Pinetree Line

The Pinetree Line was a series of radar stations located across southern Canada at about the 50th parallel north, along with a number of other stations located on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Run by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) (after its creation), over half were staffed by United States Air Force personnel with the balance operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force. The line was the first coordinated system for early detection of a Soviet bomber attack on North America. Its radar technology quickly became outdated, and the line was in full operation only for a short time.

History

File:Pinetree Line Radar Parabolic Antenna.jpg

Static display of an AN/FPS 508 radar antenna, one of the types used on the Pinetree Line. The antenna rotated at 5 revolutions per minute. The system could detect aircraft up to away and at altitudes of . This antenna is on display at Air Force Heritage Museum and Air Park, Winnipeg

Plans for what would become the Pinetree Line were underway as early as 1946 within the Permanent Joint Board on Defense (PJBD), a Canadian-U.S. organization. However, the costs of running such a system in the post-war era was too high, and instead Canada concentrated on the areas around Ontario and Quebec, while the United States set up stations in the Midwest and along the eastern seaboard. With the successful test of an atomic bomb in the USSR, plans changed considerably. In 1949 Congress agreed to a $161 million construction program in co-operation with the RCAF, for a continuous line of stations across southern Canada. The USAF's Continental Air Command and the RCAF met in October 1950 to start planning, and in January 1951 the PJBD presented Recommendation 51/1 for the Extension of the Continental Radar Defence System. The USAF later requested an additional set of six (potentially) mobile stations to provide low-level coverage. Later, it was learned the original radar systems performed better than expected, hence a number of the mobile sites were never deployed.

The system was eventually deployed as a series of 33 main stations and 6 smaller "gap fillers". The majority of these ran in a line at about the 53rd parallel in the west (to offer coverage of major Canadian cities) and about the 50th parallel in the east. A second line ran up the eastern seaboard from the southern tip of Nova Scotia to the southern tip of Baffin Island. Of these, 22 of the main stations and all of the gap fillers were paid for by the USAF, leaving 11 to the RCAF. However 16 of the main stations were staffed by RCAF personnel. On 1 January 1955, the system was officially handed over to RCAF command, and over time an additional 10 stations were added. The stations on the east coast used the Pole Vault system for communication.

File:Saint Anthony Air Station aerial view July 1961.jpg

Saint Anthony Air Station, Newfoundland in July 1961. The main radar is centered, the Pole Vault antennas are on the right.

The Pinetree Line had several technical problems that limited its usefulness almost immediately. For one, the system used a simple pulse radar technique, which made it unable to detect targets close to the ground due to radar clutter as well as being trivially easy to jam using the recently introduced carcinotron tube. Another was that its location near population centres meant it offered only a last minute warning, and as the USSR moved to jet-powered bombers the warning time was reduced. Studies were already underway in 1951 to build a series of Doppler bistatic radar stations somewhat farther north, which would develop into the Mid-Canada Line. By 1957, just over a year after the Mid-Canada Line was operational, a more advanced long-range search radar, mainly in the Canadian north and Alaska were deployed comprising the Distant Early Warning Line.

The Pinetree stations were kept operational during this period, and most underwent modifications as a part of the deployment of the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE). SAGE dramatically reduced the workload at the stations, cutting staff requirements by well over half. By the later 1950s some were being mothballed as newer systems came on line to the north. Nevertheless, many of the Pinetree stations were kept operational into the 1980s, particularly on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Radar stations

Template:Side box Initial sort is based on longitude from east to west.

Site number	Name	Province	Location	Unit	Service	Activated	Deactivated
N-22	Red Cliff Air Station St. Johns Air Station	NL	Template:Hs	642d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron	USAF	1953	1961
N-22B	Elliston Ridge Air Station	NL	Template:Hs	642d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron	USAF	1957	1961
N-25	CFB Gander	NL	Template:Hs	226 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1953	1990
N-26B	La Scie Air Station	NL	Template:Hs	921st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron	USAF	1957	1961
N-26	Saint Anthony Air Station	NL	Template:Hs	921st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron	USAF	1953	1968
N-27C	Fox Harbour Air Station	NL	Template:Hs	922d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron	USAF	1957	1961
N-27B	Spotted Island Air Station	NL	Template:Hs	922d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron	USAF	1957	1961
N-27	Cartwright Air Station	NL	Template:Hs	922d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron	USAF	1953	1968
N-27A	Cut Throat Island Air Station	NL	Template:Hs	922d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron	USAF	1957	1961
N-23	Stephenville Air Station	NL	Template:Hs	105th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 640th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron	USAF	1952	1971
N-28A	Cape Makkovik Air Station	NL	Template:Hs	923d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron	USAF	1957	1961
C-34	CFS Sydney	NS	Template:Hs	221 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1954	1991
N-28	Hopedale Air Station	NL	Template:Hs	923d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron	USAF	1953	1968
C-24	Goose Air Force Base	NL	Template:Hs	Goose Air Defense Sector 21st Air Division 26th Air Division 37th Air Division 59th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron 64th Air Division 95th Strategic Wing 4082d Strategic Wing 4732d Air Defense Group 6603d Air Base Group	USAF	1953	1971
N-24	Melville Air Station	NL	Template:Hs	107th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 641st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 641 Aircraft Control and Radar Squadron	USAF RCAF	1953	1988
N-29	CFS Saglek	NL	Template:Hs	924th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron	USAF	1953	1970
C-11	RCAF Beaverbank	NS	Template:Hs	22 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1954	1964
N-30	CFS Resolution Island	NTTemplate:Efn	Template:Hs	920th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron	USAF	1951	1961
C-5	CFS St. Margarets	NB	Template:Hs	21 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1953	1988
C-102	CFS Barrington	NS	Template:Hs	672d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 23 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	USAF RCAF	1957	1990
C-33	CFS Moisie	QC	Template:Hs	211 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1953	1988
N-31	Frobisher Bay Air Base	NTTemplate:Efn	Template:Hs	926th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron	USAF	1953	1961
C-6	RCAF St. Sylvestre	QC	Template:Hs	13 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1955	1964
C-1	CFS Mont Apica	QC	Template:Hs	12 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1952	1990
C-2	CFS Lac St. Denis	QC	Template:Hs	11 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1952	1986
C-42	CFS Chibougamau	QC	Template:Hs	10 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1962	1988
C-7	RCAF Parent	QC	Template:Hs	14 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1954	1964
C-8	CFS Senneterre	QC	Template:Hs	34 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1953	1988
C-3	CFS Foymount	ON	Template:Hs	32 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1952	1974
C-4	CFS Edgar	ON	Template:Hs	31 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1953	1964
C-10	CFS Ramore	ON	Template:Hs	912th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 35 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	USAF RCAF	1953	1974
C-44	CFS Moosonee	ON	Template:Hs	15 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1961	1975
C-9	CFS Falconbridge	ON	Template:Hs	33 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1952	1986
C-119	CFS Lowther	ON	Template:Hs	639th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 36 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	USAF RCAF	1957	1987
C-14	RCAF Station Pagwa	ON	Template:Hs	913th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 37 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	USAF RCAF	1952	1966
C-15	CFS Armstrong	ON	Template:Hs	914th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 38 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	USAF RCAF	1952	1974
C-16	CFS Sioux Lookout	ON	Template:Hs	915th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 39 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	USAF RCAF	1953	1987
C-17	CFS Beausejour	MB	Template:Hs	916th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 48 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	USAF RCAF	1953	1988
C-49	CFS Gypsumville	MB	Template:Hs	47 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1962	1987
C-51	CFS Yorkton	SK	Template:Hs	46 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1963	1986
C-52	CFS Dana	SK	Template:Hs	45 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1964	1987
C-53	CFS Alsask	SK	Template:Hs	44 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1953	1986
C-36	CFB Cold Lake	AB	Template:Hs	42 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1954	1991
C-54	CFS Penhold	AB	Template:Hs	43 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1964	1986
C-21	RCAF Saskatoon Mountain CFS Beaverlodge	AB	Template:Hs	919th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 57 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	USAF RCAF	1953	1988
C-153	CFS Kamloops	BC	Template:Hs	825th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 56 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	USAF RCAF	1957	1988
C-20	CFS Baldy Hughes	BC	Template:Hs	918th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 54 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	USAF RCAF	1953	1988
C-19	RCAF Station Puntzi Mountain	BC	Template:Hs	917th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 55 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	USAF RCAF	1952	1966
C-35	CFB Comox	BC	Template:Hs	51 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron	RCAF	1954	1958
C-36	RCAF Tofino	BC	Template:Hs	52 Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron	RCAF	1955	1957
C-18	CFS Holberg	BC	Template:Hs	501 Aircraft Control and Warning (later Radar) Squadron 53 Radar Squadron	RCAF	1954	1991

See also

• List of Royal Canadian Air Force stations
• United States general surveillance radar stations
• Radar Station, a 1953 short documentary about the Pinetree Line
• Continental Air Defense Integration North
• Continental Air Defense Command

References

• A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946–1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
• The Pinetree Line

External links

• 1997 video documentary by Greg Marshall – Personal stories from Canada's role in the Cold War and NORAD