United States Coast Guard Radio Station San Francisco "NMC" (site)

 military, United States Coast Guard, radio station

The radio station was affected by the 23 Dec 1964 Flying Tiger Line Flight #282 crash. See the crash site to the south for more information.

The original radio station (RADSTA) San Francisco "NMC" was commissioned February 1, 1937. It was established at Fort Funston in a former lifeboat station on the beach about one mile south of the present location of the San Francisco Zoo in Golden Gate Park. In addition to the converted lifeboat station, the original NMC is believed to have had a completely equipped communication truck that could act as an emergency radio station. These trucks typically had crews of our to six people and provided communications during natural disaster emergencies throughout the San Francisco Division of the U.S. Coast Guard. The RADSTA quickly became a pivotal part of the Coast Guard's communications resources -- July 1937 found NMC involved in listening for any communications from the lost place of Amelia Earhart, while the CGC Itasca was tasked with search for the famous flyer.

In June 1943, RADSTA San Francisco relocated to a brand new communications facility atop Mt. San Bruno on Sweeney Ridge, just west of the San Francisco County Jail. The new communications facility consisted of one 10kw Western Electric HF transmitter and one 1kw MF transmitter.

On October 12, 1972 the Coast Guard moved its communications from Mt. San Bruno to north of the Golden Gate and San Francisco in what is now the beautiful Pt. Reyes National Seashore. The COMMSTA was designated the Pacific Area Master Station and renamed CAMSPAC in 1986. Recently, the geographical title of "Pt. Reyes" replaced the old "San Francisco" title to more accurately portray its location.

Today the station exercies overall control of the Pacific Area Communications System (PACCOMMSYS). CAMSPAC and PACCOMMSYS are curretly undergoing major changes in conjunction with the Coast Guard's COMMSYS 2000 Master Plan -- a plan designed to upgrade, automate and consolidate Coast Guard communications in the Pacific Basin.

In 1993, COMMSTA Guam (NRV) was closed and its communications services remoted to CAMSPAC. NRV's transmitters and receivers are now remotely controlled and operated by CAMSPAC operators. COMMSTA Honolulu (NMO) was scheduled to be closed and operations remoted to CAMSPAC in July of 1997. In support of these consolidation efforts, CAMPAC's billet strength was scheduled to increase from 86 to 102 personnel to support operations.

Through all these progressive evolutions, CAMSPAC remains dedicated to serving the mariner and providing support to the many Coast Guard operations throughout the immense Pacific Basin.

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