Cape Charles Air Force Station

Cape Charles Air Force Station
Part of Air Defense Command (ADC)
1958 oblique airphoto looking west
Site information
TypeAir Force Station
CodeADC ID: P-56, NORAD ID: Z-56
Controlled by
Conditionmostly demolished
Location
Cape Charles AFS
Location of Cape Charles AFS, Virginia
Coordinates37°07′58″N 075°57′11″W / 37.13278°N 75.95306°W / 37.13278; -75.95306 (Cape Charles AFS P-56)
Site history
Built1950
Built byUnited States Army Corps of Engineers
In use1950-1981
Demolished1980s
Garrison information
Garrison771st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron
Fort John Custis
Part of Harbor Defenses of Chesapeake Bay
16"/50 caliber Mark 7 naval gun and projectile at Battery Winslow
Site information
Controlled by
Conditionpartly demolished, 16-inch gun battery remains
Site history
Built1941
Built byUnited States Army Corps of Engineers
In use1941–1948
Battles/warsWorld War II
Garrison information
Garrison

Cape Charles Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located 3.6 miles (5.8 km) south of Townsend, Virginia. It was closed in 1981. From 1941 to 1948 it was Fort John Custis of the United States Army Coast Artillery Corps. Since 1984 the site has been in the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge. For this article's purposes the term "Fort John Custis" includes the nearby Fisherman Island.