Keflavik during ColdWar

[Hawk66]

Maybe somebody can help me concerning this (doing some research here):

Keflavik had during the Cold War a Naval Air Station, actually consisting of a F-15 squadron, supported by Awacs. Additional there were P-3 and other Nato ASW planes stationed.

But why was there only a Naval Air Station and no port...was that due to political limitations, set by the government of Iceland ?

Or was the fear that Iceland could be just too easily be isolated during a war ?

Thanks.

[Tchocky]

Had the pleasure of visiting old Keflavik last year for a music festival, got to see some of the old base.

From my understanding there wasn't really a need for Navy facilities there, as anything heading that far north would be self-supporting (SSN) or a full CVBG that could look after itself.

[Jimbuna]

The mission of the station was to intercept and shadow all Soviet aircraft in transit in and from the GIUK gap which passed through the detection range of its radars and relay to the NAS Keflavik Radar Operations Control Center (ROCC).

[Oberon]

Between the Faslane ports and the Norway ports there wasn't really that much of a need for a large naval facility there. There was also SOSUS that was based in Iceland, IIRC.

If the balloon had gone up and the mushrooms hadn't immediately followed then Keflavik would have been used to intercept the inevitable Tu-95 and Tu-22M raids into the North Atlantic, likewise the SOSUS relay would have helped track the various Soviet submarine sorties.

[Red October1984]

Just read Red Storm Rising if you haven't... :woot:

I might re-read it this summer.

[Hawk66]

@Red-October...I'm just re-hearing the Audiobook, simply the masterpiece of Tom Clancy :)

If somebody is more interested in politics of Iceland during the cold war in general, I can recommend this book: http://www.amazon.de/The-Rebellious-Ally-Politics-1945-2006/dp/9089790691