
Off-Air:	SH-4 (Y) 1969 Change of rate S-1 (Y) 25 FEB 1975 Changed Identification of GRI 4990 - 302400Z JUN 1992 Service termination
Equipment:	1961 - 1975 AN/FPN-41-42 1975 - 1986 AN/FPN-54 - AN/FPN-42 300KW 23 SEP 1982 DESLOT installation completed 1986 - 1992 AN/FPN-42 mod - 225KW
Radiator:	625ft TLM Stainless, Inc Model 1300 1961 - 10 JUL 1992

Fred's Place Reunion Hall: OLD NEW

Awards:

Coast Guard Commendation Medal

October 1992 ET2 David Minehart was awarded the Commendation Medal for heroism in rescuing three shipmates from undertow on February 27.

 

Coast Guard Unit Commendation

11 DEC 1986 - 29 MAY 1989*

 

Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation

12 FEB 1977 - 10 FEB 1978

01 APR 1982 - 31 DEC 1982

17 FEB 1985 - 11 FEB 1986*

01 JAN 1987 - 30 AUG 1988*

30 MAY 1989 - 20 NOV 1990*

01 APR 1992 - 30 JUN 1992*

*DENOTES OPERATIONAL DISTINGUISHING DEVICE IS AUTHORIZED

Outstanding Performance Recognition

04 OCT 1976 - 12 JUN 1977

13 FEB 1977 - 15 APR 1977

24 MAY 1977 - 10 JUL 1977

24 MAY 1977 - 05 OCT 1977

22 NOV 1977 - 22 JUN 1978

10 JAN 1983 - 08 JUL 1983

21 OCT 1987 Individual Outstanding Performance

180 Day Performance

17 MAR 1986 2nd consecutive 180-day perfromance

22 JUN 1988 3rd consecutive 180-day performance

17 DEC 1990 8th consecutive 180-day performance

 

Coast Guard Restricted Duty Ribbon

Documents:

1959 State of Hawaii Land Use Guidelines - pdf

192126Z MAR 61 Notification of station commissioned - pdf

01 DEC 1981 - D14 Proposal to relocation Kure to Midway - pdf

01 DEC 1984 Wildlife and Natural resources guidelines - pdf

1984 General Visitor Information - pdf

1984 - 1985 Customs policies correspondence - pdf

27 MAR 1986 Silver Anniversary program - pdf City and County Resolution - pdf
The Governor of State of Hawaii letter - pdf

01 DEC 1989 Station Organization Instruction - pdf

Pictures:

WE SERVED WITH PRIDE

On this spot stood a 625 foot Loran-C Transmitting Antenna constructed in 1961
Removed 10 July 1992
This is dedicated to the more than 900 United Stated Coast Guard men and women who over the years stood the lonely vigil of isolated duty and kept Loran Station Kure Island "On-Air and in Tolerence" in defense of the country

You can leave Kure Island
But...
Kure will never leave you

Thanks Gus MacFeeley!

Bill Ferrary 1970/71 photo collection

Reginald Flye 1975/76 photo collection

Ernest Hawes 1978/79 photo collection

Steve Grenier 1979/80 photo collection

Dave Hill (CO) 1983 Change of Command photos

Steve Phifer 1985/86 photo collection

 

 

 

 

 

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