Secret U.S. Airbase in Greenland

Greenland mighty Island in the far north land of rugged mountains and everlasting cold locked against the rest of the world by the frozen sea hidden behind these icy ramparts lies one of the great military secrets of all time operation blue jay here where temperatures dropped to 50 below zero and winds rise to 150 miles an hour gale force where bright sun is abruptly succeeded by dense fog or blinding snow American ingenuity and daring have built a new outpost in this country's defense a giant hair base on the top of the world now at last the story can be told bluejay goes back to December 1950 when communist aggression was in full flood it was on the offensive in Indochina it was threatening the United Nations Army in Korea and President Truman had proclaimed a national emergency the job was to build a giant air base for our largest long-range bombers high on the northwest coast of Greenland at a tiny settlement called fully built to the permission of the Danish government the base would push our defense line 2,000 miles to the north Bluejays strategic location was ideal but its construction in four short months seemed impossible the impossible however was just a challenge to American resourcefulness industry and the Armed Forces joined hands to put across bluej on time industry developed new designs that would stand up to the severe strain imposed by the Arctic winter like these Clements panels used for refrigerator walls now adapted to buildings and hangars made of fireproof insulation sandwiched between aluminum covered plywood this prefabricated building material was liked strong and 100% reusable more than 300-thousand Clements panels were used at bluejay lumber still the basic building material over 11 million board feet would be needed for housing and storage steel for these unique hangar trusses braced to withstand the hurricane blast of polar blizzard steel for the water distillation plants and giant fuel tanks each tank required a 200 ton everything had to meet the rigid specification set down by the Corps of Engineers whose inspectors checked every item of production and supply said slowly had no port facilities unloading docks were improvised from eight old LSTs these rusting hawks neglected after world war ii were cleaned and patched up their super structures were chopped off at deck level to provide a smooth unobstructed dark surface now called dumb barges they will be told to Philly and anchored there as permanent tears throughout the spring of 1951 a tidal wave of equipment rolled toward the great army base at Norfolk Virginia the prime staging area for bluej a quarter million tons of cargo moved into Norfolk without a hitch thanks to the teamwork between the Army's transportation corps and the American Association of railroad at the same time 2,000 miles away at Rosemont Minnesota another procurement campaign was underway its objective men here in the Upper Midwest was to be found the greatest pool of Labor experienced in cold weather construction rigorous performance tests eliminated all of the highest skilled applicants new equipment was tested along with the workers ability to handle it exhaustive work trials made sure that every man was thoroughly familiar with the job he had to do before leaving for the north each man was given thorough instruction in Arctic survival he learned the use of cold-weather gear and he was taught every trick of preventing accidents an advance party of these men were sent to thoroughly to prepare the jobsite for the main body due to arrive by ship at the end of June sites for hangars and barracks roads and ferries were staked out by the Deputy District Engineer for the northeast district Colonel Morten Solomon and his staff temporary shelter was quickly put up the Atwell Hut for example a complete building shift as a single package simplicity of construction made the app well Hut ideal for the speedy erection of temporary living and eating quarters administration building and hospital soil experts board for samples into Philly's frozen terrain to determine the nature of the ground they found that everywhere below the top layer a few Scout feet under the surface lay a bed of fossil ice and eternally frozen earth a technique was developed to make this so-called permafrost support Bluejays many heavy buildings the beach itself meanwhile was cleared of ice that would hamper the unloading dynamite was used to blast it into the bay back at Norfolk supply yards were jammed with material by early May shovels bulldozers graders rock crushers asphalt plant tracks to Vader's all were put aboard ship rolling stock and other heavy equipment was firmly braced and lashed trucks were waterproofed for the sea voyage to protect them against corrosion ducks roll aboard by the score loaded with fuel other vital cargo so that they could dash ashore as soon as the ships arrived at fully along went 3,500 men of the engineer signal and transportation cores and other military specialists plus the bulk of civilian workmen On June 6 1951 the great Armada steamed out of Norfolk and headed north 82 ships carrying a cargo valued at 125 million dollars a long cold voyage lay ahead a voyage that would become increasingly hazardous as the thin-skinned ships penetrated the vast ice fields that surrounded bluej like a belt of frozen fortifications hundreds of miles in depth danger loomed in the form of icebergs the size of dreadnaughts pack ice like floating minefields that opened reluctantly in front and closed silently behind the sea became a floor of ice from Horizon to Horizon the convoy halted held fast in the ice back for days the ship struggled to free themselves from their frozen track not only was the time schedule disrupted but the ships and the men aboard them were endangered by the ice that squeezed them in a giant vise it was only through the stubborn efforts of the Coast Guard icebreakers that the convoy was finally liberated pressing down with their heavy jaw boughs the icebreakers battered at the tremendous ice floes four and five feet thick packing crushing grinding away the ice breakers smashed to trail for the convoy to follow helicopters soared aloft on reconnaissance scouting far ahead for signs of open water slowly day by day mile by mile the ships crept forward until on July 9th the fleet finally steamed into North Star bay at thule a voyage that would normally have been made in about two weeks had taken more than twice that long at least two precious weeks had been lost from the brief construction season this lost time had to be made up somehow the ships had hardly anchored off thoroughly when control headquarters aboard the command ship Monrovia raced into high gear to get the convoy unloaded soldiers of the Army's engineer and transportation cores went to work in a round-the-clock stevedoring operation cargo from the freighters were slung out to Navy landing craft man by over 1,000 seamen unloading equipment had long been prepared for split-second action everything from a giant floating crane to swarms of amphibious ducks that skimmed back and forth across the water dodging the crushing ice two battalions of ducks were in constant use a great deal of the credit for the speedy unloading belongs to these highly efficient seagoing freight cars they quickly build up a vast stockpile of fuel and oil for Bluejays hundreds of machines at the water's edge the Navy's beach master control avoided traffic jams and delays by setting up a smooth traffic pattern to regulate the movement of supplies as they poured ashore in a matter of hours the frigid waters of Philly Harbor were transformed into a great port crowded with Navy landing craft transferring cargo from ship to shore in a steady unceasing rhythm of unloading unloading went on through rain squalls and wind over 153,000 long tons of cargo were eventually delivered on the beach work truths 4,000 strong were ferried to land from their temporary homes aboard five personnel carriers they operated in two shifts 60% in the first or day shift 40% in the second shift as the heavy earth-moving equipment lumbered off the LSTs men and machines went right to work in bad weather as well as good 24 hours a day seven days a week dirt flew in all directions as quarries were mined with high explosives then dug for rock and earth fill needed at the construction sites for airstrip roads fuel tanks hangars barracks and other buildings first objective was the giant airstrip with its main runway aprons and taxiways to level it off along all its tremendous length it had to be cut down in some areas and built up in others sometimes as much as 40 feet layer upon layer of pill was dumped upon the runway smooth down and packed tight by 100 ton compaction machine batteries of rock crushers bought out mountains of broken stone this was hauled to the runway and spread evenly upon the ground hot liquid asphalt was sprayed upon the stones to find them together a layer of fine gravel followed which was brush to smooth it down then roll to compress the several layers into a solid mass the nearly completed airstrip received one of its first tests from two key visitors on August 8 general Hoyt Vandenberg chief of the Air Force who had come to check construction progress with general Lewis picked chief of engineers only two and a half months were left to work in but the generals found construction moving swiftly on all fronts in some cases even breaking records the fuel tanks for example an earth pad of gravel or rock fill that would not be affected by Frost was laid down for each tank and sprayed with oil to find it a floor of steel plate followed then the walls these iron workers were specialists who had put up similar tanks everywhere throughout the world the vast fuel receptacles were nicknamed pol tanks an abbreviation of their contents petroleum oil lubricant specialists did not stand by between assignments they helped others for instance welders helped guide the steel plate into position making sure it was lined up properly then took up the torch work went on into the twilight hours of the Midnight Sun which during the Arctic summer never set below the horizon rigging the pipeline that ran to the tankers more than a mile away was a construction feat in itself a suspension rate was built to carry it across a 50-foot chasm the pipeline lunged across ditches and ravines sometimes quivering in midair until it reached the bay where like a water snake it swam out to the tanker and reared its head alongside construction of all kinds was booming the icy ground under each building was first insulated by an earth path the foundations for the airplane hangars were strengthened by setting piles into the ground along the edges of each pad to provide a firm base for the hangar frame and doors the files were reinforced by filling in with dirt that would eventually freeze into a solid mass culvert pipe was laid across each pad cold air circulating through it would carry off the heat seeping through the hangar floor and prevented from weakening the frozen foundation the secret of Arctic construction was to make use of the everlasting permafrost not work against it the exposed pipe was buried in dry fill concrete was poured for the floor followed by an insulating layer of four inch slabs of foam glass additional insurance that hanger heat would not melt the frozen earth below these slabs were covered by a second layer of concrete which was given a finished surface and cured under tarpaulins with Javier blowers to keep it from freezing iron workers assemble the hangar trusses the bad weather merely a challenge to the pitching and catching skill of the riveting team Laurel frames and hanger trusses were ranged into position when the building shell was completed the towering hangar doors were added each one weighed 230 tons each ponderous section had to be firmly fitted in its tracks this was the encouraging sight that greeted an inspection party headed by Secretary of the Air Force Thomas finletter when he visited bluej on August 30th less than two months were left but building was ahead of schedule dozens of barracks had sprouted from Billy's frozen soil each had a foundation of timber raised above a pad of birth the floors of all living quarters were stuffed with insulation and covered with plywood clemont's panels were the standard building material for all barracks warehouses and mess hall joints between the panels were sealed against the cold with a caulking agent known as mastic as each panel ready to position it was secured to the wooden building frame with lag screws as soon as these buildings were completed workers moved in from their quarters aboard the ships which then left for home these comfortable structures would later be used by troops the modern mess-hall like the barracks was put to instant use by the hard-working construction crews while one shift was being served breakfast the second shift on the other side the mess hall was eating its evening meal this careful planning for the personal needs of the men was reflected in everything from recreational facilities to church services this close attention to morale paid off in the fantastic speed of construction work crews raced against the waning light and the increasing cold hurrying to meet the deadline now only a few weeks away three distillation plants and their storage tanks to brew drinking water from the salt sea popped up magically along with vehicle storage buildings salvaged building crash wagon station on October 1st with about twenty days left to go bluejay was host to ten a general Curtis LeMay chief of the Strategic Air Command briefed by Colonel parents Renshaw Northeast District Engineer he carefully studied the base the final touches were put on the airstrip a top coat of asphalt was laid down the control tower rose to the sky electric light cables were fade out and the runway lights were planted in the ground the long Arctic night was closing in warning shadows deepened on the frigid peaks that surrounded blue jay the waters of thule harbor disappeared as ice choked the bay snow and sleet storms lashed the jobsite the Arctic winter had arrived but the deadline had been met the greatest engineering operation ever undertaken in the far north have been rushed to successful completion at the first break in the winter weather the work crews checked out for home filled with the intense satisfaction that comes of a job well done they had defied some of the worst climate and working conditions in the world to set an unbelievable record in 104 days they had built a giant runway capable of serving our heaviest bombers bluej was operational it is almost a year later now and bluej has had the benefit of another construction season to bring it up to top fighting trim bluej will be kept ready for action as long as the threat that drove us to build it exists we cannot read the minds of those dark and shadowy figures who brood on war and conquest but perhaps the thought of this colossal airbase has caused them to falter in their plans for aggression perhaps they have read a different kind of warning in the miracle of bluej the warning that there is nothing absolutely nothing impossible to American resourcefulness hard work and playing guts that there is no problem or enemy nature or man-made that this country cannot defeat in its Stern resolve to protect its freedom

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Views: 824,091

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Keywords: politics, old, Tech, structures, build

Id: mulqqV2oOoc

Length: 23min 22sec (1402 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 25 2014