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Office of Public Affairs |
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| Date: Feb. 4, 2010 Contact: (907) 487-5700 Petty Officer 1st Class Sara Francis |
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Coast Guard concludes Loran-C, Alaska Commander to turn off Tok signal |
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Media availability: Media interested in attending terminations at Loran Stations Tok, Kodiak, Shoal Cove (Ketchikan), St. Paul or Port Clarence please contact Coast Guard Public Affairs in Kodiak at (907) 487-5700. KODIAK, Alaska — The Alaska-based domestic Long Range Aids to Navigation signals will cease broadcasting Monday, with the exception of stations Attu and Shoal Cove which are bound by bi-lateral agreements with Russia and Canada. Rear Adm. Christopher Colvin, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District, will terminate Loran Station Tok's signal 11 a.m. Monday. Loran Stations Attu and Shoal Cove are expected to stop broadcasting their international signal in June. Attu has been broadcasting since 1942, making it the oldest Coast Guard Loran station in operation. "My sincere appreciation goes out to the Coast Guard men and women for their service in keeping the signal at nearly 100 percent availability for 67 years, 8 months and 24 days," said Colvin. Station crews in Alaska will wait one week before preparing the stations for closure. This process includes physical security to prevent intrusion, installation of remote facility monitoring systems to ensure tower aircraft warning lights are operating properly and securing the communication circuits. Electronic equipment and all hazardous materials will be removed prior to final closure of the stations. Electronic equipment that is of no further value to the government and is too large to remove and store may be left in place. Finally, crewmembers will be reassigned to other units throughout the Coast Guard. Loran-C is no longer required by the armed forces, the transportation sector or the nation's security interests, and is used by only a small segment of the population. The decision to terminate transmission of the Loran-C signal reflects the president's pledge to eliminate unnecessary federal programs. The president did not seek funding for the Loran-C system in fiscal year 2010. Termination was also supported through the enactment of the 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill. The Coast Guard strongly urges mariners currently using Loran-C for navigation to shift immediately to a GPS navigation system and become familiar with its operation. Alaska has six Loran-C stations which include the only isolated duty Loran stations in the Coast Guard, located at Attu, Port Clarence and St. Paul. |
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