Editing Loring Air Force Base (section)

====Construction====
[[File:Loring Air Force Base plans.gif|thumb|Early plans for Loring. Note the additional third runway that was planned, only a part of which was built as a taxiway.]]
On 15 April 1947, construction commenced on '''Limestone Army Air Field,''' the first Strategic Air Command base designed and built to host high-speed aircraft, including the new B-36 Peacemaker. Original plans for Limestone called for two parallel north−south runways, a {{convert|12000|ft|-1|adj=on}} east−west runway, and accommodations for over 100 aircraft. The multimillion-dollar project was not built to the specifications of the original Army Corps of Engineers plan, and only one north−south runway was constructed.<ref name="HAERLoring" />

On 23 May, a $17 million contract was awarded to two companies to complete the first phase of construction. This included the north−south runway, a parallel taxiway (Taxiway J), a parking apron, the [[Loring Air Force Base Arch Hangar|Arch Hangar]], a base operations building, a control tower, a power plant, a 250-person barracks (which would later become Building 6000), a water supply system, and a railroad spur to the base from the [[Bangor and Aroostook Railroad]]).<ref name="HAERLoring" />

One of the first structures was the Arch Hangar. At the time, it was the largest monolithic arch roof structure in the US, and one of the largest hangars in the world. The construction of the hangar was also groundbreaking, including a foundation set on bedrock, extensive footing structures, intricate formwork, and a 340-foot arch span.<ref name="HAERLoring" />

The runway was another major construction task. The airfield in northern Maine was subject to freeze-thaw cycles and had bogs and various types of groundcover; 2.1 million cubic yards of material was removed. The foundation of the runway was constructed to a depth of {{convert|70|in|m|2}} of a flexible bituminous-concrete pavement. This was all done on a runway that was {{convert|10000|ft|-1}} in length and {{convert|300|ft|-1}} wide.<ref name="HAERLoring" />

The month of June 1950 began 44 years of constant activity at Limestone. On 10 June, the 7 officers and 78 airmen of the Limestone Detachment arrived, as the tenant unit during construction. Two days later, an aircraft from Oklahoma arrived. On the 15th, limited operations began at Limestone, as Cold War tensions began to heat up. The next day, a B-36 Peacemaker arrived and later departed. 1 July brought the re-designation of the Limestone Detachment as the [[4215th Base Service Squadron]]. After the Korean War broke out, the decision was made to increase the squadron's size to 28 officers, 340 airmen, and 20 civilians. August brought the first permanently assigned aircraft, a [[C-47 Skytrain]], and more aircraft using the base as a stopover between the States and Europe.<ref name="HAERLoring" />

[[File:Runway cross section, Loring Air Force Base.png|thumb|A cross-section of the runway at Loring, showing the depth to which material was built]]

The war brought increased funding to Limestone in 1951. Eight additional hangars were constructed at the southwestern end of the runway, as well as a {{convert|2100|ft|-1|adj=on}} addition to the northern end of the runway. The [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] allocated funds for the [[North River Depot]], a weapons storage facility to the northwest of the base. It later became Caribou Air Force Station and was absorbed into the facility in the 1960s. The end of the year brought the completion of a communications facility, a hospital, three barracks, a school, an officers club, a bakery, and a briefing and training building. The base was one of the first constructed after [[World War II]] and also one of the first to retain as much surrounding vegetation as possible in case there was a need to camouflage the airfield and surrounding facilities. It avoided the traditional grid system for roads.<ref name="HAERLoring" />

Hangars were built for the additional aircraft at the base, including the {{convert|250|by|600|ft|-1|adj=on}} double cantilever hangar, one of the first built by the Air Force in response to a demand for more efficient maintenance space. It could house five B-36 Peacemakers and six B-52 Stratofortresses,<ref name="HAERLoring" /> and nine planned concrete arch hangars were no longer needed.<ref name="Crypto">{{cite web|title=Cold War Infrastructure for Strategic Air Command: The Bomber Mission|url=http://cryptocomb.org/Cold%20War%20Infrastructure%20for%20Strategic%20Air%20Command-The%20Bomber%20Mission.pdf|publisher=Headquarters, Air Combat Command|access-date=17 December 2012|location=[[Langley Air Force Base]], [[Virginia]]|date=November 1999}}</ref>

The runway was resurfaced in 1955 in anticipation of the arrival of the B-52 Stratofortress in 1956. Eighteen additional "nose-dock" hangars (hangars which could contain the nose and wings of the aircraft, allowing for maintenance to the cockpit area by the crew, without the need to use the larger hangars) were built in 1956 to the northwest of the runway, near the main parking area, along with parking areas and taxiways for these hangars.<ref name="HAERLoring" />