Orford Ness and Top Secret Equipment

[redsocks]

Hi All,

I was watching the BBC's "coast" on TV last night that covered a story from the military installation at Orford Ness,there was a guide who was showing the crew around and telling its tale.He mentioned that US military guards guarded the installation the whole time it was there from the 60's to the late 80's.I have always thought that the Orford Ness facility has a connection with the Rendlesham incident somewhere do to its proximity but always thought the MOD were involved with it and not the US.The guide went on to say its main role was as a radar facility,he went on to say £150 million was pumped into the radar but it never worked properly apparently the signal was always being blocked which has been suggested could have been done by a Russian ship at the time in the north sea.Begs the question were did the £150 go? its been said that Orford Ness was also a top secret development place for the MOD but with the US guards there there must have been some US involvment.Thoery 1)Any equiptment that had to go to Orford Ness must have been taken there by chopper from I suppose Woodbridge,the flight line would go directly over the forest is it possible something could have been dropped on route to Orford Ness.
Theory 2)
On this TV programme the guide showed an old map of Orford Ness when it was active it was a big site with quite a few large building,could Orford Ness have been testing out unmaned craft to and from Woodbridge base?on the second night the Halt trek followed the UFO on a line to the lighthouse which is pretty much were the Orford Installation was.Maybe the craft had a problem and kept taking off and landing in the forest.
I'm convinced after watching that TV show that Orford Ness has involvment with the man made or object falling of an aircraft theory which seems to be most popular.
Food for thought guys.
Redsocks

[redsocks]

Hi Admin,

Apparently "Cobra Mist" was cancelled in 1973,but the MOD were there up until 1985.What were they doing there after "Cobra Mist"?

Redsocks

[Observer]

Hi redsocks

Look up the various web sites on Cobra Mist, it was i think dismantled by 1978, but may be wrong. Cobra Mist was a joint US UK venture it was also linked to the BT Research centre at Martlesham Heath!!
The AWRE used the Ness for years doing centrifuge testing on A weapon components, The Pagoda shaped buildings were the centrifuge testing sheds. All hush hush and it was the MOD that guarded it.

I like your idea of some thing dropping off a helo on route to the Ness or the other way round for that matter. Lets follow this one and see what we can dig up.

Observer

[redsocks]

Hi Observer,
I believe you are correct when you say "Cobra Mist" was dismantled in the late 70's but it was inactive since 73.But as I have said I have seen on various sites that the MOD were there up until the 1985,the impression I got watching the TV programme was that the US were guarding it up until then.
Interesting point here:

Look at http://www.nik.co.uk then go to "orford ness redux" on the search.
It mentions there that nuclear weapons were developed and sent from there,if true they must have been dispatched to and from Woodbridge or Bentwaters.Could it be possible that they lost something en route? were the british gov with the US making the nuclear weapons here for storage/testing in the US?,its a long shot but it figures hence the hush hush.

Redsocks

[puddlepirate]

Hi Redsocks....very interesting. It would seem AWRE stopped work at the site circa 1971 (go to: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w- ... y-awre.htm) but perhaps the US took over the site once AWRE had finished with it. But if the US placed guards there, then they must have doing something.

Even when AWRE were there the bombs were heavy (needed a 10 crane to lift them) but there is no mention of how they were transported to/from the site. Following the work on the ness, the bombs were then flown down to Australia for detonation tests but how they got from Orford Ness to the aircraft is unknown - but a helo sounds perfectly reasonable and given that the site is now open to the public, it shouldn't be too hard to find out how the bombs were transported.

[Observer]

Hi all

Right, lets look at A + H bombs, There were never complete bombs at the Ness. Only parts such as the casings which were tested there to see how they stood up on re entry to the earths atmosphere. Hence the centrifuge testing. Final assembly was at Burfield near Aldermaston [i think i have the names right]. Testing finished in Australia years before this as the under ground facility in Nevada was made available under a treaty.

We did work on joint bomb projects with the US mainly in the area of Polaris and Trident, but it was in the area of 'miniturisation' of the war heads so that Trident could carry muliple war heads. This apparently was led unusually by us Brits.

There is no way the US would consider A bomb development or production out side its own plants in the US with the exception of Trident which consisted of teams of 'boffins' and engineers visiting each other's plants, but that would be Aldermaston and/or Burfield.

I like the idea that some prat dropped a piece of 'kit' from a helo on route to or from the Ness to Woodbridge. It does not have to be anything to do with N weapons, although it could be but i'm doubtful.

Observer

[Observer]

Hi all

Just a thought, can any one dig up what the Trident warheads looked like,
Could they be a similar shape to Penniston's description?
Don't forget they were in a cluster inside the missiles nose and having a pyramid shape would allow several to be stacked together.

Observer

[ppulatie]

Please check my introduction that was just posted.

There were no weapons being transported between Martlesham Heath or Orford Ness and Bentwaters/Woodbridge. These weapons would have needed special convoys and such did not occur.

Those who have suggested that UFO's were looking over the WSA, Weapons Storage Area, on Woodbridge, are way off track. The Woodbridge WSA was closed down in 78, when F-4 usage was discontinued and the A-10 was brought in as the new aicraft. Bentwaters still had nukes, but not the aircraft to put them on. The alert area was closed. Only in the event of actual war, would nuke capable aircraft have been flown in and weapons uploaded.

[Observer]

Just a bit more to add to my Jan 13 post about the AWRE on the Ness.

All components were transported in by road and accross on the ferry all guarded by the MOD Police. There was an MOD guard post on the key.
Many a time a guarded truck would pull onto the key waiting for the ferry.
The US had no involvement physically in the AWRE weapon testing on the Ness and were also not involved with any form of transportation. Their only involvement with the Ness was Cobra Mist which was jointly run because it was jointly funded. The BBC World service have a transmitter on the Ness but rumour has it that its a bit more than that, i'l leave it up to your imagination what that could be.

Observer

[redsocks]

I hear what you guys are saying reguarding weapons from Orford Ness not being transported to Woodbridge or Bentwaters but if I can just stay with Orford Ness for a while.We know that "Cobra Mist" was abandoned in 1973,Apparently the equiptment the US had at Orford Ness was removed in 1978 and as the US pumped £150 million into "Cobra Mist" there must have been a lot of gear.Now its not obsurd to think that the gear was transported to Woodbridge/Bentwaters to be taken by transporter aircraft back to the US,the USAF take everthing when they leave just look at the tech site in Bentwaters now.Depending when the removal operation started in 78 and how long it took would they not be heavy equiptment from Orford ness airlifted to the other bases.I am looking at this as the possibility of some equiptment lost on route now we have eliminated the Nuclear weapons theory.

Redsocks

[Observer]

Hi redsocks

Totally feasable, A friend of mine was part of the gang that dismantled the masts etc and most of that went as 'scrap'. The more classified kit from inside the control centre was shipped out by road and ferry then road again and most ended up as 'classified' scrap or for recycling back in their respective production plants

Don't forget that some of the 'gear' was made in the UK as it was a joint project thus would have ended up back at the UK plants as classified scrap.
I.m not sure but i doubt very much if the USAF were used for any transportation jobs but i may be wrong. It would not be accredited kit for a HH-53 to carry.

I would have thought that the most sensitive equipment would have gone by 1980

Observer