OKINAWA 313th Air Division Air Defense Control Center (ADCC) 1956--1968+

The ADCC was the sole building on a north - south street at the foot of the hill upon which sat the Naha Air Base Headquarters, or "Flagpole" area. The ADCC faced a vacant grassed-in parade field, and sometimes football field, which was a block wide and two blocks long. Across the field was the fenced in east side of the flightime. The north-south flightime road ran along the fence. The road went north to Base Operations and the Naval Air Facility, and south to the Motor Pool and Engineer areas. The Building (604?) was a plain cinderblock 3 story rectangle, surrounded by security chainlink fencing topped with barbed wire about 50 feet out from the building. Inside the fence, in the south and east area of the lot were auxiliary generators and communications towers. Little by little, over the years, the Army Air Defense Control Center grew and more and more equipment (vans, generators, communications etc.) were brought in and placed within the perimeter fencing on the south side. There was a parking lot outside the fence on that same south side. The building had a steel door emergency exit, with platform and vertical ladder, on the 3rd floor level of both the north a south side of the building. There were also double service doors and small loading platform on the south side of the building.

The entrance, located on the center of the west side of the building, had a glassed in foyer and with 5 or 6 steps leading up to it. The building was constructed so that it could accommodate under floor cabling and above ceiling recessed lighting and climate control ducting. So, even though the exterior was 3 stories, the interior was actually only about 2 1/2 floors of usable space. The entrance had double doors (first into the glassed in foyer and then into the building itself) and an Air Policeman controlled access at the counter just inside the second door. The security fencing extended from the outside fence, along the entry sidewalk, right up the steps to the building along side the foyer entrance. There were the usual "Restricted Area" warning signs on the entrance and around the perimeter fence itself. Air conditioning/heating units adorned the roof.

Once past the security point there were steps leading up to the second floor on the right and a short hallway leading to the first floor hall on the left. The first floor hall ran north and south. To the north, on the left, was the enlisted latrine and break room. On the right were two doors leading into the Control Center main floor and a security door into the communications center, which occupied the northeast corner of the first floor. To the south, on the right was something, more maintenance? On the left, was an "L" where another hall ran east into the building. The switchboard and some maintenance functions were back there. (need some help here from the commo, maint people)

The second floor hall also ran north and south. To the north, on the left were the Officers Latrine and Administration Offices. To the right at the far northeast comer was the Security Office. The second floor hall to the south led to the conference/training room on the right. On the left and almost immediately in front of the stairway, was an entrance into the upper dais of the Control Center. Further down the hall on the left was an "L" with another hall extending to the east wall of the building. This hall led to the offices of the Operations Officer, Commander and Staff These offices were glassed in and overlooked the Control Center itself

The Control Center, backed by the Command Offices, faced north. A two level dais, stepping down to the main floor, extended east and west, wall to wall. The dais and its positions all faced the main plotting board on the far North wall. Steps on each end led down to the next level. The upstairs hall entrance went led down a few steps to the upper dais floor. The Senior Controller, Control Tech, Weapons Officer and Weapons tech positions were all on the upper dais.

The second level dais had no entrance door. It was accessed by steps down from the upper dais or up from the main floor that were on each end of the dais. The Air Surveillance, Crew Chief and Movement and Identification positions were all located on this level.

The Main floor had a row of positions just below the dais. They included Weather, Army AADCP Liaison, Recorder and Teller positions. All three levels had additional position spaces open for other uses aval Liaison, training, etc.) All positons had a console for their communications needs.

The first floor hallway entrance opened up onto the main floor between the plotting board and the main floor lower positions. Entering the Control Center from there one saw first; the tiered dais, backed by the glassed in command offices, rising up before him on the right. The overhead lights were normally dimmed and the faces of the men on the positions were illuminated, ghost-like, by the reading lamps on each position. Second; after the door closed behind him, one gazed up and up at the floor to ceiling 2 /12 story Plexiglas plotting board that extended left to right, wall to wall. It too appeared to glow, as the plotting board frame had illumination all the way around it that diffused throughout the Plexiglas, It was impressive.

There were 4 plotter's stations and 4 status board stations on 2 levels behind the board. The main floor level had moveable scaffold type platforms for the plotters. A rung ladder on the wall behind the board led up to the second level platform. Here the plotters had a more stable platform. During periods of extreme activity (usual major training exercises) there could be as many as 12 men manning the positions. The plotters would often hang upside down, kneel on rails and do other contortions to reach the area of the board as required.

The communications center, located in a first floor room behind the plotting board, had a door at the northeast comer of the Control Center for delivery and receipt of message traffic. They often set up Single Side Band or HF radios on one of the main floor positions to flilfill comrnunications requirements not met by the established system.

Contributor: David Law