HINGHAM , MASSACHUSETTS
A
Unit of United States Power
Squadrons®The world's largest group dedicated to the education of both sail and power
BARE COVE SAIL & POWER SQUADRON
HINGHAM , MASSACHUSETTS
A
Unit of United States Power
Squadrons®
The world's
largest group dedicated to the education of both sail and power
FOLLOWING MESSAGE BROUGHT TO YOU COURTESY OF BARE COVE
LORAN C DISCONTINUED 2010
LORAN-C GENERAL INFORMATION
LORAN-C was originally developed to provide radionavigation service for U.S.
coastal waters & was later expanded to include complete coverage of the
continental U.S. as well as most of Alaska. Twenty-four U.S. LORAN-C stations
work in partnership with Canadian and Russian stations to provide coverage in
Canadian waters and in the Bering Sea. They system provides better than 0.25
nautical mile absolute accuracy for suitably equipped users within the published
areas. and provides navigation, location, and timing services for both civil and
military air, land and marine users. It is approved as an en route supplemental
air navigation system for both Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) and Visual Flight
Rule (VFR) operations. The LORAN-C system serves the 48 continental states,
their coastal areas, and parts of Alaska. Dedicated Coast Guard men and women
have done an excellent job running and maintaining the LORAN-C signal for 52
years. It is a service and mission of which the entire Coast Guard can be proud.
The Coast Guard published a Federal Register notice on Jan. 7, 2010, regarding
its intention to terminate transmission of the LORAN-C signal Feb. 8, 2010. A
LORAN Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Record of Decision stating
that the environmentally preferred alternative is to decommission the LORAN-C
Program and terminate the North American LORAN-C signal was published in the
Federal Register on Jan. 7, 2010.
The
Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2010 allowed for
termination of the LORAN-C signal on January 4, 2010, after certification from
the Commandant of the Coast Guard that it was not needed for maritime navigation
and from the Secretary of DHS that it is not needed as a backup for GPS. Full
details are contained in Section 559 of
this act which can be found at the Government Printing Office website
(clicking on the link will open a new window).
In accordance with the DHS Appropriations Act, the U.S. Coast Guard will
terminate the transmission of all U.S. LORAN-C signals effective 2000Z 08 Feb
2010. At that time, the U.S. LORAN-C signal will be unusable and permanently
discontinued. This termination does not affect U.S. participation in the Russian
American or Canadian LORAN-C chains. U.S. participation in these chains will
continue in accordance with international agreements. The Canadian Coast Guard
has also
issued a statement, which is shown on their website.
You may view the estimated remaining LORAN-C signal coverage areas of these
international chains in Appendix B,
pages B-6 through B-9 of the Specification of the LORAN-C Transmitted
Signal, COMDTINST M16562.4A. The
entire Specification may be downloaded also.
The Coast Guard strongly urges mariners currently using LORAN-C for navigation
to shift to a GPS navigation system and become familiar with its operation as
soon as possible. Mariners will not be able to rely upon LORAN-C for navigation
as of Feb. 8, 2010.
LORAN-C has, as a result of technological advancements in the last 20 years,
became an antiquated system no longer required by the armed forces, the
transportation sector or the nation’s security interests and is used only by a
small percentage of the population. The Coast Guard understands that LORAN-C is
still used by a small segment of the public and that those users will have to
shift to GPS or other systems; however, continued use of limited resources to
operate LORAN-C is no longer prudent use of taxpayer funds and is not allowed
under the 2010 DHS Appropriation Act.
The Coast Guard has enjoyed a long and close relationship with the many
communities located near LORAN-C facilities and we value those relationships.
The Coast Guard will continue to honor those relationships by working to
minimize any adverse impacts to communities caused by site closures.
The decision to cease transmission of the LORAN-C signal reflects the
president’s pledge to eliminate unnecessary federal programs.
You may contact the Navigation Center with any comments or questions via our
Contact Us page.
Signed Record of Decision on U.S. Coast Guard Long Range Aids-to-Navigation Program (1-4-2010)