Where are the majority of the DEW Line sites located?

The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the north coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska (see Project Stretchout and Project Bluegrass), in addition to the Faroe Islands.

How many DEW Line sites are there?

The DEW Line clean-up project was established in the early 1990s. It was a National Defence project to clean up the former radar sites, to stop the environmental contamination that’s on the sites getting into the environment. DYE-Main was the largest of the 21 sites.

Is the DEW Line still manned?

This northernmost line of radar stations crossed the Canadian Arctic, Alaska, Greenland and Iceland, approximately along the 69th parallel. Construction of the 63 DEW Line stations was paid for by the Americans, using some 25,000 Canadian labourers. The DEW Line was officially shut down in 1993.

Who operated the DEW Line?

In 1954, the same year that the Canada-US Military Study Group officially recommended the construction of the DEW Line, the Canadian government undertook sole responsibility for the construction of a radar line to run roughly along the 55th Parallel.

Who operated the DEW line?

What did the Inuit do with the abandoned radar sites?

The DEW Line — the biggest military project in Arctic history — played a major role in the transformation that eventually tied the Inuit to a wage economy and sedentary lifestyle. The military and civilian personnel who operated the radar sites treated the North like a vast garbage dump.

When was DEW line built?

December 1954
In December 1954, construction began on the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line, an integrated chain of 63 radar and communication centres stretching 3000 miles from Western Alaska across the Canadian Arctic to Greenland.

Where is the DEW Line located in Canada?

List of DEW Line Sites. The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the North Coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska, in addition to the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland.

Why was the DEW Line set up?

It was set up to detect incoming bombers of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and provide early warning of any sea-and-land invasion. The DEW Line was the northernmost and most capable of three radar lines in Canada and Alaska.

How many stations are on the DEW Line?

The line consisted of 63 stations stretching from Alaska to Baffin Island, covering nearly 10,000 km (6,200 mi). The United States agreed to pay for and construct the line, and to employ Canadian labour as much as possible. A target date for completing the DEW Line and having it in operation was set for 31 July 1957.

What does Dew stand for?

The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the North Coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska (see Project Stretchout and Project Bluegrass ),…