Wear layered clothing. Lived on base in one of the housing units with my family and walked to work every day in the T-building. Point Sur Lightstation is a lighthouse at Point Sur, California, 135 miles south of San Francisco, on the 361-foot -tall rock at the head of the point. Still think about it daily. To maintain the top-secret capabilities of this technology, even inside the base, access to the cable terminal equipment T-building was severely restricted behind its own secure fence and armed guard post. It became part of the Point Sur State Historic Park. Your email address will not be published. Volunteer historian Carol O’Neil at the former U.S. The former Point Sur Naval Facility is now open for walking tours. The facility was one of the few stand-alone SOSUS stations around the world; virtually all others were part of larger bases. The early SOSUS arrays were positioned at the edge of the continental shelf at a depth of about 650 feet (200 meters) pointed into the deep ocean. Wires from this building stretched 25 miles out to sea to 30 hydrophones. In 1958, the Navy built a Naval Facility (NAVFAC) ½ mile from Point Sur, to provide top-secret submarine surveillance employing the classified SOSUS (SOund $40. During World War II, naval personnel stationed at Point Sur, California conducted experiments with early sonar and radar systems. Naval Facility Point Sur, California was commissioned 8 January 1958. As part of the Point Sur State Historic Park, restoration is begining and limited access is possible. Calculez votre trajet depuis et vers Mietsu Naval Facility Site, trouvez votre restaurant ou votre hôtel et consultez la carte sur ViaMichelin. “It’s important for the cold warriors to know that they are valued and their stories are out there.” Eager to hear their stories, I joined a line of vehicles awaiting access to this former top-secret naval operation. Technicians monitored undersea sounds for specific patterns indicating the presence of missile-carrying enemy submarines. The only large two-story structure on campus, a long dormitory with little privacy housed bachelor enlisted personnel. On March 8, 1968, the boat sank without a trace in the ocean northwest of Hawaii. Even today, little is known publicly about its activities other than its role in locating Soviet submarine K-129 that sank near Hawaii in 1968. It is the only remaining complete, stand alone (SOSUS) Naval Facility (from the Cold War) on the West Coast. They estimated the cost to build new labs and renew use of the SOSUS system at $10 million, but the U.S. Navy did not accept their recommendation. White-painted concrete block walls are decorated with documents and photos from Cold War days. Most other SOSUS facilities were parts of larger military complexes, while Point Sur was established as a stand-alone, self-sufficient base. We followed a cracked, weed-lined asphalt road towards the ocean. Details . As part of the Point Sur State Historic Park, restoration is begining and limited access is possible. Sur Naval Facility, it’s on track to join the 90,000 plus other places deemed as important to our collective American history. Access to that site has been closed to the public since early 2019 for repairs to the road. The Sur Submarine Canyon reaches a depth of 3,000 ft (910 m) just 8 mi (13 km) south of Point Sur,[4] which allowed the facility to acquire deep ocean acoustic data closer to shore. The state park is currently using some of the facility's housing. A proposal in 2007 to reactivate the facilty to train future Navy commanders in making decisions about combat situations with sonar technology went unheeded. Volunteers are heavily involved in restoration efforts and provide lengthy walking tours of the lighthouse complex as well as the naval facility, which also sits on the Point Sur … According to an official Navy report, the project was deemed successful as determined by “how much was accomplished in remarkably short time. Although the federal government donated most of the campus to California State Parks in 2000, it retained ownership of the cable terminal site. Point Sur Lighthouse is situated 1 mile west of Point Sur Naval Facility. We'll share some photos this week! “We had heroes in the Cold War,” O’Neil insisted in a recent interview on KAZU, public radio for the Monterey Bay area. The former Point Sur Naval Facility is now open for walking tours. It provided continuous support to undersea surveillance. The facility was manned by ten officers, 96 enlisted personnel, and 18 civilians. Point Sur SHP is better known for its haunted light station atop the eponymous rock monolith. Our tour concluded in the Administration building, the only restored interior on the base. From: City: Check-in: Check-out: Rooms: Travelers: Get: Tips and reviews. The Navy became very accomplished in identifying specific … It is the only remaining complete, stand alone (SOSUS) Naval Facility (from the Cold War) on the West Coast. According to the NPS, the National Register records "hold information on more than 1.4 million individual resources--buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects--and therefore provide a link to the country's heritage at the national, state, and local levels.” The Point Sur facility played a key role in locating the wreck of Soviet submarine K-129. As part of the Point Sur State Historic Park, restoration is … It continued to function until the mid-1980s when retired Navy officer John Walker was arrested for spilling the beans to the Soviets. Premium Ebike self guided coastal tours- Scenic Carmel, 17-Mile Dr & Point Lobos. 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