U. S. NAVAL STATION NAVY No. 127 %POSTMASTER SEATTLE, WASHINGTON IN REPLY REFER TO: NS/KOD/A9-2 95:PH:jgh Ser 335 FEB 20 1952 From: Commanding Officer, U. S. Naval Station, Kodiak, Alaska To: Chief of Naval Operations (Aviation History and Research Section) Subj: Historical Report (OpNav Report 575-1); submission of Ref: (a) OpNav Instruction 5750.2 Encl: (1) Historical Report for period 1 July 1951 to 31 December 1951 1. In accordance with reference (a), subject historical report is herewith submitted as enclosure (1). R. C. BRIXNER [handwritten:] copy destroyed 12/2/55 E.M. U. S. NAVAL STATION KODIAK, ALASKA HISTORICAL REPORT (OpNav Report 575-1) 1 July - 31 December 1951 HISTORICAL OFFICER LCDR PAUL HAAS, Jr., 116640/1310, U. S. Navy ENCLOSURE (1) A. CHRONOLOGY __________ 1. Captain Leonard J. DOW, 60353/1310, U. S. Navy, was relieved as Commanding Officer 3 July 1951. Commander George P KOCH, 73674/1310, U. S. Navy, Acting Commanding Officer 3 July 1951 to 6 September 1951. Captain Robert C. BRIXNER, 61107/1310, U. S. Navy assumed command 6 September 1951. 2. The U. S. Naval Station is under the management control of the Bureau of Aeronautics; military command and coordination control of the Seventeenth Naval District. The Naval Station, Kodiak, Alaska is patterned after the 1950 Bureau of Aeronautics Manual's Standard Naval Air Station Organization. 3. Geographical location: Kodiak Island, Territory of Alaska. 4. None 5. Area of Geographic responsibility: a. Search and Rescue Area II as designated by ComAlSeaFron under CinCA1. b. The geographical area of responsibility for weather broadcasts was changed by Chief Naval Operations effective 0001Z 1 October 1951. This area of responsibility assigned the Naval Aerological Facility, Kodiak, Alaska is approximately the same as that of Commander Alaskan Sea Frontier and includes the water area between longitude 160oE and 127.7oW, bounded on the North by latitude 75oN and on the South by a line extending from latitude 42oN, longitude 160oE to latitude 42oN longitude 150oW northeastward to latitude 52oN and the west coast of Canada at longitude 127.7oW. This activity also has cognizance over automatic weather stations (TDM-1's) located on Chirikof Island, and Simeonof Island. 6. Summary of assistance rendered by Commander Search and Rescue Area II: July: ____ 1. The USS TILLAMOCK towed the ATA 241 and YFN 1165 from near Cold bay to Kodiak; ATA 241 had engine failure. 7. Coast Guard PBY-5A evacuated an appendicitis patient from King Salmon to Kodiak. 11. Naval Station PBY-6A evacuated three (3) seriously injured men from Chignik Bay to Kodiak. 29. Naval Station PBY-6A evacuated a native girl with appendicitis from Larsen Bay Cannery to Kodiak. 29. Naval Station PBY-6A evacuated a seriously ill native woman from Squaw Harbor to Kodiak. 1 August: ______ 1. Coast Guard PBY-5A evacuated a seriously injured man from Kukak to Kodiak. 3. Coast Guard Buoy Tender CLOVER towed Grumman "Goose" N69264 From 40 miles south-west of Nome to Nome; one engine had failed. 14. Coast Guard PBY-5A evacuated a seriously injured man from Shuyak Island to Kodiak. 15. Naval Station PBY-6A discovered remains of a P4Y-2 BUNR 66298 and crew attached to VP-9 on Amak Island near Cold Bay. The plane had disappeared on 12 August. There were no survivors. 15. The TAKL 33 evacuated a seriously injured man from Iron Creek Cannery to Kodiak. 17. The TAKL 33 with a doctor aboard proceeded to Kaguyak where four (4) children were treated for whooping cough. 30. Coast Guard PBY-5A with doctor aboard proceeded to Perryville where twenty-one (21) cases of whooping cough were treated and twenty- five (25) vaccinations given. On the return flight a seriously ill man was evacuated from Cold bay to Kodiak. 31. Naval Station PBY-6A evacuated a seriously ill boy from Sand Point to Anchorage. September: _________ 11. Naval Station PBY-6A located the F/V John L.C. which was reported in trouble near Montague Island; when located, vessel was in no trouble. 12. Coast Guard PBY-5A evacuated two (2) emergency medical cases from Igiak bay to Bethel. 17. USS TILLAMOOK with doctor aboard preoceeded to Karluk where one hundred thirty-nine (139) natives were treated for illness, including whooping cough and jaundice. 22. Coast Guard PBY-5A evacuated four (4) seriously injured Army personnel from Platinum to Anchorage. 26. Naval Station PBY-6A evacuated a seriously ill Air Force Airman from Gambel to Nome. 2 26. Coast Guard PBY-5A evacuated a seriously ill man from Cape Romanzof to Kodiak. October: _______ 5. Coast Guard PBY-5A evacuated an injured airman from Rocky Bay to Anchorage. 8. Army Tug LT 373 towed the TATA 242 and LSW 1460 from thirty- five (35) miles Northwest of Cape Serichef to Dutch Harbor. 17. Coast Guard PBY-5A with doctor aboard proceeded to Old Harbor where seventy-five (75) patients were treated, 90% of them for whooping cough. A native baby ill with tuberculosis was evacuated to Kodiak on return flight. 21. Coast Guard Cutter BITTERSWEET assisted the LT 373 and the LSV 1373 who were reported in a sinking condition near Uzinki. The BITTERSWEET pumped them out and escorted both to Kodiak. 26. Naval Station R4D located F/V Kerry for a cannery tender in Raspberry Strait. 28. Coast Guard PBY-5A with doctor aboard flew to Alitak, Kodiak Island where forty seven (47) cases of whooping cough were treated. 28. October to 2 November: Coast Guard PBY-5A searched for tug Kotzebue and tow which became lost in a storm near Nome. The tow was located and the tug Kotzebue, without radio communication, ar- rived in Nome 2 November. 29. Coast Guard PBY-5A with doctor aboard flew to Old harbor where fifteen (15) cases of chicken pox were treated. 29. Naval Station PBY-6A evacuated a seriously ill man from Cold Bay to Anchorage. November: ________ 3. Naval Station PBY-6A evacuated a seriously ill woman from Chignik to Kodiak. 9. Coast Guard PBY-5A evacuated a seriously ill man from False Pass to Kodiak. 15. Coast Guard PBY-5A with doctor aboard treated a seriously ill woman at Old Harbor. 3 21. Naval Station PBY-6A evacuated a seriously wounded man from Chig- nik to Kodiak. 26. Coast Guard PBY-5A parachuted medical supplies at Pavlof Harbor on Sanak Island. December: ________ 15. Coast Guard PBY-5A departed Kodiak for search of Army Tug lost near Cape St. Elias. The tug was located prior to the plane's arrival inthe area. 15. Naval Station PBY-6A evacuated a seriously wounded man from King Slamon to Kodiak. 30. Coast Guard PBY-5A searched for and located an Army barge near Cape St. Elias lighthouse. (See appendix for SAR summary) CHRONOLOGY (Continued) July: ____ 10. A Public Works survey party proceeded to Karluk Village, Kodiak, Island, to secure land and survey data relative to the installation of a YR radio beacon at this site. (1), (2) 13. Fire occurred in Commissioned Officers' Mess (Open). Damage was comparatively minor. (3) During the period from 29 July to 8 August this station provided air support with two (2) PBY-6As for the BAREX-51 expedition. Support consisted of flying an "ice pilot" along the ice pack in the Beaufort Sea to observe ice flow. 61.9 hours were flown. August: ______ 23. Completed realignment of north and south legs Kodiak Radio Range. 25. Governor Thomas E. DEWEY visited Naval Station Kodiak on brief tour. (1) CNO ltr serial 174P42 of 20 October 1950 (2) BuShips spdltr serial 881C-10881 of 15 Dec 1950 (3) CO NS Kodiak ltr A23-3 dtd 8 August 1951 4 September: _________ 13. Completed installationand began operation of YR radio beacon at Shuyak Island. (1), (2) November: ________ 2. HO3S, BuNo 124346 crash landed on Puffin Island, Kodiak, due to engine failure. Aircraft received strike damage; injuries to pilot and passengers were minor. 29. GCA Unit #3 guided Military Air Transportation Serivce plane R5D, 1998 to a safe landing when the plane was unable to maintain altitude on three (3) engines. (1) CNO ltr serial 174P42 of 20 October 1950 (2) BuShips spdltr serial 881C-10881 of 15 Dec 1950 5 NARRATIVE 1. During this period, the Medical Flight Team accompanied the Coast Guard Search and Rescue Organization and the U.S. Naval Station Rescue Team on approximately twenty-six (26) mercy missions. The standard procedure of sending one medical officer, a flight surgeon, accompanied by a Navy Hospital Corpsman with adequate medical supplies to handle the given situation has produced a highly efficient working team to render immediate professional treatment upon reaching the mercy mission destination. Many cases requiring prolonged hospitalization are returned to the station via airplane and taken by ambulance to the Griffin Memorial Hospital in Kodiak. 2. The majority of mercy flights undertaken were for humanitarian evacuation of natives in the outlying island areas. On several occasions epidemics have been brought under control by this prompt coordinated action of the Search and Rescue Organization and the Medical Department. On several occasions, urgently needed medical supplies were parachuted by airplane to the personnel in need. 3. In the past five months the services of a Territorial Public Health nurse which were usually available in the town of Kodiak were discontinued. During this period, the navy Medical Department of this station furnished the majority of medical supplies and the services of Medical Officers which had previously been furnished by the Territorial Health Department. More than twenty five thousand (2500) dollars worth of aureomycin alone was furnished to outlying islands and villages. it was felt that this added responsibility which frequently imposes a serious drain on the supplies and services of this station, should again be assumed by the Alaska Territorial Health Department. 4. During the past six months there were six proven cases of Weil's Disease admitted to the Infirmary. Five of those cases were natives of this area who had just been hired by the Navy and one case was a Chief Petty Officer residing in the town of Kodiak. Prior to this time one case of Weil's Disease had been admitted to the Infirmary, a Chief Petty Officer also residing in the town of Kodiak. 5. The Senior Medical Officer was directed by Commander in Chief, Alaskan Sea Frontier to afford all reasonable cooperation to civilian authorities for a rat control program in the town of Kodiak. A program was suggested to the town council and measures were immediately instituted to prevent any further spread of Weil's Disease. Preventive measures on this station against Weil's Disease were intensified by the Sanitation crew and the results were gratifying. "Warfarin" was used with great success. 6. In early July production rights to the stage play "South Pacific" were obtained. The stage play received the approval and financial support of the Commandant Seventeenth Naval District and talent was secured from the Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines and Civil Service workers in the Kodiak 6 and Anchorage area. Following three (3) successive presentations on the Naval Station the troup toured Adak Naval Station and the Fairbanks, Anchorage Army Air Force installation. A total of twenty-six (26) performances were presented before the play officially closed. "South Pacific", the first play of its kind to be shown in the Alaskan Theater, was a great success and an excellent morale builder. 7. The "Ski Chalet" was remodeled, painted, and equipped with one hundred twenty-five (125) pairs of skis and poles. A new ski tow of eighteen hundred (1800) feet was completed of which nine hundred (900) feet served as a tow for toboggans. 8. Weekly BaseDefense Drills were conducted during this period in addition to occasional practice alerts. 9. The installation of a direct line from GCA Unit number three (3) to Anchorage Approach Control was approved to permit more expeditious communications during Ground Control Approaches, particularly during emergencies and for "Stack Control". 10. During this period, three (3) aircraft ran off the end of the runway after landing from a GCA approach. It is considered that the accidents were caused by a failure ot the pilots to continue following GCA instruc- tions after field minimums were reached and going well above the glide path and consequently overshooting. To aid in preventing any repetition of the above, all pilots are breifed to make practice GCA approaches over the end of the runway before breaking off. 11. The loss of the helicopter, HO3S-1, BuNo 124346, was keenly felt by this station. Because of the area's rugged terrain, poor roads, and near freezing water for most of the year, its availability for search and rescue work was of inestimable value. In addition, it provided expedi- tious transportation for Public Works maintenance crews for inspection and servicing of communications and radio equipment at outlying points. 12. Fifteen hundred (1500) feet extension to runway 7-25, which increased the length to seventy-five hundred (7500) feet, and additional taxiways, were completed during this period, but not opened for regular operations. 13. The station proviced facilities and support for the followiing activities: Headquarters, Seventeenth Naval District Naval Communication Station FasRon 114 One Patrol Squadron VR-3 Detachment Coast Guard Air Detachment Military Sea Transportation Service 7 14. During the latter half of 1951 a classification survey of all graded civilian positions was conducted in cooperation with the Area Wage and Classification Office in Seattle. During August and September the position descriptions of all graded positions were rewritten or certified after being reviewed. The Survey was completed and the new classifications allocated on 21 December. Nineteen (19) positions were upgraded and two (2) were downgraded. 15. During December a Supervisor Selection Program, patterned after Civil Service procedure prescribed for the competitive service was inaugurated. 16. During the second half of 1951 civilian personnel ceilings of the Station were sharply cut. A succession of freezes resulted in a reduction in Group IVo ceilings from one hundred ninety-six (196) to one hundred seventy-nine (179). Ungraded ceilings were cut from five hundred sixty- three (563) to five hundred thirty-six (536). These reductions gave rise to grave doubt that the Station would be able to perform adequately those phases of its mission which depend on the participation of civilian personnel. Lacking adequate civilian personnel, departments were faced with a choice of one or a combination of three alternatives: working the on-board civilian force overtime; utilizing military personnel in work normally performed by civilians; or leaving much important work undone. A careful analysis in October of the needs for Group IVb employees revealed that two hundred twenty (220) would be required to assure that none of the three undesirable alternatives listed would have to be practiced. 17. The housing situation for civilian personnel continued to deteriorate and was reflected in many phases of employee relations. A contributing factor was the increase in the number of "key" persons on the civilian housing list. Persons in this category were added so rapidly that "non-key" civilians who had been on the housing list for extended periods found they were not moving up as vacancies occurred. Yet the personnel, GS-8 and above, required to perform the important jobs on the Station could not be attracted to Kodiak without the assurance of housing within a reasonable period. The enlargement of District and Station engineering staffs and the filling of other "key" jobs formerly vacant or occupied by unmarried males indicated that this problem might become even more serious. 18. Because of the lack of housing, it was difficult to attract the most desirable caliber of employees to Kodiak. However, efforts were made to bolster up the flagging recruitment program by the initiation of two important steps: first, negotiations were begun to establish a Civil Service Examining Board in the Seventeenth Naval District with a detached member on the examining board of the Thirteenth Naval District; second, steps were taken to make the services of the Navy Overseas Employment Office in the Twelfth Naval District available to activities in Alaska. At year's end there was hopeful promise that both of the developments would be successfully consummated early in 1952. 8 19. Housing in the Kodiak area for military personnel remained critical due to the Korean crisis. Private quarters in the town of Kodiak were extremely scarce. To ease the situation, in late summer, construction was begun on fifty-six (56) housing units on the Naval Station. 20. Contract repair work was in progress throughout the summer on the cargo pier and a three hundred (300) foot extension was added to the Marginal Pier giving a total of approximately two thousand five hundred fifty (2550) feet of berthing space. Some difficulty was experienced during the progress of this work in providing berthing for the ships calling at this port, however, there was no appreciable delay in the turn-around of any ship. 21. The Stevedore Division was organized early in May, but was not included in the last historical report. Prior to this time, working parties were secured from various departments to handle cargo. This disrupted normal work routine in the departments involved and unloading and loading operations were far from efficient. 22. The Stevedore Division was used for Station working parties, when not working ships, with the commissary store, supply warehouse and special work details receiving the bulk of the man power. During the summer months, this division furnished crews for an LCVP, a motor launch and a motor whaleboat. The Stevedores furnished two platoons for the ground forces. Because this division furnished an excellent opportunity to learn deck seamanship and, due to the variety of work assignments, to get acquainted with the other departments of the station, it was used as an "X" division for most SA's reporting to this station. These men were transferred to other divisions as the need arose. 23. The Aerological Facilities Department continued to perform all of the aerological functions of the disestablished Navy Weather Central Kodiak during subject period. Details relating to the schedules and contents of the weather broadcasts of this activity in this respect are contained in H.O. 206 and JANAP 195 (B). 24. Automatic weather stations (TAM-1). It has always been considered that weather reports from Chirikof and Simeonof Islands would be of considerable assistance in forecasting local weather. In an effort to obtain such reports automatic weather stations were installed at Chirikof in May 1946, and at Simeonof in October 1948. These units became inoperative and have remained so since about 1 September 1949. Both of these units required far more servicing and attention than should have been necessary for an auto- matic weather station. In order to fulfill the requirements for weather reports from the region of these islands, it was planned to request reliable automatic weather reporting units requiring approximately two service checks per year to replace the units currently installed. 9 25. Organization change. Bureau of Personnel effectuated the disestablish- ment of the billet of Aerological Officer, Naval Station, Kodiak, (1), and on 13 November the Aerological Officer, Staff, Alaskan Sea Frontier, was assigned additional duty as Aerological Officer, Naval Station, Kodiak. (1) BuPers Allowance ltr Per-A1312 des serial L-6700 of 26 October 1951 10 APPENDIX 1. Statistics: a. Seventy-nine (79) flight physical examinations were conducted during the second half of 1951. The majority of groundings were due to common cold. The average lengh of time of grounding for this condition was five (5) to seven (7) days. The number of personnel grounded through 31 December 1951 did not seriously affect or hamper the efforts or efficiency of the squadrons of the station. b. Eleven thousand (11000) items pecular to ship repair were physic- ally transferred from the Army, Fort Greely, to the Navy Ship Repair Department. c. Two thousand (2000) tons of general stores items received from the Army for Military Sea Transportation Service support were converted to Navy stock numbers and excessed to NSD, Oakland, California. d. All local stock in APA was screened and approximately seventy-five (75) percent reclassified under standard stock numbers and taken up in NSA. General stores type material received from the Army under Army stock numbers was reclassified under Navy standard stock numbers. e. Total hours flown by station aircraft - one thousand two hundred twenty-six (1226). f. Total landings and takeoffs - two thousand sixteen (2016). g. Ground Control Approaches VFR - 864 IFR - 116 Total - 980 h. Search and Rescue Summary: (1) Total Search and Rescue Missions - 38 (2) Total Air Evacuation Flights - 21 (3) Approximate hours flown - 134 (4) Natives treated for epidemics, etc. - 300 11 OPERATIONAL CLIMATOLOGY SUMMARY FOR JULY THRU DECEMBER 1951 1. Winds _____ a. Average velocity 8.7 knots b. Percent of time wind 20 knots or more 7.9% c. Peak gust occurred 5 November 1951 NNE 59 knots 2. Visibility __________ a. Percent of time above 3 miles 92.6% 3. Ceiling and Cloudiness ______________________ a. Average cloudiness 67.8% b. Percent of time ceiling above 1000 feet 86.0% c. Percentage of time favorable flying conditions 67.0% (The following conditions must occur simultaneously in order to have favorable flying conditions): (1) Ceiling: not less than 1000 feet (2) Visibility: not less than 3 miles (3) Wind: less than 20 knots d. Percentage below GCA minimums 6.3% (Ceiling is less than 300 feet and/or visibility less than 1-1/2 miles) 4. Precipitation _____________ a. Total amount of precipitation 31.84 inches b. Total amount of snowfall 6.10 inches 5. Fog ___ a. Visibility less than 1 mile 2.5% 12 6. Temperature ___________ a. Mean temperature 44.5 deg. F. b. Average maximum temperature 48.6 deg. F. c. Average minimum temperature 40.1 deg. F. d. Extreme maximum temperature (July) 75.0 deg. F. e. Extreme minimum temperature (Dec) 15.0 deg. F. 13