Texas Tower Number 2 - Cold War Radar

THIS CLIP IS PUBLIC DOMAIN

Texas Tower

The Texas Towers were a set of off-shore radar facilities used by the United States Air Force during the Cold War that were modeled on the offshore oil drilling platforms first employed off the Texas coast. The platforms were used for radar surveillance of the Atlantic Ocean near the eastern seaboard of the United States from 1958 to 1963.

On January 11, 1954, the USAF approved the construction of 5 Texas Towers as part of the Air Defense System. Only three were built:

* No. 2 - Georges Shoal, in 56-foot deep water,110 miles east of Cape Cod @ 41°44′N, 67°47′W

* No. 3 - Nantucket Shoal, in 80-foot water, 100 miles south-east of Rhode Island @ 40°45′N, 69°19′W

* No. 4 - Unnamed Shoal, in 185-foot water, 84 miles south-east of New York City @ 39°48′N, 72°40′W

The towers were phased into operation between 1958 and 1960.

Texas Tower #4 suffered severe structural damage during Hurricane Donna and, before repairs could be completed, was destroyed by a winter storm on January 15, 1961. Twenty-eight airmen and civilian contractors were manning the station; none survived.

With the advent of Soviet ICBM's, the bomber threat was reduced in importance. Thus due to a lower need and the perceived risk, the remaining two towers were decommissioned in 1963 and demolished shortly thereafter.

USS Ira Jeffery de-63 de63 destroyer escort

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Texas
• Tower
• Radar
• oil
• rig
• disaster
• 1950s
• cold
• war
• PUBLIC
• DOMAIN
• USS
• Ira
• Jeffery
• DE-63

[damnham]

All towers were operated by the Air Force. Note USAF on the back side of the tower.

Winston Rogers, Texas Tower #3 1961 - 1965

[Legend813a]

Its the newsreaders fault, he was given bad copy.

[FylthyBeest]

@damnham Winston, my hat is off to you and the other brave airmen and civilians who worked aboard The Texas Towers. You, sir, were a brave airman as were your brothers. It is sad that so much of our Cold War history is forgotten or neglected. You and your fellow towermen were unigue -- airmen assigned to a metal island on stilts in the ocean. I am sorry those brave men lost their lives. And, I hope that your mission, their sacifice, and your history is not forgotten.

[PRR5406]

After #4 went down, they were all removed or dynamited. It was a stupid idea to put that thing out in the North Atlantic, on three legs.

[GelandnaleG]

0:52

[762radron]

@oklacnw

Too bad you weren't on the damned thing when it went down.

[762radron]

TT-2 was headquartered at the North Truro Air Force Station, North Truro, MA

[asulca593]

the generic 1950's upbeat music makes it sound like a wonderful time

[1z1q]

What a cool video ! these towers were neat but they also were insufficiently built and cost the lives of 28 airmen.. but I would have loved to serve on one back in the day..

[oklacnw]

They were originally to be navy operated, but navy had smarter people and let the AF have the useless things.