Cambridge Bay LORAN Tower facts for kids
The Cambridge Bay LORAN Tower was once a very tall radio tower in Cambridge Bay, a community in Nunavut, Canada. It stood about 189 meters (620 feet) high, which is taller than many skyscrapers! This tower was built a long time ago, in 1947, to help ships and planes find their way. For several years, it was even the tallest freestanding structure in all of Canada.
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The Cambridge Bay LORAN Tower
What Was the LORAN Tower?
The Cambridge Bay LORAN Tower was a huge metal structure, shaped like a giant, four-sided pyramid made of criss-crossing beams. Its base was quite wide, about 18 meters (59 feet) on each side. Even though it looked like it had support wires, these were actually part of its special antenna system.
How Was It Used?
When it was first built in 1947, the tower was part of a system called LORAN. LORAN stands for "LOng RAnge Navigation." It used radio signals to help ships and airplanes figure out exactly where they were, especially over long distances. Think of it like an early version of GPS!
Later on, the tower was used as a "non-directional beacon," or NDB. This meant it sent out a continuous radio signal. Pilots and sailors could use special equipment to find the direction of this signal, helping them navigate. The tower was often called the "CB" beacon because it sent out the morse code letters "CB" on its radio signal. It used a frequency of 245 kHz and had a strong output power of 2000 watts.
Why Was It Taken Down?
The tower was built in 1947, but by the 1950s, new technologies like the Distant Early Warning Line (a radar system) made the LORAN system less important. Over time, the tower became old and was no longer needed for navigation.
In 2013, engineers checked the tower and found that it was no longer safe. It was decided that it needed to be taken down and replaced with a smaller, 160-foot (49-meter) tower. The plan was to remove it in October 2013, but the actual demolition didn't start until August 4, 2014. The very next day, on August 5, 2014, the tall Cambridge Bay LORAN Tower was completely gone.
