February 8th, 2010 | 
Today marks the beginning of the end for the long used LORAN-C signal/program under the USCG. It’s been long advertised that the Coast Guard has been was the process of terminating its LORAN-C signal thus eliminating LORAN Stations around the world. As a system that’s both outdated and hardly used (oh I can here the naysayers now…) this will surely save the U.S. taxpayer at least some cash. The Coast Guard, on 25 November 2009, released ALCOAST 675/09 officially announcing, internally, the plan to terminate the LORAN-C program. In said message the time table to begin the termination process was to be 4 January 2010 as authorized in the Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2010.
As I was looking around for some other information on the LORAN system I came across a piece on NAVCEN’s site noting that today is in fact the day we’ll begin the process of phasing out the program. Their intention is
…to terminate transmission of the LORAN-C signal Feb. 8, 2010.
Hmm… maybe a Monday is a good day to start, but I’m guessing we’re basing this decision on a more historical fact than just a “Monday.” (Well truth be told I didn’t guess, but rather recall this date in history from my past research.)
As I was searching around on the termination process I found that today was the day the LORAN Station at Johnston Island began transmitting on a 24-hour basis, thus establishing a new LORAN rate in the Central Pacific; that was on 8 February 1958. Here’s the scoop from the CG Historians page-
1958- The Coast Guard LORAN Station at Johnston Island began transmitting on a 24-hour basis, thus establishing a new LORAN rate in the Central Pacific. The new rate between Johnston Island and French Frigate Shoal gave a higher order of accuracy for fixing positions in the steamship lanes from Oahu, Hawaii, to Midway Island. In the past, this was impossible in some areas along this important shipping route.
As the plan goes they’re only starting the decommissioning today; however, the process of termination is scheduled to be completed by October 1, 2010.1 If you’d like to see where and when they plan on terminating the signal you can view the schedule on the Coast Guard’s official LORAN-C page via the NAVCEN. It’s nice to know that the folks up at HQ have a sense of historical forethought when it comes to something as important to the maritime community as LORAN doesn’t it?
1 http://www.insidegnss.com/node/1806
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- A perhaps significant, but forgotten, historical day for the Coast Guard; the USCG seal updated
- Start your weekend with a laugh and a quick reminder
- If not part of the DoD, why is the Coast Guard called a Military Service?
