Monument record MDO47648 - Second World War Coastal Defence/Chain Home Extra Low Station K73, The Verne, Portland

The site of a Chain Home Extra Low (CHEL) radar station at the Verne. It was built by the Royal Air Force to provide low-coverage radar during the Second World War. CHEL sites comprised a Nissen hut with an aerial gantry straddling the roof and a separate standby set house for the reserve power. The station was replaced in the 1950s by a Rotor station, however some ancillary buildings may remain.

A Chain Home Extra Low station located at the Verne (SY 696 734), called site K73. From 1942 the Royal Air Force implemented the K-series of Chain Home Extra Low (CHEL) stations. CHEL sites used centimetric radar that operated on a 10cm wavelength to provide a low-coverage radar more advanced than the existing Chain Home Low and Coastal Defence/Chain Home Low stations. The sites comprised a Nissen hut with an aerial gantry straddling the roof and a separate standby set house for the reserve power. (1)

Aerial photography from 1996 show that the site had been replaced by a later radar station. Some ancillary buildings remain. (2)

<1> Dobinson, C S, 1996, Twentieth century fortifications in England, volume 7. Acoustics and Radar: England's early warning systems 1915-45, 128-130, 171 (Monograph). SDO12579.

<2> Anderton, Michael J, 2000, Twentieth century military recording project: World War Two radar stations, 63 (Unpublished document). SDO18992.

<3> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1478294 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 1 2024 1:59PM