Scott's USAF Installations Page

Trip Report: Loring at Last

First published in 2019. Reformatted 2025.

This report documents one day out of a 17-day road trip my wife Debbie and I made from Colorado to Maine and back. The name of this report refers to this being my third attempt to photograph the former Loring Air Force Base--I was rained out on two previous visits in 2004 and 2012. Just a reminder PIN means Permanent Installation Number and ILC means Installation Location Code; I include these for Air Force properties when I know them.

Tuesday, 6 August 2019

Debbie took our car on her own adventure (driving US Highway 1 north to its point of origin at Fort Kent, Maine), while I joined Ron, Dave L., Dave D., and Rory for a day of local area Cold War adventure. Dave D. was kind enough to drive us around in his gigantic truck.

Loring Air Force Base (AFB) ME, PIN 2283, ILC NRCH. Construction of Limestone AFB began in 1947. It was activated in 1950, and redesignated Loring AFB on 1 October 1954. Loring was selected for closure by the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure process and the base closed 30 September 1994. Loring is one of very few Cold War US Air Force airfields that did not have its start during or before World War II. This was my third attempt to photograph this former Strategic Air Command (SAC) Base; prior visits in 2004 and 2012 were rained out. I was delighted to finally see Loring in clear weather!
Fac 5302 Chapel center
Fac 7200 Elevated water storage tank
Fac 7200 Elevated water storage tank
Fac 7317 Diesel fuel tank
Fac 8200 Base operations and control tower
Fac 8200 Base operations and control tower
Fac 8200 Control tower close-up
Fac 8200 Base operations entrance shelter
Fac 8261 Engine test cell "Hush house"
Fac 8261 Engine test cell "Hush house"
Fac 8261 Engine test cell "Hush house"
Fac 8261 Engine test cell "Hush house"
Fac 8262 Support building
Fac 8262 Support building
Fac 8510 Maintenance dock
Fac 8510 Maintenance dock
Fac 8510 Maintenance dock
Fac 8510 Maintenance dock
Fac 8514 Maintenance dock
Fac 8622 Maintenance dock
Fac 8740 Maintenance dock
Fac 8744 Maintenance dock
Fac 8748 Maintenance dock

Air Defense Command (ADC) Alert Area and Support Complex. The fighter-interceptor alert hangar is the most distinctive structure of this mission grouping, but other supporting facilities were also built. At Loring, the alert hangar is the second-generation design by Strobel and Salzman, with two aircraft bays.
Fac 8410 Fighter-intercepter alert hangar
Fac 8410 Fighter-intercepter alert hangar
Fac 8410 Fighter-intercepter alert hangar
Fac 8390 Maintenance hangar
Fac 8390 Maintenance hangar
Fac 8390 Maintenance hangar
Fac 8390 Maintenance hangar
Fac 8440 Rocket storage and assembly
Fac 8440 Rocket storage and assembly
Fac 8440 Rocket storage and assembly
Fac 8440 Rocket storage and assembly
Fac 8440 Rocket storage and assembly
Fac 8420 Readiness crew dormitory
Fac 8420 Readiness crew dormitory
Fac 8430 Building
Fac 8430 Building
Vehicle storage
Sentry house
Sentry house
Sentry house

Strategic Air Command Alert Area - Tanker Alert. A separate parking area (or "pen") was provided for tankers in 1975, along with its own entry control point.
Tanker alert area entry control building
Tanker alert area entry control building
Tanker alert area entry control building
Tanker alert area entry control building

Strategic Air Command Alert Area - Alternate Bomber Alert. From 1967 to 1983 a different ramp area near base operations was used for alert bombers, along with its own entry control point.
Alternate bomber alert area entry control building
Alternate bomber alert area entry control building
Alternate bomber alert area entry control building

Fac 8280. The massive double-cantilever hangar was a design of the Kuljian Corporation. It was built in numerous examples at many Air Force bases during the 1950s, in differing sizes for both fighter and bomber aircraft. Loring's example is the largest size built, measuring roughly 600 feet by 270 feet to hold up to six B-36 aircraft at one time. The Albert A. Lutz Co., Inc. completed construction of this hangar in 1955.
General view
General view
General view
General view
General view
General view
Close-up view
Close-up view
Close-up view
Close-up view

Fac 8250. For me, the highlight of the day was getting a close look at the Very, Very Heavy Bomber hangar, also called the arch hangar. This hangar (and one other like it at Ellsworth AFB) has a thin-shell concrete barrel vault roof spanning 340 feet! This massive hangar was completed in 1949, and was built as a prototype B-36 hangar for Strategic Air Command. After building these two examples, the Air Force chose to go with the double-cantilever hangar (see above) for widespread use. The hangar was 300 feet deep and designed to hold two B-36 bombers. The thin-shell roof thins down to a mere five inches thick between the supporting ribs. Engineer Anton Tedesko led the Roberts and Schaefer Company effort to design this structure. Builders were Lane Construction Corp. and T.W. Cunningham Co., Inc.
Exterior general view
Exterior general view
Exterior general view
Exterior general view
Exterior general view
Exterior general view
Exterior close-up view
Exterior close-up view
Exterior close-up view
Exterior close-up view
Exterior close-up view
Exterior close-up view
Exterior close-up view
Exterior close-up view
Exterior close-up view
Interior general view
Interior general view
Interior general view
Interior general view
Interior general view
Interior general view
Interior view of aircraft door
Interior view of aircraft door
Interior view of aircraft door pocket
Interior view of aircraft door pocket showing buttress and arch at the springing line
Interior view of aircraft door pocket showing buttress and arch at the springing line
Interior view of aircraft door pocket showing buttress and arch at the springing line
Interior detail
Large addition, Facility 8251, built in 1952

At this point Dave D. and Rory needed to head for home, so Dave D. and I piled into Ron's rental car for an encore to the day's coverage.

Nike L-31L ME. This Nike missile launcher site served the US Army from 1956 to 1962.
Missile assembly and test building
Generator building
Enlisted mens barracks and officers quarters
Enlisted mens barracks and officers quarters
Enlisted mens barracks and officers quarters

Caswell Air Force Station ME, PIN 2202, ILC DFJT. Construction of this site began in 1950, and it operated until 1980, when it was excessed.
Radar tower
Radar tower
Radar tower
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Barracks
Barracks
Barracks
Barracks

Nike L-13L ME. This Nike missile launcher site served the US Army from 1956 to 1962.
Missile assembly and test building (L) and generator building (R)
Missile assembly and test building (L) and generator building (R)
Generator building
Enlisted mens barracks and officers quarters
Enlisted mens barracks and officers quarters
Enlisted mens barracks and officers quarters
Enlisted mens barracks and officers quarters

Loring Communications Annex #3 (Receiver) ME, PIN 5367, ILC NRCQ. This small receiver site is only one-quarter mile outside of the Loring AFB fence line. It was built in the 1950s and used until 1965, then placed back in use in 1970 for an undetermined time. It was declared excess in 1994 and disposed of in 2001.
Building
Building
Building
Building

Updated January 26, 2025

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