RCAF Station Puntzi Mountain (ADC ID: C-19) is a closed

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

(USAF) and

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

(RCAF) General Surveillance radar station. It was located in

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200 miles north of

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. Located 117 road miles west of Williams Lake and 200 air miles north of Vancouver, in the Chilcotin area of the Cariboo, RCAF Station Puntzi Mountain was located a mile off the highway near a small settlement known as Puntziville. While the radar station was active, civilian employees of the station lived in Puntziville.

History

The area had first been settled by prospectors. After mining declined, cattle ranching became a livelihood for those who remained in the area. In the late 1940s, Puntzi Mountain was selected as a radar site, and a Canadian contractor was selected to build the site with U.S. government funding. Construction began in the spring of 1950 and the radar station was completed and accepted in May 1952. The site was operated by the 917th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron of the

as a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) station and became operational in July 1952. As originally configured, the station had FPS-3C, FPS-502, and FPS-6 radars. It was designated as Puntzi Mountain Air Station while operated by the USAF. A hundred USAF personnel and several RCAF members were assigned to the station. Puntzi Mountain was established as part of the

Pinetree Line The Pinetree Line was a series of radar stations located across the northern United States and southern Canada at about the 50th parallel north, along with a number of other stations located on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Run by North Ame ...

, a component of the

North American Air Defense Command North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

(NORAD). During its service, the radars were upgraded to FPS-7C/FPS-107, FPS-26 radars while keeping the FPS-6. On 1 November 1962, the 55th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron of the RCAF assumed administrative duties at the station and by 1 February 1963 the entire station was operated by RCAF personnel. During 1963 the station began

SAGE Sage or SAGE may refer to: Plants * ''Salvia officinalis'', common sage, a small evergreen subshrub used as a culinary herb ** Lamiaceae, a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint or deadnettle or sage family ** ''Salvia'', a large ...

testing and had full SAGE capability and operations on 23 March 1964. The Puntzi Mountain station was the seventh of eleven Group II sites transferred to the RCAF. After being transferred to the RCAF, it was known as RCAF Station Puntzi Mountain. Building 2, known as Cariboo Hall housed the mess halls, Exchange Branch and library. Cariboo Hall was also home to CFPM, Puntzi Mountain's own radio station. In addition to the radio station, the station personnel enjoyed ample outdoor activities. The station had a theater, bowling alley and curling rink. An emergency airstrip was located at Puntzi Mountain for CF-100 aircraft, and also used by USAF Beaver aircraft assigned to the radar site. Later, when the RCAF operated Puntzi Mountain, an Otter was assigned to support the site. The Otter was used for medical evacuations, personnel transport, search and rescue, and other duties as directed by the station commander. The ground Search and Rescue Team from the station was assigned to assist the RCMP with recovering evidence and bodies from a July 9th 1965 crash of a Canadian Pacific Airline's DC-6. RCAF Station Puntzi Mountain ceased radar reporting on 1 October 1966. The station closed shortly after.

Current status

The former RCAF Station Puntzi Mountain airstrip is now the

Puntzi Mountain Airport Puntzi Mountain Airport is located west of Puntzi Mountain, British Columbia, Canada. History The airport was established in 1951 to provide access to a base of the Pine Tree Line The Pinetree Line was a series of radar stations located ...

. In 1970-71 most of the station was demolished by a contractor. The only remaining buildings are the former guard shack and garage.

External links

{{Reflist
Radomes.org RCAF Station Puntzi Mountain

Installations of the United States Air Force in Canada 1952 establishments in British Columbia Military installations established in 1953 Radar stations of the United States Air Force Buildings and structures in British Columbia 1966 disestablishments in British Columbia Military installations closed in 1966