Caribou Air Force Station
Caribou Air Force Station was the first of five, United States Air Force, Air Material Command (AMC) installations that were constructed during the period of 1951 – 1953. Each of the five installations was built specifically to provide operational storage of the nuclear stockpile, and to provide a specified number of weapons to their adjacent Strategic Air Command (SAC) bases. The first four installations were built and occupied by 1953. The fifth installation, although completed in 1953, would not be utilized until 1955. The first installation, code named “Site Easy” was originally known as the “North River Depot”. It was constructed between 1951-1952, and operations began in 1952. Funds were provided in 1951 to the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project (AFSWP), for the planning and construction of an ordnance storage site in the vicinity of a new Strategic Air Command Base. The AFSWP was directed to utilize the services of the Corps of Engineers, Department of Army, for planning and construction, and was made responsible for monitoring such work, and for operational security measures during these phases. The original directive to the AFSWP stipulated that upon completion of construction the installation would be turned over to Headquarters, Air Material Command for operational responsibilities.
Caribou Air Force Station
The Assembly Area included structures dedicated to the assembly of weapons in preparation for loading on bombers, or the disassembly of the weapons upon return. Plant I (Building No. 216) was constructed in 1952. This huge reinforced concrete structure was the focal point for early atomic (Type I) weapons maintenance. Constructed of heavily reinforced concrete throughout, the structure was the largest to be built at this site. It measured 103.5 feet by 220.5 feet. The original building consisted of six bays (structures) to accommodate various functions of weapons maintenance. On one side of Plant I was the Power Plant Room where two large diesel motor generators stood ready as an emergency power supply. There was also a mechanical bay, an electrical bay, and the readiness or breakdown bay where team members stripped down the weapon for re-assembly. Mounted on the ceiling of each of the large bays was a monorail crane system with a mounted winch. These were used to lift and move nuclear weapons and related components to facilitate their maintenance. The facility included workshops and office space. Bays one and two were connected by a narrow hallway. Bays three, four, five and six were also connected by hallways. A set of blast doors was located in the hallway between bays four and five. Another set of blast doors was located between bays five and six. Inside of each bay, alarms were installed which would activate if an over radiation situation existed.