Norton Sound (AVM 1) - Naval Cruise Book

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Other descriptions include a 'homesick light- house' and a fgiant beer can.' f'Actual1y, the huge structure contains a mass of electronic equipment. The main principles of the Typhon weapons sys- tems were conceived by the Johns Hopkins Univer- sity's Applied Physics Laboratory. The prototype Typhon system in NORTON SOUND was designed and built by the Westing- house Electric Corporation. The Typhon testing and evaluation program was terminated in November 1965 and the giant 153-ton radar was removed at Long Beach Naval Shipyard. Typhon was ahead of the available technology. However, its concept lives today in the AEGIS Combat System, and many of the engineers who worked on the concept at the Applied Physics Laboratory and Westinghouse laterjoined NSWSES and harnessed their experience and knowledge to on-going programs. Captain William A. Arthur, who served as NORTON SOUND's commanding officer during the Typhon project was commanding officer of NSWSES from 1969 to 1972. He is one of several naval officers who have been assigned both in NORTON SOUND and at NSWSES. During the closing days of the Typhon program, NORTON SOUND began testing the Seasparrow missile, later to become the weapon of the Basic Point DefensefNATO Seasparrow systems. The first Seasparrow was successfully fired from NOR- TON SOUND in 1965. The beginning of the SeasparrowfBasic Point Defense Surface Missile System tests in 1965 brought the first big influx of NSWSES engineers and tech- nicians on to the decks of NORTON SOUND. Sta- tion personnel have remained on NORTON SOUND through the years in support of the Navy's leading surface missile projects and test and evaluation of related equipment. Experimental programs carried out during 1966 to 1968 included a digital controlled launcher, Pho- enix infra-red radar, infra-red countermeasures and a ring-laser triad gyro system. The Navy's new lightweight 5-inch 54 caliber gun was installed on the foredeck of NORTON SOUND in June 1968 for technical and operational evalua- tion testing supported by NSWSES. This compact rapid-fire weapon known as the Mark 45 was the first new major gun system produced by the United States since World War ll. The system is installed in 60 ships and at eight training commands today. 7 A ,1 I ne 1985 change of command ceremony with Captain William A Arthur, left, being relieved by Captain J.H. Behl. Vice Admiral E T. Reich is at far left. NORTON SOUND underway in 1967 with Basic Point DefenS0 Missile System launcher on stern. S i ll il it F L ll 5 ,. H if ' 'A' ,

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Lightweight 5-inch 54 caliber gun ready for tests in 1969 Seasparrow missile is fired from deck of NORTON SOUND.