It only took 32 months to build the DEWLine. Only those associated with this massive construction project know the extent of the difficulties involved, the hardships endured, and the intense effort required to build this surveillance system in so short a time.
The radar consoles at all of the DEWLine's 33 stations across the Arctic were manned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for 36 years, without fail. The operation and maintenance of the equipment and the site itself was a constant challenge.
Thousands upon thousands of 55-gallon fuel drums scattered across the Arctic tundra. Open dumps full of debris. Hazardous waste left in the open. Vehicles left to rust away in the Arctic wilderness. How could this have happened? Why did it happen?
Here are over forty YouTube videos about to the DEWLine. Some are long and some short, but all will be of interest to visitors seeking more information on the DEWLine. So, go get your popcorn and enjoy the movies.
We are using Flickr to hold our collections of photo galleries. Many of the galleries are personal photos from DEWLiners while other galleries are theme based. Enjoy.
We have attempted to create a central repository for documents, links to appropriate websites, and other resource material of interest to visitors who want to expand their knowledge of the DEWLine.
The Inuit where involved from the early construction days, through all the operational years, and into the clean-up phase. The DEWLine was just one of the many influences, both good and bad, that has impacted the Inuit culture.
We are a “virtual” museum by necessity because we have so few artefacts to exhibit. However, we are working with “The Diefenbunker, Canada’s Cold War Museum” to create a “physical” space to possibly display what few artefacts we do have. Learn more about that project.
The iconic, 90 foot tall, tropospheric scatter antennas located at FOX-Main (Hall Beach).
There were two types of stations, Main and Auxiliary. The sites were placed approximately 100 miles (160 KM) apart, along the 69th parallel about 200 miles inside the Arctic circle.
Originally, there was a third type of station called an Intermediate site (I-Site), located midway between each of the Main and Aux sites, and would have been home for about 5-people. The 28 I-Sites proved ineffective and were abandoned in 1963.
There were six main sites. They were comprised of two parallel module trains connected by an overhead bridge. A typical Main Site would have a population of 40-70 people depending upon the season.
There were 23 Aux-sites. They consisted of a single module train about 400 feet long by 25 feet wide and would have been home to about 14-20 people.
Paul served as the Safety Officer on the North Warning System, (the DEWLine’s successor), 2006-9, and NWS Project/Site Manager from 2012 to present. He is constantly bringing back "treasures" from the Line. Paul also heads up our project of working with the "Diefenbunker, Canada's Cold War Museum," to establish a physical museum presence.
Paul served on the DEWLine as a Crypto Radician from Feb 1961 to May 1962. Paul is a prodigious writer with an eye for detail and a way with words. Many of his Arctic adventures appear in the War Stories section of Larry Wilson's Omnibus website. You can read some of Paul's stories by clicking on the globe icon below.
