Site: CAM-3

 


DEWLINE HISTORICAL DESCRIPTION

Topography

  • CAM-3 at SHEPHERD BAY, Canada, is situated on 5470 acres of a gently and uniform sloping coastal plain that appears to be an emerging sea bottom. The module train of this Auxiliary Radar Station is located about 150 feet above sea level on the crest of an elevated, “U” shapes gravel ridge. The plain between this ridge and the sea contains a number of irregularly aligned gravel ridges and is covered with many small lakes, ponds and swampy areas. The lakes and ponds are shallow, partly filled with vegetation and surrounded by a spongy humus comprised of mosses. in general, the area is poorly drained except during the spring runoff when surplus water breaks through depressions in the ridges to slowly find its way to the sea. The shoreline of Shepherd Bay has a wavy outline. Much of the shore is a thin gravel beach and the coastal slopes are covered with sand, silt and rock fragments.

Climate

  • Annual precipitation, including snowfall, is approximately 20 inches, being heaviest in July, August and September and least in February. Snowfall is greatest during October and November and averages about 56 inches a year. Absolute minimum and maximum temperatures are minus 65 and plus 74 degrees Fahrenheit respectively.

Water

  • A 4.5 mile round trip potable water haul is maintained summer and winter.

Building Layout Diagram.

Beach Area Layout Diagram


PHOTOS

Satellite Image – High level.

Satellite Image – Close-up.

Ambrose Aknavigak, Utility operator, 1971. Courtesy Ralph Howell.

Jim McEachern, Chef 1971. Courtesy Ralph Howell.

View of the site from the north taken Jul/Aug 2000.

North Warning Site sign taken Jul/Aug 2000.

Construction Era Photos for CAM-3.
The pictures below were selected from the extensive collection of Markham Cheever, the DEWLine’s Superintendent of Construction from 1953 to 1957, before the Line went operational. (Click on picture to enlarge.)

The People
The people in the photo below, also from the Markham Cheever collection, are displayed in the hopes that someone may recognize a father, grandfather, or friend who was involved in the construction of this particular DEWLine site. (Click on picture to enlarge.)

Bill Stevens checking out the nose gear compartment on the USAF DEWZIAK, DC-4 aircraft. July 1957.

Bill Stevens checking out the nose gear compartment on the USAF DEWZIAK, DC-4 aircraft. July 1957.