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Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) 55 Radar Station

Evidence of RAAF 55 Radar Station can be found north of Bowen on the windswept headland of Cape Edgecumbe, overlooking Horseshoe and Murrays Bay. This installation was erected here in March 1943 as RAAF 42 Radar Station and was redesignated as 55 Radar Station several weeks later on 1 April 1943. Since May 1942 Bowen had been an important Catalina flying boat maintenance base and the radar unit was needed not only for air defence, but to assist in the navigation of Allied aircraft, particularly those lost or suffering mechanical problems.

Place information

Location

Cape Edgecumbe

Bowen, QLD 4805

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Place type

Radar/signal station

History

The tower was an Australian-made transportable Air Warning (AW) radar tower, of bolted steel construction with parts prefabricated for air transport and easy erection and dismantling. The radar was a British Mk V COL set. The transmitter/receiver was designed by the Royal Air Force for coastal defence use. COL was the overseas version of the British CHL (Chain Home Low Flying). CHL stations were for the detection of low flying aircraft and formed part of the British 'Chain Home' network.

RAAF 55 Radar Station was reduced to a care and maintenance unit from January to October 1945 and the unit was...

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