Norton Sound (AVM 1) - Naval Cruise Book

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

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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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The testing of the Mark 45 was completed in November 1972 and NORTON SOUND entered Long Beach Naval Shipyard for removal ofthe system and for installation ofthe Navy's most mod- ern combat system--AEGIS. The installation of AEGIS included an Engineer- ing Model Deckhouse at the 06 level. This was the most important change to NORTON SOUND's profile since the Typhon conversion. The remainder ofthe AEGIS System was housed within the existing ship's structure, mostly at the 05 level. A new MK 26 launcher for AEGIS was installed onthe ship's fantail during the conversion. Conversion was completed on July 20, 1973, and NORTON SOUND returned to Port Hueneme and officially entered the AEGIS era. In October 1973 the launcher received its first test with the successful firing of five structural blast test vehicles. NORTON SOUND re-entered Long Beach Naval Shipyard on completion of launcher tests to com- plete installation of the AEGIS system. Added to the AEGIS radar and launching system were a new weapons direction and fire control system and asso- ciated command and control systems. Later the new Spy-l radar was installed. The year period was completed in February 1974 and NORTON SOUND began system testing. By May 1974 six successful test firings were made by NORTON SOUND. AEGIS integration and sustained firing testing continued through the 1970s and into the early 1980s. On Armed Forces Day, May 16, 1981, the first AEGIS cruiser USS TICONDEROGA CCG-475 was christened at Ingalls Shipbuilding Division, Pascagoula, Mississippi. Mooredastern of TICONDEROGA was NOR- TON SOUND at Ingalls to be fitted with vertical launch capability. In his remarks Rear Admiral Wayne E. Meyer, then AEGIS Shipbuilding Project Manager, pointed out that NORTON SOUND had fired the first AEGIS missile seven years ago that morning. It was only fitting that NORTON SOUND should be present as the first AEGIS cruiser was christened and watching the ceremony from her deck were NSWSES engineers and technicians aboard for the installation- of the first AEGISfVertical Launching System, the last Navy surface system to be tested in NORTON SOUND. NORTON SOUND AEGIS installation Above, AEGIS test flrlngs ln 1973