Saugatuck Gap Filler Radar Annex
The Saugatuck Gap Filler Annex (ADC ID: P-67C, NORAD ID: Z-67C, Z-34G) is a decommissioned air defense radar installation previously of the United States Air Force. It served in the vast Cold War era Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense system. Of the hundreds of SAGE radars, Saugatuck's is one of, perhaps, two that remain nearly completely intact.
| Saugatuck Gap Filler Annex | |
|---|---|
| Part of Air Defense Command (ADC) | |
| NRHP reference No. | 100008508 |
| Added to NRHP | 28 December 2022 |
Aerial view of Saugatuck Gap Filler Annex | |
Saugatuck Gap Filler Annex Location of the Saugatuck Gap Filler Annex | |
| Coordinates | 42°39′41″N 086°12′33″W |
| Type | SAGE Gap Filler Radar |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Air Force thru 1968 Now, owned by the City of Saugatuck |
| Open to the public | The site is not presently open to the public |
| Site history | |
| Built | Construction began mid-1956 |
| In use | 1958–1968 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 781st Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron, later 781st Radar Squadron (SAGE) |
Located immediately across the Kalamazoo River from Saugatuck, Michigan, at the top of Mount Baldhead, a 230-foot dune on the shore of Lake Michigan, the annex was positioned to fill gaps in the coverage of long-range "heavy" radars sited further inland. The heavy radars searched for attacking Soviet bombers but were unable to detect aircraft flying low to the west of the dunes along Lake Michigan. Saugatuck's original AN/FPS-14 radar was commissioned in mid-1958 and operated until it was replaced with a more capable AN/FPS-18 in 1963. The FPS-18 radar served continuously until the site was decommissioned early in 1968. The city of Saugatuck purchased the building, tower, and radar equipment from the Air Force in 1969. Today, the installation appears very much as it did when operational with virtually all of the Cold War-era electronic equipment still in place.
The Saugatuck Gap Filler Annex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022, and efforts are underway by a work group commissioned by the city of Saugatuck to stabilize the site and secure funding for further preservation and restoration.