Radar Where You Least Expect It - Redwood National Park, California
As a former Air Traffic Controller, I have an unmuted affection for aviation and military historical artifacts. When we pass an airport, I observe the control tower and picture in my mind the operation taking place. An Air Force Base elicits the same reaction internally where I imagine the missional operation of the aircraft and crews that may or may not be present, and all this discussion takes place in my mind.
While exploring Redwood National Park in Northern California, we came across Radar Station B-71, a quiet reminder of times past when world-wide tension was quite a bit higher.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, there were four attacks of the west coast of North America by Japanese submarines in 1942 - two in California, one in Oregon, and one in British Columbia. That called for heightened detection and defense along the west coast, and birthed a network of radar stations including Radar Station B-71.
This radar station doesn’t look anything like a typical military installation. B-71 is disguised as a farm - complete with a barn, farmhouse, and outhouse.
The buildings are closed, but the site is open to the public. It is all in its original condition with no effort to preserve or restore the buildings which are listed on the National Historic Register. According to the National Park Service, there are also two concrete pads on the site where 50 caliber machine guns were located.
The buildings of B-71 are in remarkably good condition with wood siding and wood-shingled roofs, but the inside shows how it was actually a cinder-block fortified military site. Looking through the mesh on a small opening in the door, I was able to see the interior and this room would have housed diesel generators that powered the radar unit. It took a compliment of about 35 men to staff the site 24-hours a day.
While its mission changed as the war progressed, Radar Station B-71 was abandoned after the end of World War II and the property reverted to private ownership until the area was claimed as the Redwood National and State Park. This quiet, unassuming farm-in-disguise served its purpose and now sits quietly in its serene location overlooking the Pacific Ocean - a reminder of tense times of the past with the hope of never being repeated. For more information, see the history of Radar Station B-71 at the National Park Service.
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