THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC SURVEY

 

by Paul Wise

 

Introduction

 

For periods in 1962 to 1964 National Mapping had field parties in Papua New Guinea (PNG) undertaking, in co-operation with the RA Survey Corps, the geodetic survey of that country.

 

During that same period, September 1962 to June 1964, another, more expansive, survey operation was underway, that of the Southwest Pacific Survey. The aim of that survey was to establish the principal islands of the Southwest Pacific area on a common geodetic datum including connecting New Guinea and the adjacent islands to the geodetic network on the mainland of Australia. The project being accomplished by aerial electronic survey, specifically HIRAN.

 

A similar set of surveys connected the western U.S. to the Pacific Islands as far west as the Kwajalein and Eniwetok Atolls forming the Western Test Range for ICBM (Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile) fleet development. This survey was then extended south through the islands of the South Pacific and connected to the Australian 1st order network, thus, effectively, tying North America to Australia for the first time.

 

The USAF, 1370th Photo-Mapping Wing were tasked to undertake the work. This Wing had a number of Aerial Survey Teams (AST) and AST7 was assigned this project under the unassuming name of AF 60-13.  

 

 

HIRAN

 

The measurement of very long lines, in the order of 750km, meeting surveying accuracies, came from the World War II uses of radar for precision bombing and navigation. SHORAN, HIRAN and SHIRAN systems are the most noted of those used for surveying and mapping activities.

 

HIRAN was an electro-distance measuring system similar to SHORAN but with improved accuracy for measuring distances from an airborne station to each of two ground stations. Its name is a contraction of HIgh-precision shoRAN (Rabchevsky, 1984, also unofficially from HIgh frequency RAnging and Navigation). SHORAN (acronym for SHOrt-RANge navigation) was an electronic measuring system for indicating distance from an airborne station to each of two ground stations (Rabchevsky, 1984).

 

The US Air Photographic & Charting Service developed HIRAN which had comparable accuracy to first-order ground triangulation. HIRAN’s improvements came in the form of improved equipment & means of calibration but importantly continuous control of the signal strength eliminated the major source of error. Signal strength was continuously monitored by both of the ground station operators as well as the airborne operator (Clarke, 1963).

 

A further development of SHORAN/HIRAN in the ‘60s was SHIRAN. SHIRAN ("S" band HIRAN) operated at different frequencies, used later electronics and was somewhat automated. It did not replace HIRAN completely but was used, however, in newer, higher flying aircraft.

 

The Canadian SHORAN network connecting the sparsely populated northern coastal and island areas with the central part of the country and the North Atlantic HIRAN Network tying North America to Europe are successful examples of the uses of these technologies (DMA, 1983). North America was connected to Europe through Baffin Island, Greenland, and Iceland using HIRAN and is also known as the North Atlantic Tie. Also, Europe was connected to Africa in this manner through Crete.  

 

As shown in DMA Technical Report, 80-003, Geodesy for the Layman, December 1983

 

HIRAN surveys aimed at keeping the number of ground stations to a minimum. Line-of-sight between the stations and the aircraft, signal reduction by intervening terrain, and the final geometric integrity of the network, all had to be considered. It was crucial that the final plan had the stations sited so that the resultant trilateration lines would intersect in a manner that would minimise errors and thus enable specified survey and map accuracies to be met.

 

If we can remember the world of the 1960s the places that still required detailed mapping were among the most isolated in the world. Due to line-of-sight considerations, the ground stations had to be on the highest points in these desolate areas. All in all not a simplistic set of requirements for the time!

 

Even more demanding were the requirements for the airborne platforms. Four Boeing RB-50 (B-29 Superfortresses with major modifications for reconnaissance purposes) were used on project AF 60-13. As quoted in The MATS Flyer of April 1964 they were required to “be at a given point under proper atmospheric conditions with the electronic equipment precisely warmed, tuned and calibrated”. Interestingly the Southwest Pacific Survey included several long lines, the longest of which (a HIRAN record) was 576 miles (930 km). The measurement of these long lines required the RB-50s to struggle to achieve at least 43,000 feet when their specified ceiling was only 37,000 feet!  

 

 

Project AF 60-13

 

The Project had four phases, although Phase 1 was split into Phase 1A and 1B. As Phase four focussed on surveying from the Marshall Islands down through what is now Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas) and Tuvalu to Fiji, Phases I – 111 are of main interest here.

 

Phase IA of Phase I was to connect sites within the Caroline Islands then a United States Trust Territory.

 

Phase IB of Phase I was then to connect sites in the Bismarck Archipelago, then an Australian United Trust Territory, to Phase IA.

 

Phase II was then to connect sites within the Marshall Islands (containing Bikini Atoll), also then a United States Trust Territory to Phase IA.

 

Phase III was then to connect Cape York, central Queensland and Arnhem Land sites, through PNG sites, to Phase IB.

 

However, for operational and diplomatic reasons (once in Australian territory they stayed until the work was completed) Phase III followed Phase IB leaving Phase II to the end.

 

The original plan for the Australian connections shows 11 coastal stations. However, two more central Queensland stations were occupied increasing the number of stations on the Australian 1st order network to six and thereby strengthening the resulting network.  

 

 

Phase IB AND III Trilateration Network

 

Phase IB and III resulted in 29 HIRAN stations being occupied (13 Australian, 9 PNG, 7 Bismarck Archipelago).

 

Six of the HIRAN stations were installed on stations of the Australian 1st order network to connect to that system as listed below:

 

No.

Station

Location

32

A468

Queensland

33

U136

Northern Territory

34

RANTYIRRITY POINT U204

Northern Territory

35

MOUNT DUNDAS U214

Northern Territory

60

BISHOP CREEK A427

Queensland

61

HILLTOP A411

Queensland

 

Two stations were installed in Australia on sites not tied to a ground survey system:

 

No.

Station

Location

30

NORMANTON

Queensland

31

EDWARD RIVER MISSION

Queensland

 

Five stations were installed on an extension of the tellurometer traverse through Cape York in Australia being:

 

No.

Station

Location

25

MOUNT SCOTT

Prince of Wales Is. Queensland

26

MOUNT TOZER B077

Queensland

27

B069

Queensland

28

MOUNT PIEBALD B065

Queensland

29

BISHOP

Queensland

 

Three HIRAN stations were installed on stations included in a closed loop of tellurometer traverse in PNG as follows:

 

No.

Station

Location

21

SUAU

PNG

22

MYOLA aka KENEVI

PNG

23

AIRD HILLS 1963

PNG

 

Thirteen stations were installed on sites in PNG, the Bismarck Archipelago, and other islands. As listed:

 

No.

Station

Location

9

LEA

MANUS ISLAND

10

NOMA

MUSSAU ISLAND

11

PILIKOS

NEW HANOVER ISLAND

12

MORU

SIMBERI ISLAND

13

TSINON

BUKA ISLAND

14

NEW TANGI

NEW BRITAIN ISLAND

15

NANDAN

NEW BRITAIN ISLAND

19

KUMUN

KARKAR ISLAND

20

NOEL

NOLEI ISLAND, LUSCANY ISLAND

24

DARU

DARU ISLAND

36

TURU

PNG

37

SEPIK HIRAN aka KAHAN

PNG

38

SUKI

PNG

 

 

The Outcome

 

To connect the 29 stations, 141 HIRAN distances were measured. The longest line measured was 545 miles (880km), the shortest was 84 miles (135km), and the average length was 346 miles (555km).

 

The USAF HIRAN connections to the traverse up Cape York placed an additional 135 points on the Australian Geodetic Datum extending it to Papua New Guinea. (DMA, 1983).  

 

Acknowledgements

 

I gratefully acknowledge Mr Jim Kinter Sr., Webmaster for the www.1370th.org site for granting me permission to use material from that site in this paper. Also to the men who provided the material appearing on that site especially Mr Charles Alvis and Mr Terry Gust whose documents were especially helpful. Additionally Mr Ed Burke for his photo of the RB50 at Port Moresby.

 

 

REFERENCES

 

Aerial Survey and Photomapping History, (2007). Aerial Survey and Photomapping History & Air Force Photo Mapping Association website, USA, viewed June 2008, <http://www.1370th.org>.

 

Boeing, (1962). RB50 Manual, Aerial Survey and Photomapping History 2007, Aerial Survey and Photomapping History & Air Force Photo Mapping Association website, USA, viewed June 2008, <www.1370th.org/rb50/rb50-f_manual/rb50man.htm>.

 

Clark D., (1963). Plane and Geodetic Surveying for Engineers Vol 2 5th Edition, London, Constable & Co. Ltd. pp 308-315.

 

DMA, (1983). DMA Technical Report, 80-003, Geodesy for the Layman, December 1983, viewed June 2008, <www.ngs.noaa.gov/PUBS_LIB/Geodesy4Layman/TR80003A.HTM>.

 

History of the 1370th Photo-Mapping Wing, 1962-64, Aerial Survey and Photomapping History 2007, Aerial Survey and Photomapping History  & Air Force Photo Mapping Association website, USA, viewed June 2008, <http://www.1370th.org/1370PMW/documents/1370docs.html>.

 

Rabchevsky, G.A.(Ed.), (1984). Multilingual Dictionary of Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry. American Society of Photogrammetry, Falls Church: Virginia, USA.

 

USAF, (1965). Special Report of Results, Australian Controlled Territory, Southwest Pacific Survey, Project AF60-13, 15 January 1965, Volume 1. Prepared by 1370th Photo-Mapping Wing, Air Photographic & Charting Service, USAF, Albany, Georgia, USA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

RB-50 at Jackson Field, Port Moresby

 

 

 

 

 

MYOLA aka KENEVI from ground and Australian geodetic survey helicopter – note sighting vanes attached to HIRAN mast to aid geodetic observations from surrounding sites.