CFB North Bay NORAD Regional Sector Air Operations Centre (R/SAOC) (City of North Bay) | military, bunker, Canadian Forces Base (CFB), underground facility, United States Air Force

 military, bunker, Canadian Forces Base (CFB), underground facility, United States Air Force

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Constructed over a period of four years from August 1959 though September 1963, the Underground Complex (UGC) at CFB North Bay was a inter-Air Force facility built by the Canadian and United States governments at a cost of $51,000,000.00 to serve as a central Air Defense Command and Control Center for combined American and Canadian forces against Soviet air attack. Designed to receive and process radar surveillance data from the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line, Mid Canada Line and Pinetree Line of early warning radar stations stretching across Canada from coast to coast on the 69th, 55th and 53rd parallels, the station would also coordinate the deployment of interceptor aircraft to meet any inbound threat aircraft.

Being the primary command and control facility for the majority of North American airspace, the facility was considered to be a likely first-strike target by any Soviet nuclear attack force, so strident efforts were directed to make the facility survivable and functional following such an event. Located deep inside a thick seam of Granite, the primary cavity for the "Main Installation" building was located some 60 stories (600ft/183m) beneath the earth's surface and accessible only via a 6,600ft long tunnel originating at the North, or a 3,150ft tunnel originating from the South. Placed intentionally at a right angle to this tunnel in order to escape the effects of a nuclear blast wave, the figure-eight shaped building comprising the Main Installation housed the 700-man detachment detailed to operate the facility, but also housed a barber shop, small medical center, gym, cafeteria, and chaplain's office among other amenities. Power for the station was provided by a bank of diesel generators as well as two groups of 194 batteries, all of which were located in an adjacent 401ft long by 50ft wide "Power Cavern", which was intended to power the sealed off station continuously for a period of four weeks. Each of the three entrances to these spaces were equipped with a single 19-ton steel bank vault-type door designed to completely seal off the facility from external access and environmental conditions. While the doors were normally kept open, they could be quickly shut and sealed in times of emergency.

Coming online on 1 October 1963 with the activation of the Canadian Air Defense Sector and manned by personnel of 22 Wing, the facility made use of its two enormous SAGE computers, nicknamed "Bonnie and Clyde", which weighed a combined 275 tons and covered a total of 11,900 square feet of floor space to execute its airspace motioning and control duties on a 24/7/365 basis. Home to three successive NORAD Regional Commands, the facilities area of responsibility comprised the North, Atlantic and East-central airspace of Canada as well as the northern two-thirds of the State of Maine at its maximum extent. Re-organized within NORAD in July 1969 and redesignated as the 22nd NORAD Region, the site continued to operate its SAGE Equipment through 1982, when a $96,000,000.00 program was instituted to replace the SAGE equipment with the modern NORAD by the "Regional Operations Control Center/Sector Operations Control Center" ROCC/SOCC computer system. Completed and going live on 1 July 1983, the new equipment permitted personnel at North Bay to assume airspace control over all of Canada, now known as the Canadian NORAD Region (CANR).

Last manned by the personnel of the 21 Aerospace Control and Warning Squadron, 51 Aerospace Control and Warning Squadron, Canadian Air Defense Staff, NavCan, Nasittuq and monitoring the Canadian Air Defense Sector, the facility was idled in October of 2006 and all monitoring activities were transferred to the newly-built NORAD Sgt David L. Pitcher Complex located "topside" on the grounds of CFB North Bay. Following the drawdown of personnel and material from the site, the trio of 19-ton steel bank vault-type doors located at either end of the access tunnels and leading to the Main Installation were shut and sealed and the station entered inactive reserve status. To date, the facility receives preventative maintenance and upkeep but is no longer active in a military role.

www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/en/22-wing/history.page
www.smecc.org/22ed_norad_region.htm
radomes.org/museum/showsite.php?site=North+Bay%2C+ON%2C...