And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Thursday, September 1, 2022
1959. At Jan Mayen in the Artic Sea North of Norway. A Loran C station is being built … and an excavator + fuel tanks are being brought ashore.
Looks like a not fun place to be stationed (USCG), if it was isolated it would only be for a year. We had a Loran station on Lampedusa Island in Italy, I knew a guy who had been stationed there, he had a great time.
I was in the Navy during the 1970's as enlisted flight crew on P-3C's. My first deployment was to Keflavik Iceland. Part of our NATO duties was to make regularly scheduled air drops of mail to Jan Mayen. This involved flying into the valley where the buildings were located, at about 200 feet AGL. Drop the mail package on main street (the only street) then haul back on the stick so you wouldn't smack into the side of the 8000 foot mountain looming in front of you at the North end of the island. If the island was socked in with bad weather, we had to cancel the mail drop. And the Norwegians would get on the radio and beg us to PLEASE try again.
I was on Jan Mayen back in '93 as we were involved in the European LORAN-C expansion. We installed a new, solid-state transmitter and chain control receiving / monitoring system. The way on and off the island was via RNAF C-130s from Bodo, Norway. It was as isolated as isolated can be. Good times.
Looks like a not fun place to be stationed (USCG), if it was isolated it would only be for a year.
ReplyDeleteWe had a Loran station on Lampedusa Island in Italy, I knew a guy who had been stationed there, he had a great time.
I remember Loran and Omega stations prior to GPS. 1970s and early 80s
ReplyDeleteThe X and the Y, Master and Slave. In use in the north Pacific unto the early 90s.
ReplyDeleteI was in the Navy during the 1970's as enlisted flight crew on P-3C's. My first deployment was to Keflavik Iceland. Part of our NATO duties was to make regularly scheduled air drops of mail to Jan Mayen. This involved flying into the valley where the buildings were located, at about 200 feet AGL. Drop the mail package on main street (the only street) then haul back on the stick so you wouldn't smack into the side of the 8000 foot mountain looming in front of you at the North end of the island. If the island was socked in with bad weather, we had to cancel the mail drop. And the Norwegians would get on the radio and beg us to PLEASE try again.
ReplyDeleteBeen there. Done that. VP-46. 1980.
DeleteI was on Jan Mayen back in '93 as we were involved in the European LORAN-C expansion. We installed a new, solid-state transmitter and chain control receiving / monitoring system. The way on and off the island was via RNAF C-130s from Bodo, Norway. It was as isolated as isolated can be. Good times.
ReplyDeleteThe NORPAC chain wasn't much better. Cold Bay, AK wasn't exactly a picnic. And yes, dropping mail at Jan Mayen was 'exciting'...
ReplyDelete