The Army Signal Corps had installed a RACON at the Grays Harbor Fog Signal Station, Westport, Washington, which was operated and maintained entirely by Army personnel. The local maintenance crew had no responsibility for repairing the equipment this was the charge of the Radio Material Office.īy the end of May, 1943, RACONS were in operation at the above Coast Guard Units as well as at the Port Angeles Air Station and Tatoosh Island, Washington. Space for and accept responsibility of the security, monitoring and maintenance of these installations. 56- Last edit over 5 years ago by Wjhoward The Coast Guard's responsibility was to assign All equipment, including the converted power supply and its installation, were supplied through the Radio Material Officer, 13th Naval District. The installation of these early RACONS was supervised by the Air Officer, Northwest Sea Frontier. Sixteen Coast Guardsmen from the above mentioned Light Stations were schooled in operation and maintenance of RACON equipment at the one week training course at the Naval Air Station, Seattle, a short time before the installations were completed. Although a continuous watch was necessary, the radio-telephone watch was able to maintain and operated the RACONS without hindrance to their other assigned duties. No additional personnel were required for the RACONS as the equipment itself needed very little attention. As the aerial activity in the 13th Naval District had increased rapidly, the RACONS were located at highly important navigational points and were regarded as a responsibility comparable to that of a light or radiobeacon. Early in that year, the Navy had determined to establish RACONS on Coast Guard Light Stations at Cape Arago, Charleston, Oregon, Cape Blanco, Port Orford, Oregon, heceta Head, Florence, Oregon, and Yaquina Head, Agate Beach, Oregon. It was not, however, until the early months of 1943, that the RACON program reached the Northwest Coast. Although many RACONS were discontinued at Air Stations which the Army or the Navy abandoned, more were eventually established along the routes of commercial aircraft.īoth the Army and Navy awaited eagerly the completion of RADAR and, when it was perfected, began installing it, ashore and afloat. Military agencies were the sole users of RACONS until the conclusion of the war, at which time the use of RADAR was permitted to commercial concerns and, consequently, dictated the post war expansion of the RADAR beacon installations. RACONS (formed by the contraction of RAdar and BeaCON and not to be confused with RACAN, the initial terminology for ANRAC equipment)¹ had been established during the war years at Air Stations or Light Stations (or activities where the need for them was evident) along the coasts of North America, from Greenland to the West Indies, in the Hawaiian Islands and the Canal Zone. The museum includes the station's refurbished, unsinkable 36-foot (11 m) motor life boat, and information about the Japanese bombing of the south Oregon coast during World War II.Of all the ingenious war developments which were diverted to peace time use, RACON and LORAN were the two which effected safer navigation for air and surface craft and were, therefore, the concern of the Aids to Navigation Section, both during and after the war. Built in 1934, the building is on the National Register of Historic Places (as the Port Orford Coast Guard Station) and was used by the U.S. The Port Orford Lifeboat Station is a museum and interpretive center that was opened in 2000 by the Point Orford Heritage Society. The park is open for day use only.įrom 1934 to 1970, one of the earliest US Coast Guard lifeboat stations on the Oregon Coast operated at what later became the park. The Headland Trail offers an unrestricted view of Cape Blanco to the north and is a popular whale watching spot during the fall. From each of these vantage points (at the right time of year) one can see commercial fishing boats, orcas, gray whales, California and Steller's sea lions, and various seabirds.

Located on a bluff above the city, the park has three main walking trails: the Cove, Tower and Headland trails.

Port orford to hecta head lighthouse