Wurtsmith Air Force Base - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

For the civil use of this facility and airport information, see Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport
Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport
Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport is a public use airport located three nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Oscoda, an unincorporated community in Iosco County, Michigan, United States...

Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

base in northeastern Iosco County

Iosco County, Michigan

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 27,339 people, 11,727 households, and 7,857 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile . There were 20,432 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile...

in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. The former base includes 4626 acres (1,872 ha) located approximately two miles west of Lake Huron

Lake Huron

Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...

in the Charter Township of Oscoda

Oscoda Township, Michigan

Oscoda Charter Township is a charter township of Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,248 at the 2000 census.- Communities :...

, bordered by Van Ettan Lake, the Au Sable State Forest.

History

Wurtsmith got its start in 1923 as Loud-Reames Aviation Field, a soft-surface landing site for Army Air Corps

United States Army Air Corps

The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...

aircraft from Selfridge Field

Selfridge Field

Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens.-Units and organizations:...

. It was renamed Camp Skeel in 1924, for World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

pilot Captain Burt E. Skeel

Captain Burt E. Skeel

-Biography:He was born on May 5, 1894 in East Cleveland, Ohio, to Frank E. and Artemisia Edgerton Skeel.Skeel commanded the 27th Pursuit Squadron of the First Pursuit Group at Selfridge Field in Mount Clemens, Michigan....

, and was used as an aerial gunnery range and for winter maneuvers 1924 through 1944 by the 1st Pursuit Group at Selfridge Army Air Base near Detroit. During those winter maneuvers the army pilots and mechanics battled snow squalls and bitter cold temperatures to get the engines of the planes started. Oil was heated in drums over open fires of pitchpine and then poured into the engines. Crews then worked fast to get the engines running before the oil congealed. No self-starters were available on those early planes so engines were cranked by hand by swinging the propellers. Aviation gasoline to refuel the planes was hauled across the ice-covered lake on a six-foot hand sled which held two barrels. After 1927 the field was also used for aerial gunnery practice.

World War II

Three 5000' x 150' hard-surface concrete runways aligned NE/SW, E/W and NW/SE were built in 1942 and the camp was renamed Oscoda Army Air Field. The airfield was placed under III Fighter Command

III Fighter Command

The III Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946.-Lineage:...

jurisdiction on 2 September 1942 and the 100th Base HQ and Air Base Squadron was activated at Oscoda AAF on 31 October 1942. The mission of the field was an auxiliary airfield of Selfridge Army Air Base for the defense of Saulte Sainte Marie

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...

and the Straits of Mackinac

Straits of Mackinac

The Straits of Mackinac is the strip of water that connects two of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and separates the Lower Peninsula of Michigan from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is a shipping lane providing passage for raw materials and finished goods, connecting, for...

. The airfield was declared excess by Third Air Force in December 1942 and turned over to Air Service Command and placed on standby status.

Third Air Force reactivated the field in March 1943 as a field for training black aviators. The 332d Fighter Group was moved from Selfridge AAB up to the primitive facilities due to racial tensions between the aviators and the local population in Detroit. Jurisdiction of the base was transferred back to First Air Force on 14 August 1943. The group remained at Oscoda until the end of December training black aviators and once graduated, they would be deployed to Italy where they joined several black fighter squadrons under Twelfth Air Force.

Beginning in July 1944, with the closure of Blackstone Army Airfield

Blackstone Army Airfield

Blackstone Army Airfield , also known as Allen C. Perkinson Airport, is located two miles east of the central business district of Blackstone, a town in Nottoway County, Virginia, United States. It is owned by the United States Army and the Town of Blackstone.It is named for Allen C...

, Virginia, it was used to train Free French Air Force

Free French Air Force

The Free French Air Force was the air arm of the Free French Forces during the Second World War.-Fighting for Free France — the FAFL in French North Africa :...

(French: Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres, FAFL) pilots under the 134th Army Air Forces Base Unit. On 12 July 1944 the arrival of one French lieutenant and 34 enlisted flying students on 17th July, followed shortly by the almost complete transfer of personnel from Blackstone AAF, started a new era of activity at the base. In three months, base personnel figures more than doubled. Under this new setup, the 134th AAF Base Unit (Fighter) consisted of four sections: Medical, Supply, Administrative and the French group. A training program was set up that consisted of subjects designed to prepare personnel for shipment to combat zones. Subjects ranged from gas warfare to first aid, and classroom instructed was supplemented by field exhibits, movies, and lectures.

The Free French Air Force pilots also went through an intensive period of advanced aerial training, after which they were sent to the French Army Air Forces Staging Area at Boiling Field, Washington, D.C. and from there to a Free French Air Force reception center for assignment to operational squadrons engaged in combat. In the course of one three-month period during that year, more than 125 fliers received gunnery training, through the Gunairstructor, the Range Estimation Trainer, aid the Deflection Trainer. During the subsequent months the mission of the base was broadened even further, to include combat crew training. By October 1944, 93 French army personnel completed the required training.

On 12 April 1945 a bulletin was received from First Air Force re-designating Oscoda AAF as a sub-group of Selfridge, and directing that Oscoda be utilized in the future as a bombing and gunnery range by Selfridge Field. Training of the French pilots ended and most USAAF personnel were transferred out.

Continental Air Command

Jurisdiction of Oscoda AAF was transferred to Continental Air Command

Continental Air Command

Continental Air Command was a Major Command of the United States Air Force responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.-Lineage:...

on 16 April 1945 and ConAC subsequently designated Oscoda as a sub-base Selfridge Field. It was placed in inactive status on 31 December 1945, and for the next several years, the station operated as a transient aircraft stopover.

The base was again reactivated as a primary installation on 20 February 1947, although it remained in a standby status by ConAC. In late 1950, an Air Defense Command Radar unit, the 754th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron arrived at Oscoda while its permanent facilities at Port Austin Air Force Station

Port Austin Air Force Station

Port Austin Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located south-southwest Port Austin, Michigan...

were under construction. It moved out on 20 July 1951.

Air Defense Command

The base became a permanent installation on 1 January 1951 when the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

designated it as a fighter-interceptor training base for the Air Defense Command's (ADC).

Much construction was necessary to bring the World War II training base up to postwar Air Force standards. In 1951 additional land surrounding the base was appropriated for military facilities and extended runways. A jet runway (6/24) was laid down along with accompanying taxiways, concrete block buildings and other support facilities to replace the temporary wooden World War II structures that were viewed as substandard for a permanent Air Force base.

The base was renamed Wurtsmith Air Force Base in 1953 after Michigan native Major General Paul Wurtsmith

Paul Wurtsmith

Paul Bernard Wurtsmith was a United States Army Air Forces general during World War II.Enlisting in the United States Army Air Corps as a flying cadet in 1927, was commissioned in 1928. Over the next 13 years, he served in instruction and command positions...

, who was killed when his TB-25J-27-NC Mitchell

B-25 Mitchell

The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...

, 44-30227, crashed near Cold Mountain, North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

in September 1946.

Wurtsmith AFB was considered a vital Air Defense Command base, an alert-status military base equipped with interceptors ready 24/7 to respond to unknown aircraft picked up by Ground Control Radar stations in the Great Lakes region. Upon activation, Wurtsmith-based interceptors were directed to intercept unknown aircraft by ADC ground control Radars at Willow Run AFS (P-23); Selfridge AFB (P-20); Port Austin AFS (P-61); Alpena AFS (M-105); Empire AFS (P-34), and Sault Sainte Marie AFS (P-66), and the interceptors were under the command of the 56th Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Selfridge AFB, Eastern Air Defense Force

Eastern Air Defense Force

The Eastern Air Defense Force is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on July 1, 1960.-History:...

, ADC.
The initial interceptor squadron assigned to Wurtsmith was the 63d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, assigned on 1 May 1951 and equipped with North American F-86A Sabres and was upgraded to the more-capable F-86F Sabre in December 1952.

On 6 February 1952, the 4706th Defense Wing at O'Hare International Airport

O'Hare International Airport

Chicago O'Hare International Airport , also known as O'Hare Airport, O'Hare Field, Chicago Airport, Chicago International Airport, or simply O'Hare, is a major airport located in the northwestern-most corner of Chicago, Illinois, United States, northwest of the Chicago Loop...

, Illinois, replaced the 56th FIW as the Command and Control organization for Wurtsmith AFB. At that time, intercepts by the 63d FIS were directed by a manual direction center (P-23) at Willow Run AFS which received radar data from a wider series of search and height surveillence radars in the Great Lakes Area. In May 1954 the first true ADC-dedicated interceptor, the F-86D Sabre was received by the 63d FIS, and the highly-capable Northrup F-89D Scorpion in January 1955. The squadron was moved to O'Hare International Airport

O'Hare International Airport

, near Chicago on 18 August 1955 in an ADC reorganization.

With the reorganization, the 412th Fighter Group was activated at Wurtsmith under the 4708th Air Defense Wing

4708th Air Defense Wing

The 4708th Air Defense Wing is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 30th Air Division, being stationed at Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan...

at Selfridge AFB.

The 445th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was moved from Geiger Field, Washington equipped with F-89D Scorpions. The 445th FIS was upgraded to the new F-89G Scorpion in March 1956 (the first F-89G squadron in ADC); and upgraded to the F-89J in September 1957. It again converted to the new F-102 Delta Dagger
F-102 Delta Dagger
The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was a US interceptor aircraft built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s. Entering service in 1956, its main purpose was to intercept invading Soviet bomber fleets...

supersonic interceptor in January 1960. It maintained alert with the F-102 until being inactivated on 30 September 1968 as part of the phaseout of the Delta Dagger in favor of the newer F-106 Delta Dart
F-106 Delta Dart
The Convair F-106 Delta Dart was the primary all-weather interceptor aircraft for the United States Air Force from the 1960s through the 1980s. Designed as the so-called "Ultimate Interceptor", it has proven to be the last dedicated interceptor in USAF service to date...

.

A second interceptor squadron, the 31st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
31st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
The 31st Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina...

was moved from Larson AFB, Washington, to Wurtsmith on 8 June 1956. The 31st flew the F-102 Delta Dagger, however remained at the base only briefly, before being deployed to Elmendorf AFB, near Anchorage, Alaska, on 20 August 1957 to serve on Alaskan Air Command
Alaskan Air Command
Alaskan Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. Established in 1945 under the United States Army Air Forces, its mission was to organize and administer the air defense system of Alaska, exercise direct control of all active measures, and coordinate all passive means of...

defense duty. The 31st FIS was replaced by the 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 20 August 1957, being moved from Ladd AFB, near Fairbanks, Alaska. The 18th also flew F-102s as the second FIS at Wurtsmith.

In 1958 a Semi Automatic Ground Environment

Semi Automatic Ground Environment

The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment was an automated control system for tracking and intercepting enemy bomber aircraft used by NORAD from the late 1950s into the 1980s...

(SAGE) Data Center (DC-06) was established at Custer AFS. The SAGE system was a network linking Air Force General Surveillance Radar stations into a centralized center for Air Defense, intended to provide early warning and response for a Soviet nuclear attack. The interceptors at Wurtsmith came under the command and control of DC-06 for direction and guidance to unknown aircraft within the region.

With the transfer of Wurtsmith to Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...

jurisdiction on 1 Apr 1960, ADC phased down its presence to a tenant organization. The 412th Fighter Group was inactivated on 1 April 1960. The 18th FIS was reassigned to the 478th Fighter Group at Grand Forks AFB, ND on 1 May 1960, leaving the 31st FIS as a single ADC interceptor squadron at the base. During the 1960s and early 1970s, ADC retained an alert posture on Wurtsmith with an air defense interceptor force for the Great Lakess aera:

The 445th FIS was inactivated on 30 September 1968 and retired its F-102s. It was replaced by the 75th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (36th AD) with McDonnell F-101B Voodoos.
The 94th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (23d AD) replaced the 75th FIS which was transferred to Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...

(TAC) on 1 December 1969 with F-106 Delta Dart
F-106 Delta Dart
The Convair F-106 Delta Dart was the primary all-weather interceptor aircraft for the United States Air Force from the 1960s through the 1980s. Designed as the so-called "Ultimate Interceptor", it has proven to be the last dedicated interceptor in USAF service to date...

s.
With the transfer to TAC of the 94th FIS, it was replaced by the 2d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (23d AD) on 1 July 1971 which took over the 94th FIS's F-106s. The 2d FIS inactivated at Wurtsmith on 31 March 1973 as part of the draw-down of the Aerospace Defense Command jet interceptor force and ended the ADC presence at Wurtsmith.

Strategic Air Command use

The Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

's 4026th Strategic Wing was activated at Wurtsmith on 1 August 1958. The 4026th SW was a B-52's dispersal wing, a part of SAC's plan to disperse its big bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. The 920th Refueling Group's KC-135 Stratotanker

KC-135 Stratotanker

The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...

s were transferred to the 4026th from Turner AFB, Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

in July 1960. It was inactivated on 9 January 1961.

SAC's 40th Air Division

40th Air Division

The 40th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force, stationed at Malmstrom AFB, Montana...

was reactivated in July 1959 and assigned to Eighth Air Force

Eighth Air Force

The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....

with headquartered at Wurtsmith AFB. The Division was the parent unit of four SAC wings and advisor to three Aerial Reserve Force units. The Division's mission was to supervise and monitor the operation of the 379th and 410th Bombardment Wings, the 305th Aerial Refueling Wing, the 351st Strategic Missile Wing, the 128th Aerial Refueling Group, and the 931st Aerial Refueling Group. SAC also began to extended the runway to 12,000 feet in 1959 to better accommodate the B-52. Along with the runway extension, a "Christmas Tree" alert pad area was constructed on the north side of the 24 runway end to accommodate 9 alert aircraft, and a "Mole Hole", where alert crews would live on shifts ready to man the alert aircraft and take off within a few minutes notice.

On 1 Apr 1960, jurisdiction of Wurthsmith was transferred from Air Defense Command to Strategic Air Command. The 379th Bombardment Wing became the Base Host Operating unit, being moved from Homestead AFB, Florida. On May 9, 1961, the 524th Bombardment Squadron

524th Bombardment Squadron

The 524th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 379th Bombardment Wing. It was last stationed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, and was inactivated on 15 June 1993.-History:...

took delivery of its first new Boeing B-52H Stratofortress, the "State of Michigan." The 920th Air Refueling Squadron

920th Air Refueling Squadron

The 920th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 379th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan. It was inactivated on 15 June 1993...

had arrived on 15 July 1960 with KC-135 Stratotanker

KC-135 Stratotanker

s that would refuel them in mid-air. The wing's B-52Hs were the latest, and fastest of the B-52s, the TF33 engines of the B-52H offered 30 percent more thrust than the J57s of the G-model, even when the J57s were using waster injection. A maximum thrust of 17,100 pounds could be delivered, producing much better airfield performance and an extra margin of safety during heavyweight takeoffs. For the B-52H, the ground roll was about 500 feet less than that of the B-52G. The TF33 was also much more economical, offering a notable improvement in range. Combat radius of the B-52H was 4176 nautical miles with a 10,000 pound bomb load, as compared with only 3550 nautical miles for the B-52G.

The 379th and its subordinate units' mission was to operate at full readiness, and support activities included aircraft and vehicle maintenance, bombing crew and unit training, and air refueling support. The wing did not deploy bomber aircraft to Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

during the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

, as the B-52H was dedicated to strategic deterrence. However, the tanker aircraft and aircrews participated in the "Young Tiger" TDY

TDY

A temporary duty assignment , also known as "temporary additional duty" , "temporary duty travel" or "temporary duty" , refers to a United States Government employee travel assignment at a location other than the employee's permanent duty station. They are usually of relatively short duration,...

effort, and the bomber aircrews went through RTU (Replacement Training Unit) training to fly B-52Ds out of Andersen AFB, Guam and U-Tapao RTAFB, Thailand and were active participants in many of the notable campaigns that took place in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

such as Arc Light

Arc Light

Arc Light is the debut novel by Eric L. Harry, a techno-thriller about limited nuclear war published in 1994 and written in 1991-2.As China and Russia clash in Siberia in June 1999, nuclear missiles strike the United States. The U.S. retaliates against Russia, and World War III begins...

.

In 1977, the 379th exchanged their B-52Hs for the conventional bomb capable B-52G. In 1989, the Air Force selected Wurtsmith as one of seven bases that would house LGM-118A Peacekeeper

LGM-118A Peacekeeper

The LGM-118A Peacekeeper, also known as the MX missile , was a land-based ICBM deployed by the United States starting in 1986. A total of 50 missiles were deployed. They have since been deactivated....

ICBM Peacekeeper Rail Garrison

LGM-118A Peacekeeper

. A Rail Garrison would address the survivability problem by which 25 trains, each with two missiles, would use the national railroad system to conceal themselves. It was intended that this system would become operational in late 1992, but budgetary constraints and the changing international situation led to it being scrapped.

In the early 1980s, Wurtsmith's B-52Gs were modified to carry the Boeing AGM-86 Air-Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM). The ALCM was powered by a 600 lb.s.t. Williams F107-WR-100 turbofan, which is fed by an inlet which folds out on the top of the missile. The B-52G could carry six AGM-86Bs on each of the two underwing pylons.

Retirement of the B-52G began in the late 1980s in accordance with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I

START I

START was a bilateral treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. The treaty was signed on 31 July 1991 and entered into force on 5 December 1994...

), however the Gulf War of 1990-1991

Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

resulted in a temporary delay in the inactivation of B-52G units. Wurtsmith-based B-52Gs were deployed to the 1708th Bombardment Wing (Provisional), King Abdul Aziz Air Base, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (5 Aircraft) and the 801st Bombardment Wing (Provisional), (8 Aircraft). The planes arrived at dawn on the first day of the air war. One plane flew 29 missions out of Jeddah, the most of any bomber crew in the theater. The aircraft returned to Michigan in March 1991.

Closure

The dissolution of the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

further accelerated B-52G retirements and led the U.S. Air Force to inactivate the Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

in 1992. As a result of this action, nearly all KC-135 Stratotanker

KC-135 Stratotanker

aircraft were transferred to the newly-established Air Mobility Command

Air Mobility Command

Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....

(AMC), while all B-52 Stratofortress

B-52 Stratofortress

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...

es, along with all B-1 Lancer

B-1 Lancer

The Rockwell B-1 LancerThe name "Lancer" is only applied to the B-1B version, after the program was revived. is a four-engine variable-sweep wing strategic bomber used by the United States Air Force...

s, FB-111s, and the soon-to-be operational B-2 Spirit

B-2 Spirit

The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is an American heavy bomber with low observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses and deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber has a crew of two and can drop up to eighty -class JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or sixteen ...

s were transferred to the newly-established Air Combat Command

Air Combat Command

Air Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....

(ACC). As a result of this action, Wurtsmith was also transferred to ACC control.

Wurtsmith AFB closed on June 30, 1993 as a result of the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure

Base Realignment and Closure

Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...

(BRAC) process, which determined that the development of new weapons and long-range satellite surveillance systems rendered many installations unnecessary. On the overcast foggy morning of December 15, 1992, the last B-52G, AF Serial No. 57-6492, the "Old Crow Express," was flown to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base

Davis–Monthan Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, and approximately south-southeast of downtown, Tucson, Arizona....

for storage.

Previous names

Camp Skeel, November 1931
Oscoda Army Air Field, August 1942
Oscoda Air Force Base, 24 June 1948.
Wurtsmith Air Force Base, 15 February 1953-30 June 1993

Major commands to which assigned

General Headquarters Air Force, 26 Jun 1936
Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....

2 September 1942
Air Service Command, 12 Dec 1942;
Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....

, 5 Mar 1943
First Air Force
First Air Force
The First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....

, 14 Aug 1943
Continental Air Forces, 16 Apr 1945

Re-designated Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

, 21 Mar 1946

Continental Air Command
Continental Air Command
Continental Air Command was a Major Command of the United States Air Force responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.-Lineage:...

,1 Jan 1949
Air Defense Command, 1 Jan 1951
Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...

, 1 Apr 1960
Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....

, 1 June 1992-30 June 1993

Major units assigned

First Pursuit Group, 15 Oct 1927
100th Base HQ and Air Base Squadron, 31 October 1942
524th Base HQ and Air Base Squadron, 21 Jun 1943
134th AAF Base Unit, 14 Apr 1944-12 Apr 1945
4301st Base Services Squadron, 1 Aug 1948

Re-designated: 2476th Base Service Squadron, 1 Jan 1949

Re-designated: 4655th Base Service Squadron, 1 Dec 1950

332d Fighter Group, 2 April 1943 - July 9, 1943
100th Fighter Squadron
100th Fighter Squadron
The 100th Fighter Squadron currently flies the F-16C/D Fighting Falcon. It is a unit of the Alabama Air National Guard. Its parent unit is the 187th Fighter Wing...

, October 29, 1943 - November 8, 1943
301st Fighter Squadron
301st Fighter Squadron
The 301st Fighter Squadron is part of the 44th Fighter Group at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. It operates the F-22A Raptor conducting advanced fighter training as a reserve corollary unit to the 49th Fighter Wing.-World War II:...

, May 21, 1943 - July 10, 1943
302d Fighter Squadron
302d Fighter Squadron
The 302nd Fighter Squadron is part of the 477th Fighter Group at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. It operates the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor conducting an air superiority mission.-Mission:...

, 19 Nov 1943-Dec 1943
403d Fighter Squadron, May 1943-15 Dec 1943
754th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, 27 Nov 1950-20 Jul 1951

63d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 5 Jan 1951-IS Aug 1955
527th Air Service Group

Re-designated 527th Air Defense Group

527th Air Defense Group

The 527th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 4708th Air Defense Wing, being stationed at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan...

, 16 Feb 1953-15 19Oct 55

445th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 15 Aug 1955-30 Sep 196S
31st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
31st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
The 31st Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina...

, 8 Jun 1956-20 Aug 1957
18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 20 Aug 1957-27 Apr 1960
4026th Strategic Wing, I Aug 195S-9 Jan 1961
40th Air Division
40th Air Division
The 40th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force, stationed at Malmstrom AFB, Montana...

, 1 July 1959- 8 June 1988
920th Air Refueling Squadron
920th Air Refueling Squadron
The 920th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 379th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan. It was inactivated on 15 June 1993...

, 15 July 1960-15 June 1993
379th Bombardment Wing, 9 January 1961-30 June 1993
94th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1 July 1971-31 March 1973

Current status

The Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport

Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport

Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport is a public use airport located three nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Oscoda, an unincorporated community in Iosco County, Michigan, United States...

became a public airport in 1993. It now occupies a portion of the base and is primarily used for cargo and light general aviation activities; there is no scheduled airline service. The Airport offers 24-hour near all weather daily access. The former USAF air traffic control tower is not operational and the airport's UNICOM frequency is 123.0 MHz, which doubles as a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF). Automated weather is available by monitoring the ASP VOR on 116.1 MHz or by telephone at (989)739-1310. Services are available through Oscoda Aviation Services at (989)739-8486.

The Wurtsmith Base Conversion Authority terminated in 1994, when the Charter Township of Oscoda

Oscoda Township, Michigan

Oscoda Charter Township is a charter township of Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,248 at the 2000 census.- Communities :...

took over as the Redevelopment Authority. The Authority was organized under Michigan Public Act 206 of 1957. It has five municipal constituents: Oscoda Township, AuSable Township, Greenbush Township, Iosco County and Alcona County. The purpose of the Authority is generally to operate and maintain a public airport. The Michigan Legislature

Michigan Legislature

The Michigan Legislature is the legislative assembly of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is organized as a bicameral body consisting of the Senate, the upper house, and the House of Representatives, the lower house. Article IV of the state's Constitution, adopted in 1963, defines the role of the...

created the Wurtsmith Renaissance Zone in 1997, which exempted businesses and residents of the 5,000 acre (20 km²) zone from all state and most local taxes.

Most of the former Air Force facilities remain. Sections of the 1942 World War II airfield remain as well as the wartime aircraft parking apron. Those facilities were used by Air Defense Command interceptors, with the ADC alert sheds remaining and a section of the Wartime NW/SE runway being converted into a taxiway for the interceptors to use for alert launches. ADC control and maintence buildings remain intact, albeit unused. The "Wurtsmith Division - Yankee Air Force Museum" is housed in the old ADC alert facility. The SAC B-52 alert facility and alert pads remain and are unused. The large parking ramp built by SAC for B-52s and KC-135s now is utilized by the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport as aircraft parking space, and some of the old SAC hangars also appear to be in use.

Most of the ground station appears to be unused. About a third of the buildings appear to have been torn down, their foundations remaining. Another third have found new uses. The base athletic facilities remain in use; Kalitta Air

Kalitta Air

Kalitta Air is an American cargo airline headquartered in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, United States. It operates international scheduled and ad-hoc cargo charter services. Its main base is Willow Run Airport near Ypsilanti.-History:...

has a large operation at the airport. Other tenants at the former base include the Aune Medical Center, Alcona Health Center Dental Clinic, Alpena Community College

Alpena Community College

Alpena Community College is a public two-year college located in Alpena, Michigan, United States, and was founded in 1952. The college has a main campus in Alpena and another campus, Huron Shores, located on the former in Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda, Michigan.The college offers two-year...

, and numerous private businesses; the remainder being unused, such as the former base commissary and exchange.

The former military housing units have been refurbished by the Villages of Oscoda, and now serve as a major population base in the Oscoda

Oscoda Township, Michigan

Oscoda Charter Township is a charter township of Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,248 at the 2000 census.- Communities :...

area.

Oscoda township's Robert J. Parks Public Library is located on the former base and is part of an eight-library cooperative of public libraries in both Iosco and Arenac

Arenac County, Michigan

-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 17,269 people, 6,710 households, and 4,717 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile . There were 9,563 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...

counties. Right next door is the Shoreline Players Theater, a stage theater that provides plays, musicals, and other performing arts. It is housed in a former movie theater for soldiers.

Environmental concerns

On January 18, 1994, the Environmental Protection Agency

United States Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...

proposed to add Wurtsmith Air Force Base to the National Priorities List

National Priorities List

The National Priorities List is the list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for long-term remedial action financed under the federal Superfund program. Environmental Protection Agency regulations outline a formal process for assessing hazardous waste sites and placing them on...

. This would make the base a Superfund

Superfund

Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...

site. The proposal was driven by the discovery of contaminated groundwater on the base. Contaminants of primary concern include metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and volatile organic compounds, including trichloroethylene

Trichloroethylene

The chemical compound trichloroethylene is a chlorinated hydrocarbon commonly used as an industrial solvent. It is a clear non-flammable liquid with a sweet smell. It should not be confused with the similar 1,1,1-trichloroethane, which is commonly known as chlorothene.The IUPAC name is...

, 1,1-dichloroethane

1,1-Dichloroethane

1,1-Dichloroethane is a chlorinated hydrocarbon. It is a colorless oily liquid with a chloroform-like odor. It is not easily soluble in water, but miscible with most organic solvents....

, 1,1,1-trichloroethane

1,1,1-Trichloroethane

The organic compound 1,1,1-trichloroethane, also known as methyl chloroform, is a chloroalkane. This colourless, sweet-smelling liquid was once produced industrially in large quantities for use as a solvent...

, and vinyl chloride

Vinyl chloride

Vinyl chloride is the organochloride with the formula H2C:CHCl. It is also called vinyl chloride monomer, VCM or chloroethene. This colorless compound is an important industrial chemical chiefly used to produce the polymer polyvinyl chloride . At ambient pressure and temperature, vinyl chloride...

. Knowledge of the contaminated soil and groundwater have been known since 1977, and cleanup efforts began before the Superfund program was created. In 1999 and 2001, Soil vapor extraction

Soil vapor extraction

Soil Vapor Extraction is an in situ process for soil remediation where contamination is removed from soil by carrying it out through a medium such as air or steam. The extracted soil vapors are separated into liquids and vapors, and each stream is treated as necessary...

systems were added to remove the volatile organic compounds from the site. Since 2004, bioventing and biosparging systems have been cleaning the soil and groundwater as well.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

History

World War II

Continental Air Command

Air Defense Command

Strategic Air Command use

Closure

Previous names

Major commands to which assigned

Major units assigned

Current status

Environmental concerns

See also

External links