USN CDAAs
End of an Era

by Alvin H. Grobmeier, CRD, USN (Ret.)

Anyone having questions or comments on this topic is invited to contact CDR. Grobmeier.

In the early 1960s the U.S. Navy built 14 AN/FRD-10 Wullenweber Circularly Disposed Antenna Arrays/Circular Dipole Antenna Arrays (CDAA) high frequency direction finders on established Navy installations at the following locations. Most lasted into the late 1990s. First built was Hanza in 1962, last built was Imperial Beach in 1964, and first to be dismantled was Marietta in 1972.

Pacific Area:

• Adak, AK
• Marietta, WA
• Skaggs Island, CA
• Imperial Beach, CA
• Wahiawa, HI
  

  The Wahiawa CDAA was removed in September 2007 to make way for new buildings of the Hawaii Regional Special Operations Center, part of which is now at the WWII built underground Kunia complex on Oahu.

• Guam, Mariana Islands
• Hanza, Okinawa, Japan (demolished March-June, 2007)

Atlantic Area:

• Winter Harbor, ME
• Northwest, VA
• Homestead, FL
• Sabana Seca, PR
• Galeta Island, Panama
• Edzell, Scotland
• Rota, Spain

In addition, two CDAAs without goniometers were built side-by-side for general service ship-shore communications at Sugar Grove, WV. All others were operated by the Naval Security Group.

Of the above 16 CDAAs only the following remain standing at the locations indicated, all others having been removed:

• Former Naval Radio Receiving Facility, Imperial Beach, CA. CDAA to be removed in FY07 or later.
• Former Naval Security Group Activity, Galeta Island, Panama. When the U.S. gave the site to Panama, all equipment was removed and only the CDAA and ops building remained. The Panamanian Government gave the site to the Panamanian Technological Insitute, but there has been no current use of the site. The site is now (2006) completely abandoned with the operations building and CDAA having been vandalized.
• Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Guam. CDAA abandoned in place.

The AN/FRD-10 Wullenweber replaced the AN/GRD-6 at most locations. The University of Illinois' developmental Wullenweber antenna south of Bondville, IL was abandoned about 1980 and has now (2003) been completely dismantled.

It should be noted that the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army had several AN/FLR-9 CDAAs at overseas bases where the Navy was a tenant including Alaska, Philippines, Japan, Germany and Italy. Canada operated two AN/FRD-10 CDAAs, at Masset, BC and at Gander, Newfoundland. Likewise, the Navy maintained a miniature Wullenweber CDAA AN/AX-16 Pusher at Diego Garcia, BIOT.

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Updated on December 9, 2007 at 11:50 by Albert LaFrance