CFS Sydney
Encyclopedia
Canadian Forces Station Sydney, also known as CFS Sydney, is a former Canadian Forces Station located in the community of Lingan Road
, Nova Scotia
.
It was operational as a Pinetree Line
radar station from April 1954 to January 1991.
constructed RCAF Station Sydney in Lingan Road along the northwest municipal boundary of the City of Sydney
, opening in April 1954 as part of the Pinetree Line
network of radar stations. The location of the station on a low ridge along the eastern shore of Sydney Harbour provided coverage of a large portion of the Cabot Strait
and the south coast of Newfoundland to complement USAF operated Pinetree Line stations at Stephenville
, Gander
and St. John's
to the northeast. Sydney's coverage was backed up by RCAF Station Beaverbank
and RCAF Station Barrington to the southwest and RCAF Station St. Margarets
to the west.
Using the radio callsign "PEPPER", the Sydney station consisted of a radome
housing the early warning and ground control intercept radars, as well as supporting buildings including residences for personnel. The primary lodger unit established at the station was No. 221 Aircraft Warning Squadron; this unit formed at Sydney on August 1, 1953 while the station was under construction. Search radars installed included models FPS-3, FPS-27, and FPS-508.
No. 221 Squadron was operationally controlled by Sector Commander 2 ADCC, RCAF Station Chatham. The RCAF air base at Chatham and the USAF's Ernest Harmon AFB
in Stephenville were the nearest bases for interceptor aircraft that would respond to anything detected by the Sydney main radar.
Following the 1958 partnership between the USAF and RCAF to form the North American Aerospace Defence Command or NORAD, many Pinetree Line radar stations were upgraded for automation and consolidation of intercept data. Consequently, RCAF Station Sydney's radar equipment underwent an upgrade in the late 1950s and early 1960s with the operational implementation of the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) System on September 15, 1962. Under SAGE, the Sydney station collected, discriminated and transmitted its radar coverage data to the designated SAGE Control Centre in the Bangor NORAD section at Topsham AFS
.
(RCN) and the Canadian Army to form the Canadian Armed Forces
. As part of the unification, RCAF Station Sydney was renamed to Canadian Forces Station Sydney, or CFS Sydney.
The end of the Cold War
and obsolescence of the Pinetree Line radar stations saw CFS Sydney's radar cease operations on January 17, 1991.
The station was decommissioned by the Canadian Forces in 1992 whereby the Government of Canada
transferred the property to the Government of Nova Scotia
. It was subsequently transferred to the Municipality of the County of Cape Breton
which established a non-profit development company named New Dawn Enterprises Ltd. to market the buildings and residences for civilian use. New Dawn Enterprises Ltd. saw limited success in seeing alternative uses for the facility, partly due to the economic decline of the Industrial Cape Breton
region.
In 2004 it was discovered that an above-ground fuel storage tank at the former CFS Sydney site was leaking. A subsequent investigation by the Department of National Defence
identified 35 other underground fuel storage tanks on the property, some of which were also leaking. These tanks had not been revealed at the time of the facility's transfer in 1992. DND has committed to cleaning up the site and remediating any resulting soil contamination.
Lingan Road, Nova Scotia
Lingan Road is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality on Cape Breton Island.-References:*...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
.
It was operational as a Pinetree Line
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 NORAD , over half were manned by United States Air Force...
radar station from April 1954 to January 1991.
RCAF Station Sydney
The Royal Canadian Air ForceRoyal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
constructed RCAF Station Sydney in Lingan Road along the northwest municipal boundary of the City of Sydney
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
, opening in April 1954 as part of the Pinetree Line
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 NORAD , over half were manned by United States Air Force...
network of radar stations. The location of the station on a low ridge along the eastern shore of Sydney Harbour provided coverage of a large portion of the Cabot Strait
Cabot Strait
Cabot Strait is a strait in eastern Canada approximately 110 kilometres wide between Cape Ray, Newfoundland and Cape North, Cape Breton Island. It is the widest of the three outlets for the Gulf of Saint Lawrence into the Atlantic Ocean, the others being the Strait of Belle Isle and Strait of Canso...
and the south coast of Newfoundland to complement USAF operated Pinetree Line stations at Stephenville
Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador
Stephenville is a Canadian town in Newfoundland and Labrador on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland....
, Gander
Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador
Gander is a Canadian town located in the northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately south of Gander Bay, south of Twillingate and east of Grand Falls-Windsor...
and St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
to the northeast. Sydney's coverage was backed up by RCAF Station Beaverbank
RCAF Station Beaverbank
RCAF Station Beaverbank was a long-range Pinetree Line early warning radar station operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force, located in central Nova Scotia near the community of Beaverbank. The site is now known as Beaverbank Villa.-Base history:...
and RCAF Station Barrington to the southwest and RCAF Station St. Margarets
RCAF Station St. Margarets
RCAF Station St. Margarets is a former Royal Canadian Air Force station and later a Canadian Forces detachment located in the community of St. Margarets, New Brunswick....
to the west.
Using the radio callsign "PEPPER", the Sydney station consisted of a radome
Radome
A radome is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a microwave or radar antenna. The radome is constructed of material that minimally attenuates the electromagnetic signal transmitted or received by the antenna. In other words, the radome is transparent to radar or radio waves...
housing the early warning and ground control intercept radars, as well as supporting buildings including residences for personnel. The primary lodger unit established at the station was No. 221 Aircraft Warning Squadron; this unit formed at Sydney on August 1, 1953 while the station was under construction. Search radars installed included models FPS-3, FPS-27, and FPS-508.
No. 221 Squadron was operationally controlled by Sector Commander 2 ADCC, RCAF Station Chatham. The RCAF air base at Chatham and the USAF's Ernest Harmon AFB
Ernest Harmon Air Force Base
Ernest Harmon Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador. The base was built by the United States Army Air Forces in 1941 under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement with the United Kingdom....
in Stephenville were the nearest bases for interceptor aircraft that would respond to anything detected by the Sydney main radar.
Following the 1958 partnership between the USAF and RCAF to form the North American Aerospace Defence Command or NORAD, many Pinetree Line radar stations were upgraded for automation and consolidation of intercept data. Consequently, RCAF Station Sydney's radar equipment underwent an upgrade in the late 1950s and early 1960s with the operational implementation of the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) System on September 15, 1962. Under SAGE, the Sydney station collected, discriminated and transmitted its radar coverage data to the designated SAGE Control Centre in the Bangor NORAD section at Topsham AFS
Topsham Air Force Station
Topsham Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force station. It is located north of Brunswick, Maine. It was closed in 1969.-History:...
.
CFS Sydney
On February 1, 1968 the RCAF merged with the Royal Canadian NavyRoyal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
(RCN) and the Canadian Army to form the Canadian Armed Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
. As part of the unification, RCAF Station Sydney was renamed to Canadian Forces Station Sydney, or CFS Sydney.
The end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and obsolescence of the Pinetree Line radar stations saw CFS Sydney's radar cease operations on January 17, 1991.
The station was decommissioned by the Canadian Forces in 1992 whereby the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
transferred the property to the Government of Nova Scotia
Government of Nova Scotia
The Government of Nova Scotia refers to the provincial government of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
. It was subsequently transferred to the Municipality of the County of Cape Breton
Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia
Cape Breton County, officially, County Cape Breton, is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, on Cape Breton Island.Taking its name from Cape Breton, the most easterly point of the island which was called after the Bretons of Brittany, this municipality has what is probably the oldest...
which established a non-profit development company named New Dawn Enterprises Ltd. to market the buildings and residences for civilian use. New Dawn Enterprises Ltd. saw limited success in seeing alternative uses for the facility, partly due to the economic decline of the Industrial Cape Breton
Industrial Cape Breton
Industrial Cape Breton is a geographic region in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It refers to the eastern portion of Cape Breton County fronting the Atlantic Ocean on the southeastern part of Cape Breton Island.-Geography:...
region.
In 2004 it was discovered that an above-ground fuel storage tank at the former CFS Sydney site was leaking. A subsequent investigation by the Department of National Defence
Department of National Defence (Canada)
The Department of National Defence , frequently referred to by its acronym DND, is the department within the government of Canada with responsibility for all matters concerning the defence of Canada...
identified 35 other underground fuel storage tanks on the property, some of which were also leaking. These tanks had not been revealed at the time of the facility's transfer in 1992. DND has committed to cleaning up the site and remediating any resulting soil contamination.