Opana Radar Site
Encyclopedia
The Opana Radar Site is a National Historic Landmark
and IEEE Milestone that commemorates the first operational use of radar
by the United States in wartime, during the attack on Pearl Harbor
. It is located off the Kamehameha Highway
just inland from the north shore of Oahu
, Hawaii
, south of Kawela Bay. It is not open to the public.
, the first United States long-range search radar created at the Signal Corps laboratories at Fort Monmouth
, New Jersey
, circa 1937. The radar's operating frequency was 106 megacycles, with a maximum range of 150 miles, or greater if the equipment was at an elevated site, and was suitable for detecting aircraft propellers.
Under the command of Col. Wilfred H. Tetley the AWS established six mobile radar detector sets in Hawaii at Kawaiola, Wainae, Kaawa, Kokohead, Schofield Barracks, and Fort Shafter
. On Thanksgiving Day in 1941, the Schofield Barracks radar set was moved to the Opana Radar Site, a location 532 feet above sea level with unobstructed view of the Pacific Ocean. The set comprised four trucks carrying the transmitter, modulator, water cooler, receiver, oscilloscope, operator, generator and antenna.
The men reported their findings to the temporary information center at Fort Shafter
. The information center staff had gone to breakfast and Lt. Kermit Tyler, who died January 23, 2010, aged 96, received the report. Tyler reasoned that the activity was a flight of Army B-17 Flying Fortress bombers scheduled to arrive at that morning and advised the radar crew not to worry. Elliot and Lockard continued plotting the incoming planes until 7:40 when contact was lost. Shortly before 8:00 AM they headed to Kawailoa for breakfast and only learned about the attack when they arrived. Elliot and Lockard rushed back to Opana and operated the radar until the attack ended.
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
and IEEE Milestone that commemorates the first operational use of radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
by the United States in wartime, during the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
. It is located off the Kamehameha Highway
Kamehameha Highway
Kamehameha Highway is one of the main highways serving suburban and rural O‘ahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Starting from Nimitz Highway near Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, it serves the island's older western suburbs, turning north across the O‘ahu Central Valley to the...
just inland from the north shore of Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, south of Kawela Bay. It is not open to the public.
History
In December 1939, the U.S. military established an Aircraft Warning Service (AWS) using radar to defend American territory. It employed the SCR-270 radarSCR-270 radar
The SCR-270 was one of the first operational early warning radars. It was the U.S. Army's primary long-distance radar throughout World War II and was deployed around the world...
, the first United States long-range search radar created at the Signal Corps laboratories at Fort Monmouth
Fort Monmouth
Fort Monmouth was an installation of the Department of the Army in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The post is surrounded by the communities of Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport, New Jersey, and is located about 5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The post covers nearly of land, from the Shrewsbury...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, circa 1937. The radar's operating frequency was 106 megacycles, with a maximum range of 150 miles, or greater if the equipment was at an elevated site, and was suitable for detecting aircraft propellers.
Under the command of Col. Wilfred H. Tetley the AWS established six mobile radar detector sets in Hawaii at Kawaiola, Wainae, Kaawa, Kokohead, Schofield Barracks, and Fort Shafter
Fort Shafter
Fort Shafter is in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawai‘i, extending up the interfluve between Kalihi and Moanalua valleys, as well as onto the coastal plain at Māpunapuna. Fort Shafter is the headquarters of the United States Army Pacific Command, the MACOM of U.S. Army forces in...
. On Thanksgiving Day in 1941, the Schofield Barracks radar set was moved to the Opana Radar Site, a location 532 feet above sea level with unobstructed view of the Pacific Ocean. The set comprised four trucks carrying the transmitter, modulator, water cooler, receiver, oscilloscope, operator, generator and antenna.
Attack on Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, the Opana Radar Site was manned by Private Joseph L. Lockard and Private George Elliot, who detected approaching aircraft at 7:02am (past the end of the site's scheduled operating day) since the truck to take them to breakfast was late the pair continuined to practice with the radar equipment.The men reported their findings to the temporary information center at Fort Shafter
Fort Shafter
Fort Shafter is in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawai‘i, extending up the interfluve between Kalihi and Moanalua valleys, as well as onto the coastal plain at Māpunapuna. Fort Shafter is the headquarters of the United States Army Pacific Command, the MACOM of U.S. Army forces in...
. The information center staff had gone to breakfast and Lt. Kermit Tyler, who died January 23, 2010, aged 96, received the report. Tyler reasoned that the activity was a flight of Army B-17 Flying Fortress bombers scheduled to arrive at that morning and advised the radar crew not to worry. Elliot and Lockard continued plotting the incoming planes until 7:40 when contact was lost. Shortly before 8:00 AM they headed to Kawailoa for breakfast and only learned about the attack when they arrived. Elliot and Lockard rushed back to Opana and operated the radar until the attack ended.