LORAN STATION POINT ARGELLO
Station Information
| Site Survey: | |
| Construction Date: | NOV 1946: Permanent station construction completed 1952 - 1953: Station rebuilt 1955: Family housing constructed |
| Constructed by: | |
| Established:
Commissioned: |
1946 APR 1946 |
| Decommissioned: Disestablished: |
13 FEB 1980 |
| Operated by: |
USCG |
| Project code name: |
|
| Unit Identifier: |
1940's: CG Unit 453 1970's: 11-40136 |
| Mail address: | 1965: PO Box 368, Lompoc, Calif. 1976: Hdq. 1st Aerospace Division, Vandenberg AFB, CA 93437 |
| AKA: |
1940's: ARLIGHT |
| HAM Call sign: |
N/A |
| Personnel Allowance: | MAY 1951: 10 Enlisted JAN 1953: 11 Enlisted JUN 1964: 1 Officer, 10 Enlisted 1967: 11 Enlisted |
| Station Mascot: | |
| Station events: | JUN 1945: USCG (2H2) and USAAC (1H6/7) established loran chain coverage. 18 JUL 1946: Permanent station construction completed. Rates 2H2/3 provided 24/7/365 coverage. 11th District distributed temporary charts for new system. 1946 - 1955: Loran station under Group command. 08 JUL 1949: A fast-burning grass fire that burned over 160 acres threatened the Pt. Arguello Coast Guard station, but for quick work of the Coast Guardsmen of Pt. Arguello and Arlight was credited with saving the station by Victor L. Mohr, district fire warden. 22 SEP 1955: Bids will be opened October 5 for construction of new housing accommodations at the Loran station. The housing consists of a large duplex unit plus expansion of the loran station. 1957: Station became of the first fully automatic operational stations reducing personnel allowance. FEB 1959: District Commandant requested the Navy to build a bomb shelter at Pt. Arguello for a dozen of his men and their so they won't be endanger by firings at the new Pacific Missile Range. MAR 1959: The people at the Loran station are also evacuated. They would go to the U.S.D.B. for skittles and movies or come to our town. A few husbands remain on hand to man the Loran facilities. They also have a bomb shelter to ward off the elements, such as falling iron. APR 1963: Family housing disestablished. Family housing located in local community as there was a concern of missile hazards. Chief Warrant Office Freohlich most likely assigned command for the disestablishment of the Coast Guard housing and relocation of personnel to the town of Lompoc. JUL 1965: USAF 4th Weather Group requested to upgrade U.S. Weather Bureau equipment. Approval was obtain from both USCG and U.S. Weather Service. 12 MAY 1968: OINC and a crew member were killed in a car accident. 13 JUL 1971: Agreement signed between USCG and USAF 1st Strategic Aerospace division concerning the evacuation of LORSTA personnel during a launch. |
| Commanding Officers/Officer in Charge: | 1946 - 1947 CETM Arthur K. Erickson (APR – 27 JAN) 1947 - 1947 CBM Alphonse Dochance (27 JAN – 24 MAR) 1947 - 1948 CETM Arthur K. Erickson (24 MAR – 15 NOV) 1948 - 1950 RMC Samuel R. Michaels (15 NOV - ?) 1950 - 1951 1951 - 1952 ETC Preston F. Ott 1952 - 1953 ETC Ernest Lehman 1953 - 1954 1954 - 1955 1955 - 1956 ETC Ernest Lehman 1956 - 1957 ETC Ernest R. Gronlund 1957 - 1958 ETC Ernest Lehman (? - 17 JUL) 1958 - 1959 1959 - 1960 1960 - 1962 ET1 William E. Burghart 1961 - 1963 1963 - 1966 CWO2 Gustav R. Froehlich (29 MAR - 30 JUN)* 1966 - 1968 ETC Floyd W. Hayden (30 JUN - ?) 1968 - 1968 ETC Charles L. Elms (? - 12 MAY 1968) 1968 - 1971 ETC William H. Acklen 1971 - 1972 ETC Robert Oslen 1972 - 1974 ETC William Dibble 1974 - 1976 ETC Daniel D. Larson (? - 06 AUG) 1976 - 1980 ETC William F. Towne (06 AUG - ?) * Promotion to the next rank during tour |
Station Operations
LORAN-A
34 34 46.09 N - 120 38 38.95 W (1960 Mercury Datum)
| Chain: Station pair: Loran rate: Coding delay: Baseline: Station pair: Loran rate: Coding delay: Baseline: |
U.S. WEST COAST Pt. AGRUELLO (S) - Pt. ARENA (M) 2H2/1H5 1000us Approx. 300 Nautical miles Pt. ARGUELLO (S) - SAN MATEO (M) 2H1/1H4 1000us Approx. 168 Nautical miles |
| Station Letter designation: | "P" |
| Radio Call Sign: | N/A |
| Declared Operational date: | 15 JUL 1945: 2H2 01 JUL 1963: 2H1 |
| Operations terminated: | 312400Z DEC 1979 |
| Station Operation: | 1946 - 1964 Single SLAVE/SECONDARY (SS) 1964 - 1979 Double SLAVE/SECONDARY (DS) |
| On-air testing date: | |
| On-Air: | 2H2: 18 JUL 1946 2H1: 1964 1H4: 01 MAY 1971 1H5: 01 MAY 1971 |
| Off-Air: | 2H1: 01 MAY 1971 Rate change 2H2: 01 MAY 1971 Rate change 1H4: 312400Z DEC 1979 Termination of service 1H5: 312400Z DEC 1979 Termination of service |
| Monitor Rate: | Cross rate monitor |
| Equipment: | |
| Antenna: | 280ft - Wind Trubine |
Documents:
17 SEP 1954 Housing reply from Commandant to 11th District - pdf
MAR 1964 - D11 LOG - pdf
09 JUL 1965 - Meteorological Equipment Installation - pdf
13 JUL 1971 - USCG/USAF 1st Startegic Aerospace Agreement - pdf
23 JUL 1976 - Station Brief History - pdf
28 DEC 1978 - News Release Termination of Loran-A service - pdf
Pictures:
1963-66 Gus Froehlich photo collection - click link
Contributed by Don Ayer c./1958
Thanks Don!