In the early 1950s the Pinetree Line network of radar stations was established. This line, which stretched along the 50th parallel, down the eastern coast and into southern Ontario and Quebec, acted as an early warning detection system against a Soviet air attack. The Pinetree Line was shut down in the mid 1980s as part of the North American Air Defence Modernization Plan.
For the full history of the following former Pinetree Radar stations, visit the Ren L’Ecuyer’s Pinetree Line web site – http://67.69.104.76:84/Pinetreeline/homepage.html or Larry Wilson’s Radar Tech Page – http://www.lswilson.ca/page5.htm.
or read “Abandoned Military Installations of Canada Volume I: Ontario”, “Abandoned Military Installations of Canada Volume II: Quebec” and “Abandoned Military Installations of Canada Volume III: Atlantic by Author Paul Ozorak.
The source material that I used is from the above sources and any others listed in the individual entry.
Unless indicated, no military presence remains at the former Pinetree Stations.
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- Map of the Pinetree Line, Mid-Canada Line and Distant Early Warning Line Stations at the Base Borden Museum, January 2011. Photo: Bruce Forsyth.
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Dora
April 27, 2014 at 9:25 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Dear Sir; I spent a short time in the RCAF, 1957-9, and have been searching for any archive photos and information on Manning Depot, St. John, QC. Unfortunately, there seems to be little or no information available. Have you any suggestions?
Thank you.
Dora
Michel Demers
January 2, 2017 at 6:35 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
try St-Jean, QC or Saint-Jean QC
Mac Fish
July 25, 2016 at 3:22 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
There are stories about that allege there was an RCAF base on Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba at Victoria Beach. I can find no record on the net to verify this. Did this base exist? It may have been before 1930.
Bruce Forsyth
July 26, 2016 at 12:47 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Hi Mac,
Thanks for stopping by my web site. There was a RCAF base at Victoria Beach that existed around 1930, but unfortunately, I don’t have any information other than that. If you find something, please let me know.
Bruce
Hal
June 23, 2017 at 2:49 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Victoria Beach was established in 1921 as a flying boat detachment of Canadian Air Force Station Winnipeg to conduct aerial surveys and fire patrols between Lake Winnipeg and the Ontario border, and along the northern ends of the larger Manitoba lakes. “Royal” was added to the title in 1924 (RCAF). Forestry duty became the RCAF’s priority tasking until the responsibility was shed to the provinces in late-1930. The Victoria Beach det initially flew H2SL “flying boats” for fire spotting, upgrading to the Vickers Viking in 1923 and the Vickers Vedette in 1925. Arrival of the Vickers Varuna in 1926 enabled active fire suppression (mooring the aircraft and pumping lakewater onto the fire), even though aircraft performance was often wanting, especially with waterlogged floats (pilots kept to large lakes). Arrival of the Vickers Vancouver in late 1929 corrected many of the deficiencies but, a specialized aircraft, it essentially had no job when the RCAF exited forest fire fighting a year later. Radio communications remained difficult – pilots flew with two pigeons, one to relay in-flight report of fires spotted and the 2nd to send signal the plane was crashed, stuck or broken down at a remote Manitoba lake. Considered a poor harbour, RCAF operations moved from Victoria Beach to Lac du Bonnet in 1926/7, retaining only a limited logistic support capability (e.g. refueling)
Bruce Forsyth
June 24, 2017 at 1:52 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Hi Hal,
Thanks for stopping by my web site and for the information.
Bruce
martin brassard
June 29, 2018 at 3:42 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Bonjour. moi je Cherche quelqu’un qui pourrait répondre a mes questions.
Ou peut-ont trouver des photos d’archive des la construction des bases militaire pinetree line en particulier celle de Senneterre en abitibi au Québec.
Nous aimerions reconstituer le site pour en faire un lieu touristique mais Il nous manque des éléments.
Voici mon adresse si vous voulez me parler en privé.
martin.brassard@gmail.com
Bruce Forsyth
July 6, 2018 at 8:23 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Bonjour, je suis en utilisant Google translate, alors j’espère que cela a du sens.
Le meilleur endroit pour trouver des photos et plans sur n’importe quelle station de la ligne Pinetree, y compris de Senneterre, est des bibliothèques et Archives Canada à Ottawa. Le deuxième meilleur endroit est le site web de ligne Pinetree, que vous trouverez à https://web.archive.org/web/20060205125230/http :// http://www.pinetreeline.org/locations.html.
Bonne chance.
Bruce
martin brassard
July 6, 2018 at 9:26 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Thank’s i Will checker that.
Abandoned Military Base - CFS Foymount - Exploration Project
September 4, 2016 at 9:42 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
[…] CFS Foymount opened in 1952 as a radar and warning station. The radar was situation on top of 535 metre hill and was a part of the Pine Tree Line of Norad (North American Aerospace Defense Command) radar stations. These stations provided early warning in the case of a Soviet nuclear attack, which was of course, a looming concern at the time. CFS Foymount, however, was closed in 1974 due to other radar stations being powerful enough to cover its area of operation. […]