Zendstation Smilde, also known as the CJ2 Data tower (Dutch: ''CJ2 Datatoren'') is a tall

partially guyed tower A guyed mast or guyed tower is a tall thin vertical structure that depends on guy lines (diagonal tensioned cables attached to the ground) for stability. The mast itself has the compressive strength to support its own weight, but does not h ...

Hoogersmilde Hoogersmilde is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 16 km southwest of Assen. History The village was first mentioned in 1634 as Hooge Smilde, and means "high Smilde ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, built in 1959, for directional radio services and TV and FM-transmissions. The structure is similar to the

Gerbrandy Tower Gerbrandy is a West Frisian patronymic surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy (born Pieter Gerbrandij; 13 April 1885 – 7 September 1961) was a Dutch politician and jurist who se ...

(

IJsselstein IJsselstein () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. IJsselstein received city rights in 1331. IJsselstein owes its name to the river Hollandse IJssel which flows through the city. It is a major commuting s ...

), and consists of an 80-metre-high reinforced concrete tower and, until a fire on 15 July 2011, had a guyed tubular mast mounted on top. When first built, the tower, including the mast, was 270 metres high. The addition of a further section (analog TV - UHF antenna) to the mast increased its total height to 303.5 m (996 ft). In September 2007 the analog TV - UHF antenna was removed and replaced by a new UHF antenna for DVB-T, reducing the tower's height to 294 m (965 ft). After rebuilding the collapsed tower in 2012, the new height is 303 metres.

Owner

Originally the mast was built by the state company for Post and Telephony ( Koninklijke KPN N.V.) but due to privatisation this has changed. Several masts in The Netherlands, including above mentioned Gerbrandy Tower, have a complex ownership structure:Repor
Veilig werken op hoog nivo (Working safely at a high level)
(Dutch) Chapter 2, published: 8 August 2007, Retrieved 15 February 2012 * The 82 m high concrete tower is owned by Alticom BV * The steel mast on top of the concrete tower is owned by NOVEC BV, a 100% daughter of

TenneT TenneT is a transmission system operator in the Netherlands and in a large part of Germany. ''TenneT B.V.'' is the national electricity transmission system operator of the Netherlands, headquartered in Arnhem. Controlled and owned by the Dutch g ...

BV, which is itself 100% state-owned * The grounds on which the mast is located is owned by

KPN KPN (in full Koninklijke KPN N.V., also Royal KPN N.V.) is a Dutch landline and mobile telecommunications company. KPN originated from a government-run postal, telegraph and telephone service and is based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. History Un ...

, except for a ring of 3 m around the base of the tower which is owned by Alticom.

Aircraft incident

On 14 August 1968 a

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air 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 of the United States Army Signal ...

plane, an

F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of ...

, from the Lakenheath Air Force Base in England was involved in an accident in heavy

low cloud In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may compo ...

s where the tip of a wing hit and broke one of the

guy-wire A guy-wire, guy-line, guy-rope, or stay, also called simply a guy, is a tensioned cable designed to add stability to a free-standing structure. They are used commonly for ship masts, radio masts, wind turbines, utility poles, and tents. A thi ...

s of the tower, causing the upper section of the tower to bend. The pilot made an emergency landing at Soesterberg Royal Netherlands Air Force Base with considerable damage to the right wing.

Fire and collapse

On 15 July 2011, the antenna section caught fire and collapsed, leaving only the concrete base standing. In the above-mentioned report a warning was given that there was an increased risk of accidents in the masts, mainly because of the complex ownership structure and that because of that (safety) processes were unclear. An investigation by the Dutch police didn't show any (criminal) negligence or other factors that could have caused the fire.

Rebuilding the mast

The above fire destroyed the steel mast on top of the concrete tower completely and the top of the concrete tower (the base of the steel mast) was damaged. The owner of the steel mast, NOVEC BV, announced that starting in March 2012, the new mast will be placed on top of the concrete tower and that the new mast will be operational in the summer of 2012. The new mast will be a few metres higher than the destroyed one bringing the mast to the same height as before 2006, and will be a steel lattice construction instead of the original tube style. This will prevent the 'chimney effect', and thus safer in case of a fire. On 14 May 2012, at 10:35 the highest point was reached by the builders of

VolkerWessels Koninklijke VolkerWessels B.V. is a major European construction services business with Netherlands, Dutch-based headquarters. It is owned by the Wessels Family through Reggeborgh Holding. History The company was founded by Adriaan Volker in Slied ...

FMTVDX website o
Rebuiling mast Hoogersmilde
(Dutch), 15 June 2012. Visited 7 July 2012 The mast was fully operational again in October 2012.

References

External links

*
Smilde Transmission Tower on fire and collapsing
on 15 July 2011 (YouTube video)
Smilde Transmission Tower on fire and collapsing
on 15 July 2011 (YouTube video)

continuing story on FM TV DX website {{Supertall Communication towers in the Netherlands Towers in Drenthe Midden-Drenthe Buildings and structures completed in 1959 1959 establishments in the Netherlands 2011 disestablishments 2012 establishments in the Netherlands