1871-1900 Yaquina Head Lighthouse Letter books

be blacked out by the unit having charge of that area. Commanding Officers were instructed to exercise their best judgement in the assignment of trucks, tenders, or small boats and these assignments were determined in advance.

Commanding Officers were further directed to familiarize themselves with the aids in their area, securing keys necessary for entrance to equipment and to properly instruct personnel under their command, in order that the blackout could be carried out smoothly and expeditiously. Sound buoys were silenced by securely lashing bell clappers or air intakes and whistles were wrapped with canvas and securely lashed. The District Coast Guard Office was to be notified by dispatch when the blackout had been effected or aids had been relighted, in accordance with District orders.

In October, 1941, a conference was held at Tongue Point Depot, Astoria, Oregon, to instruct personnel from that area in the operations required of the various types of aids to navigation to effect the Blackout Plan. A blackout drill of all units under command of the Astoria Base was held on October 22, 1941. Each aid was visited and examined by the personnel assigned thereto to ascertain type of equipment, the correct way to make the aid inoperative and the tools and materials required. During the practice, only an examination was made and the operation of the aids was not stopped. This was the only test of its kind in the 13th Naval District prior to the outbreak of the war.

On 9 December, 1941, a blackout was effected in the entire District on instructions from the District Commandant. Three officers, together with a small staff of enlisted personnel, issued instructions to the various Commands from the Aids to Navigation Office. Orders for the blackout were received at 1400 and, by 2200, the blackout was completely effected. Tremendous obstacles were encountered, there having been no previous test of the Plan as set by the Board in September. Bridges throughout the District were blacked out, although no plan had incorporated such procedure and railroad officials as well as highway superintendents offered little cooperation. No word was received from the blacked areas as to the time their aids were extinguished nor was word received that they had been relighted following the blackout. This was due to the inability of telephone and radio facilities to handle such heavy traffic. No report was required concerning the results of the operation and a general blackout, other than tests in various areas, was every made in the District.

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SPECIAL BUOYS

RACONS (see following chapter) were primarily navigational aids for aircraft during the war years. However, since RADAR equipment was installed aboard Navy vessels, merchant ships, Coast Guard cutters and numerous other surface craft, it became another function of the Coast Guard to establish and maintain some sort of system to enable these ships to calibrate their RADAR equipment. A system of buoys equipped with targets or reflectors was developed by the Navy to furnish these vessels a means of testing their RADAR range and the alignment of the optical system with their RADAR antennae.

The first such buoy in the District established for the specific purpose of RADAR range calibration was placed in the west end of Dalco Passage in September, 1943. This buoy was installed at the request of the Seattle-Tacoma Shipyard and the Navy and was used mainly in the calibration of RADAR installations aboard newly constructed vessels. The buoy was an ordinary first class tall type can bearing no special equipment; it was in operation as long as the Seattle-Tacoma Shipyard was engaged in ship construction.

As the war progressed, the traffic of damaged vessels to the Puget Sound Navy Yard for repair, increased. The single buoy in Dalco Passage was found inadequate to meet calibration demands and its type was not entirely satisfactory. The need for additional RADAR calibration buoys was plainly evident due to the fact that RADAR installations aboard surface craft had also greatly increased. Using the regular first class can as a base, three more buoys, designed for RADAR calibration, were developed and located southeast of Blake Island. These buoys utilized the lighting equipment (Wallace and Tiernan) for use in can buoys and which had originally been purchased by the 13th Naval District for installation on Jefferson Point Degaussing Range. As buoys were stationed in waters through which towing vessels proceeding form the Tacoma-Olympia Area toward Seattle passed, small flags were installed to make the buoys more easily sighted by the towing boat operators. Although the buoys and lights were provided by the Coast Guard, the reflectors and additional floats were manufactured and installed by the Navy. The duty for maintaining the buoys and servicing the lights fall to the Coast Guard.

South of Willapa Bay, approximately 4 miles off the Washington Coast, a target buoy for aircraft RADAR calibration was placed on station in September, 1944. This target buoy was the only special buoy in the District not maintained for marine RADAR calibration alone. Installed temporarily at the request of the Naval Air Station, Astoria,

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The directive from the Chief of Naval Operations, in addition to authorizing the transfer of equipment, also urged the establishment of new RACONS wherever the need for them was apparent. Headquarters was also directed to transfer RACONS to Coast Guard property wherever feasible. At Tillamook, Oregon, Shelton, Washington, Coast Guard personnel were messed and quartered with the Navy as the RACON Stations were facilities of those activities. However, at Astoria Naval Air Station, the RACON Station was a facility of the Astoria Operating Base and the men were billeted there. Seattle RACON Station, although a facility of the Naval Air Station, could not provide accommodations for the Coast Guard personnel; the men were placed on subsistence and quarters and lived in the nearby town of Kirkland. All other RACON Stations were established near a Coast Guard unit where the men could be billeted. (Exception was RACON at Oceanside where personnel were quartered with Army. See paragraph concerning Army RACONS.)

Prior to the Navy's transfer of all pulse equipment to the Coast Guard, all matters dealing with electronic aids had been handled by the District Communications or Communications Engineer Officer. However, in compliance with Headquarters' new policy regarding the electronic aids, the operational activities of the RACONS became the responsibility of the Aids to Navigation Section (under Operations). The following specific duties of the Aids to Navigation Officer were listed as follows:

(a) Obtain from the Chief of Naval Operations pertinent information concerning the specific Navy RACONS to be transferred to the Coast Guard.

(b) Obtain approval form the Chief of Naval Operations for the establishment of new units and decommissioning of old ones.

(c) Conduct a study to determine the operational requirements for the RACON system.

(d) Determine the operational requirements for various areas and furnish this data to the Office of Engineering for procurement of the equipment and the preparation of budget estimates.

(e) Recommend operating and supporting (non-technical) personnel complements for RACON Stations and set up priorities for assignment of these personnel.

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Journal of Light-house Station at Cape Foulweather Oregon

April 1891

10 part of 24 hours clearing weather - Sea rough. General duties for the day - 1st asst went to Newport after mail.

11 Light N.W. to S.E. wind & calm dry first part of 24 hours - Last part of 24 hours light variable winds fair weather - Sea quite smooth. General duties for the day - Keeper and Mr. Smith went trout fishing up North beach.

12 Light variable winds and calm these 24 hours first part of 24 hours damp - Last part of 24 hours light rain showers - Sea quite smooth - General duties for the day - The barometer is going down slowly - Light House Tender Manzanita arrived sometime during the morning and crossed the bar at 2:30 P.M.

13 Light E. to S. E. wind and little damp first part of 24 hours - Last part of 24 hours light variable winds cloudy but dry weather - Sea little rough - General duties for day - Keeper & Mr. Smith went fishing - 1st asst went to Newport.

14 Light N.W. wind and calm these 24 hours fair weather during 24 hours - Sea quite smooth. General duties for the day - Mr. Isaac L. Smith and 1st asst went fishing today - Keeper Mr. Frank M. Plummer went to Newport after supplies - Left the station at 8:30 A.M.

15 Light East wind to moderate breeze South these 24 hours with fair weather - Sea smooth. General duties for the day - Keeper returned to the station at 1.P.M.

16 Moderate breeze south to light variable wind & calm first part of 24 hours with rain - Last part of 24 hours Moderate breeze N.W. cloudy but dry - Sea smooth - General duties for the day - Keepers went fishing today - L.H. Tender Manzanita crossed Yaquina bar bound for Astoria this morning.

17 Fresh breeze N. West with frequent fog showers during these 24 hours - Sea little rough - 1st asst went to Newport and working in garden - Keeper making out requisition for the annual supplies for station the next year.

18 Fresh to moderate breeze N.W. these 24 hours first part of 24 hours damp fog - Last part of 24 hours heigh dry fog - Sea smooth - General duties for the day - Keepers cleaning out chicken house and making out requisition for supplies.

19 Light to moderate breeze N.W. to S.E. and South these 24 hours first part of 24 hours cloudy but dry - Last part of 24 hours rain - Sea smooth - General duties for the day - Keeper & Mr. Smith went trout fishing - Had three visitors today.

20 Light S.E. to variable winds these 24 hours first part of 24 hours cloudy but dry - Last part of 24 hours fair weather - Sea quite smooth - General duties for day - Keeper went to Newport.

21 Light variable winds cloudy but dry first part of 24 hours Last part of 24 hours moderate and fresh breeze to a gale S.E. to South cloudy and little damp. Sea smooth - General duties for the day - Steamer Chance sailed today - Mr. Smith went to Newport on important business left station at 8 A.M.

22 Gale to strong & fresh breeze south with hard rain during 24 hours. Sea little rough. General duties for the day. The barometer going up a little. Mr. Smith returned to the station at 4 P.M.

23 Moderate breeze S. to S. East and S. West these 24 hours with some showery weather. General duties for the day. Sea very rough. Steamer Willamette Valley arrived but to rough to cross bar.

24 Light wind to moderate & fresh breeze S. to S. East and S. West with rain and hail squalls during 24 hours. Sea rough. General duties for the day. The bar to rough for steamer to cross Today. Mr. I. L. Smith went to Newport to get some supplies. Left the station at 8 A.M.

Journal of Light-house Station at Cape Foulweather Oregon 1894

March

18: Gale South to fresh breeze S. W. & West these 24 hours with rain & hail squalls. Sea very rough. General duties for day. The barometer 29.70 today.

19: Strong & fresh breeze W. to S.W. with frequent rain & hail squalls first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours Gale to fresh & moderate breeze W. to N.W., light rain & hail squalls. Sea very rough. Keeper went to Newport. General duties for day.

20: Light N.W. & North wind to moderate breeze N.W. these 24 hours with clear, fine weather. Sea quite smooth. Had 4 visitors today. Steamer Homer arrived from San Francisco & crossed Yaquina bar. 1st ass't went fishing. Keeper & 2nd ass't hauling wood from beach.

21: Calm & light N. East to East wind these 24 hours with clear, fine weather. Sea smooth. General duties for the day. Keeper & 1st ass't went fishing. 1st ass't also putting brush in the road. Keeper & 2nd ass't hauling wood.

22: Fresh breeze East first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours light variable winds with clear, fine and warm weather during 24 hours. Sea smooth. General duties for the day. Keeper & 2nd ass't went to Newport. Steamer Homer sailed for San Francisco today. 1st ass't spading & planting garden.

23: Light N. East wind first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours moderate breeze N. West with clear, fine and warm weather. Sea smooth. Keepers spading and planting garden. 1st ass't also went fishing today.

24: Light [N has been deleted] East wind first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours light variable winds with clear, fine weather first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours a little fog floating around. Sea very smooth. Keeper & 1st ass't planting garden today. 1st ass't also went fishing and to Newport. 2nd ass't went to Newport. Keeper went trout fishing.

25: Light South wind first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours light variable winds with fair & warm weather during 24 hours. Sea very smooth. General duties for the day. Keeper & 1st ass't went fishing. 2nd ass't went over on S. beach hunting water agates.

26: Light S. wind first part of 24 hours with fair weather. Last part of 24 hours moderate & fresh breeze S.E. to S. with rain. Sea smooth. General duties for the day. 1st ass't spading & planting garden. 2nd ass't went trout fishing up on north beach.

27: Light S. to S. East & East wind these 24 hours. First part of 24 hours rain. Last part of 24 hours cloudy & threatening weather. Sea smooth. Keeper & 1st ass't went fishing today. 2nd returfing his back yard today. The barometer is 29.90 today.

28: Light wind to fresh breeze S.E. to S. & S. West these 24 hours. First part of 24 hours light rain. Last part of 24 hours hard rain. General duties for day. Sea quite smooth. Keeper and 2nd ass't went to Newport on business. The barometer 29.85 today.

29: Light S.W. to West wind these 24 hours with frequent rain showers during 24 hours. Sea quite smooth. Keeper went fishing and writing on the Quarterly & monthly reports. 1st and 2nd ass't also went fishing today.

30: Light S. East wind with frequent rain showers first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours light wind to moderate breeze N. West, fair weather. Sea smooth. 1st ass't spading garden and went fishing. Keeper working on the Quarterly returns. 2nd ass't went up on the north beach prospecting for Coal on the Indian Reservation. The barometer 29.95 Light House tender Manzanita passed by this Light at 5.20 P.M. from Astoria. She passed by Yaquina going South to Cape Blanco.

31: Light N.W. to South wind first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours moderate breeze South with fair weather during 24 hours. Sea smooth. Keeper making out Quarterly and monthly returns and spading garden & fishing. Steamer Homer sailed for San Francisco today. 1st ass't spading garden, went fishing, and to Newport after the mail.

April

1: Fresh breeze to gale South first part of 24 hours with rain. Last part of 24 hours Fresh to moderate breeze S. West, fair weather. Sea moderately smooth. General duties for the day. Keeper went to Newport to mail the Quarterly and monthly returns.

2: Moderate and fresh breeze S.W. with hail & rain squalls first part of 24 hours. Last part of 24 hours light West wind [continued on next page]