Editing Loring Air Force Base (section)

====Early history====
[[File:42dbombwing-patch.jpg|thumb|Emblem of 42d Bomb Wing]]
On 8 February 1953, [[Curtis E. Lemay]], Commander of SAC, visited the base to review the construction's progress. During this visit, he indicated that Limestone was operationally ready. Later that month, command capabilities were formally transferred to SAC, ending an almost six-year command by the Army Corps of Engineers. Furthermore, personnel of the 4215th Base Service Squadron were reassigned to the 42d Bombardment Wing, which was reactivated and assigned to the [[8th Air Force]]. On 23 February, Limestone Air Force Base officially became operational.<ref name="HAERLoring" />

During the first few months, the wing was not assigned any aircraft, and thus worked with other units who were in possession of the B-36 Peacemaker. In March and April, the base began preparing for operations of the B-36, which arrived later in April. This gave the newly activated [[69th Bombardment Squadron]] a full complement of aircraft. By the end of August, the number had increased to 27 bombers, 322 officers, 313 airmen, and 350 civilians. Additionally, more buildings were constructed on base, making it more of a home for airmen and their families.<ref name="HAERLoring" />

January 1954 brought the declaration of the 42nd being capable of implementing its [[United States war plans (1945–1950)|Emergency War Plan]]. On 1 October, the base was renamed after Charles Loring Jr., and became "Loring Air Force Base". One week later, the 45th Air Division was activated at Loring and designated the primary base unit. It was also designated that month as the primary staging location for fighter aircraft flying out of the Continental United States to and from Europe. Loring had 63 permanent aircraft assigned, and air traffic was significantly increased.<ref name="HAERLoring" />

As the Cold War progressed, so did the need for new aircraft and techniques. The first KC-97 Stratofreighter arrived at Loring with the activation of the 42d Air Refueling Squadron in January 1955. The B-36s were not actually equipped to perform aerial refueling, so the planes supported other units until the arrival of the B-52 in 1956. Eventually, 21 tankers were based at Loring, along with 30 air crews.<ref name="HAERLoring" />

By 1955, the base consisted of the [[42d Bombardment Squadron|42d]], 69th, [[70th Bombardment Squadron|70th]], and the [[75th Bombardment Squadron]]s. A hospital became operational. The next January, a B-52 landed at the airfield as part of a cold weather testing program. Five months later, the first Stratofortress, the "State of Maine", was permanently stationed at Loring.<ref name="HAERLoring" />

In November 1956, the Air Force used the base for publicity. On 10 November, the Soviet Union threatened to oust British and French troops from the Middle East, days after the end of the [[Suez Crisis]]. After a response by president [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] to the United Nations, a reporter with the [[Associated Press]] visited [[Castle Air Force Base]] in California after SAC was alerted to support whatever action the U.S. might take. The reporter was unable to find classified information, and instead invented maintenance records of the fleet that painted a dismal picture. On 24 and 25 November, four B-52s of the [[93rd Bombardment Wing]] and the 42nd flew nonstop around the perimeter of North America in [[Operation Quick Kick (1956)|Operation Quick Kick]], which covered {{convert|15530|mi|nmi km|abbr=on}} in 31 hours, 30 minutes. SAC noted the flight time could have been reduced by 5 to 6 hours if the four inflight refuelings had been done by fast jet-powered tanker aircraft rather than propeller-driven KC-97 Stratofreighters.<ref name="knaack_p244">Knaack 1988, p. 244.</ref> After the flight ended, the planes landed at [[Friendship International Airport]]. The operation distracted public attention from the reporter's story.<ref name="HAERLoring" />

The base was also the location of an experimental system of steam pipes in 1957, to test the viability of using steam to melt the snow on the runways. Pipes were spaced at different intervals in the experiment.<ref name="PM Oct 1957">{{cite magazine| title = Steam-Heated Runway Melts 10 Feet of Snow |magazine= Popular Mechanics | volume = 108 | issue = 4 | page =112 | publisher = Hearst Magazines | date = October 1957| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=x-EDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA112| issn = 0032-4558}}</ref> That same year, the first KC-135 Stratotanker, christened the "Aroostook Queen", arrived at Loring. By December, all of the KC-97s had left, and by April 1958, 20 KC-135s had arrived, allowing the 42nd Air Refueling Squadron to reach full operational capacity in May.  Later that year, an alert force was created at Loring, consisting of six B-52s. The following year, in response to a conflict in [[Lebanon]], the entire wing was placed on alert.<ref name="HAERLoring" />

An Alert Force was established at Loring AFB in October 1957. The wing began supporting the force with six B-52s in January 1958. In response to a conflict in Lebanon, the Alert Force was expanded to include the entire bombardment wing in July 1958, when the SAC bomber force went to full alert status. SAC's overall goal was achieved in 1960.<ref name="HAERLoring" />

On 11 March 1958, base personnel were the first members of the Air Force to land a B-52 in a wheels-up configuration at [[Westover Air Force Base|Westover AFB]] near [[Springfield, Massachusetts]]. After being lifted up and onto its wheels, the plane was flown to [[Kelly Air Force Base|Kelly AFB]] at [[San Antonio, Texas]], for a complete overhaul and inspection, before it was returned to the 42nd.<ref name="Bellylanding">{{cite web|title=Belly-Landing Atom Bomber Flown to Kelly|url=https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-PG9pDhm-guo/T6msx3DXtNI/AAAAAAAALyY/bX-EmMpUk1Q/s1600/B-52BellyLandsmall.jpg|access-date=3 February 2013}}</ref>

Loring was also home to an administrations support base of a [[Green Pine (communications)|Green Pine]] communications crew from [[Naval Station Argentia]]. The detachment did not officially exist on the base, although it was located on the top floor of the Bachelors Officers Quarters and consisted of six men.<ref name="GreenPine">{{cite web|last=Makar|first=Michael|title=Green Pine System – Loring Air Force Base, Maine|url=http://www.all-hazards.com/loring/greenpine/index.html|publisher=All-hazards.com|access-date=11 February 2013|date=July 2006}}</ref>

=====Assigned aircraft=====
[[File:83d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron-F-106-59-0037.jpg|thumb|210px|[[Convair F-106 Delta Dart|F-106A]] of [[83d Fighter Weapons Squadron|83d FIS]] at Loring in 1972]]

Various aircraft were assigned to the base, including the B-36 Peacemaker, which was assigned to the 42d Bombardment Wing from 1 April 1953 to 6 September 1956; the KC-97G Stratotanker, which was assigned from 15 February 1955 to 16 December 1957; the B-52C Stratofortress, which was assigned 16 June 1956 to January 1957; the |KC-135A Stratotanker, which was assigned from 16 October 1957 to 7 May 1990; the B-52G, which was assigned from January 1957 to <!--7 July 1959--> 16 November 1993; and the KC-135R, which was assigned from 1990 to March 1994<!--21 May 1959 to 16 November 1993-->.<ref name="AFHRA">{{cite web|title=42 AIR BASE WING (AETC) |url=http://www.afhra.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=9689 |publisher=[[Air Force Historical Research Agency]] |access-date=12 October 2012 |date=30 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130104172214/http://www.afhra.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=9689 |archive-date=4 January 2013 }}</ref>

Fighter aircraft were also assigned to the base during its operation. The [[Convair F-102 Delta Dagger|F-102 Delta Dagger]], which was assigned to the [[27th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron]], was located on base from 1957 to 1960 while the [[Convair F-106 Delta Dart|F-106 Delta Dart]] was assigned from 16 October 1959 to 1 July 1971,<ref name="27th">{{cite web|title=27TH FIGHTER SQUADRON|url=http://www.langley.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3711|publisher=Air Force Research Historical Agency|access-date=12 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080502205545/http://www.langley.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3711|archive-date=2 May 2008 |location=[[Langley Air Force Base]]|year=2008}}</ref> and to the [[83d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron]] from July 1971 to June 1972.<ref name="53Wing">{{cite web|title=53 WING (ACC) |url=http://www.afhra.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=9742 |publisher=Air Force Research Historical Agency |access-date=12 October 2012 |location=[[Eglin Air Force Base]] |date=22 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130104172234/http://www.afhra.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=9742 |archive-date=4 January 2013 }}</ref>

On July 31, 2024, B-52 60-0012 from the 69th Bomb Squadron from Minot Air Force Base landed at Loring after some 30 years since the ceasation of B-52 operations from the base and to honor the 42nd Bomber Wing. The event on this occasions was to celebrate not only the history of the 42nd Bomber Wing but a Loring Open House Event that was being held.

=====Weapons Storage Area=====
[[File:LORING AFB WSA 67.jpg|thumb|210px|Weapons Storage Area in 1967]]
{{Main|Caribou Air Force Station}}
The Nuclear Weapons Storage Area at Loring once operated as a separate, top secret facility. Originally called the '''North River Depot''', the remote area to the northeast of Loring's property was the first U.S. operational site specifically constructed for the storage, assembly, and testing of atomic weapons.<ref name="HAER-WSA">{{Cite web |url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/me/me0300/me0311/data/me0311data.pdf |title=Loring Air Force Base, Weapons Storage Area |author=Earth Tech, Inc. |date=1994 |website=[[Historic American Engineering Record]] |publisher=Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=8 November 2020}}</ref>

In 1951, the Department of Defense (DOD) allocated funds for the construction of an ordnance storage site at Loring AFB. The designs called for a self-sufficient "maximum security storage area for the most advanced weapons of mankind". The mission of the facility would be the protection and maintenance of the weapons used by SAC. The facility was in the northeast corner of the base, and construction began on 4 August 1951. In addition to 28 storage igloos and other weapons storage structures, the facility included weapons maintenance buildings, barracks, recreational facilities, a warehouse, and offices.<ref name="HAER-WSA" />

A parallel series of four fences, one of which was electrified, surrounded the heart of the storage area. This area was nicknamed the "Q" Area, which denoted the Department of Energy's [[Q clearance]] required to have access to Restricted Data.<ref name="HAER-WSA" />

In June 1962, the [[United States Atomic Energy Commission|Atomic Energy Commission]] released its custody and ownership of the weapons to the Air Force. The personnel and property of the later named '''Caribou Air Force Station''' were absorbed into the adjacent Loring Air Force Base.<ref name="HAER-WSA" />

=====Nike defense area=====
[[File:Loring AFB Defense Area.png|thumb|220px|Defense sites around Loring AFB]]
{{Main|Loring AFB Defense Area}}
To provide air defense of the base, four [[United States Army]] [[Nike Hercules|Nike-Hercules]] [[surface-to-air missile]] sites were constructed during 1956. Sites were located near Caribou (L-58) {{Coord|46|53|02|N|068|00|32|W}}; Caswell (L-13) {{Coord|47|01|42|N|067|48|35|W}}; Connor Twp. (L-85) {{Coord|47|00|29|N|068|01|06|W}}, and Limestone (L-31) {{Coord|46|55|04|N|067|47|32|W}} Maine.<ref name="MilitaryStandard">{{cite web|title=Nike Missile Loring Defense Area|url=http://www.themilitarystandard.com/missile/nike/loring-me.php|work=The Military Standard|access-date=7 August 2012}}</ref>

The New England Division of the Army Corps of Engineers managed the construction of these sites. The sites were manned by men from the 3rd Missile Battalion, [[61st Air Defense Artillery Regiment (United States)|61st Air Defense Artillery Regiment]], and provided defense for Loring and the northeastern approaches to the United States. In 1960, sites L-13 and L-58 underwent conversion from [[Project Nike#Nike Ajax|Ajax]] missiles to the [[MIM-14 Nike-Hercules]] missiles. These sites remained operational until 1966, although the site at Limestone was closed in September 1958.<ref name="MilitaryStandard" />

Members of the 3rd Missile Battalion gained distinction in November 1958 during the Annual Service Practice wargames at [[Fort Bliss]] in [[Texas]] when they launched 12 Nike Ajax missiles and recorded 12 kills – a [[United States Army Air Defense Command]] first.<ref name="MilitaryStandard" />

=====Operation Head Start=====
{{Main|Operation Head Start}}
Operation Head Start was conducted at the base from September to December 1958. It helped to demonstrate that a continuous airborne alert could be maintained successfully.<ref name="Headstart">{{cite video|people=[[42d Bombardment Wing]]|title=Operation Headstart|medium=Film reel|publisher=[[United States Air Force]]|location=Loring Air Force Base, [[Maine]]|date=1959|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDWS_9uS9IM| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131201102521/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDWS_9uS9IM| archive-date=2013-12-01 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

Before each flight, a briefing was held, alerting the crewmembers to basic world events as well as safety criteria. At least 15 hours before takeoff, the crew would thoroughly pre-flight their aircraft. Inadvertently, this also increased efficiency in terms of maintenance and other pre-flight routines.<ref name="Headstart" />

Every six hours, a bomber would take off with live warheads and continue on a pre-determined path over Greenland and eastern Canada, a trip ending 20 hours later. Frequently, "Foxtrot: No message required" messages were sent to the bomber from Strategic Air Command headquarters at [[Offutt Air Force Base]], keeping the crews alert.<ref name="Headstart" />

While entering the landing pattern, crash trucks would travel to the runway and await landing. This was standard procedure for all Head Start landings. After landing, the crew was interrogated prior to being released, so that maintenance, intelligence, and other crews could be alerted to the performance of the plane and other items that the crew might have noticed during their flight. After release, they would typically go to the Physical Conditioning room for a steam bath and rubdown.<ref name="Headstart" />

Operation Head Start eventually led to [[Operation Chrome Dome]].<ref name="GeorgeWashington">{{cite web|title=The Air Force versus Hollywood|url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nukevault/ebb304/index.htm|publisher=[[George Washington University]]|access-date=6 May 2012}}</ref> Chrome Dome was an operation where bombers would be in constant airborne alert and loiter at points just outside the Soviet Union.<ref name="NationalMuseum">{{cite web |title=SAC AIRBORNE ALERT |url=http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=1851 |publisher=[[National Museum of the United States Air Force]] |access-date=15 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114035353/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=1851 |archive-date=14 January 2009}}</ref>