In 1961, the Department of Defense consigned Ladd Air Force Base to the Army, which renamed it Fort Wainwright. The Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS), which was completed in 1963 after five years of intensive effort provided a capability of detecting missiles in flight, deep in the Soviet Union or in other similarly distant territory. Clear Air Force Station was initially established in Central Alaska near Anderson as a BMEWS (Ballistic Missile Early Warning System) mechanical radar site to detect and track intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The site was later upgraded to phased array radar and expanded early detection and tracking to include sea launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). 1964 earthquake The 1964 Good Friday earthquake (27 March) measured 9.2 on the moment magnitude scale and struck south central Alaska at around 1736 local time, killing 115 people and causing property damage in excess of $750 million. The major shaking lasted two to three minutes. The Alaskan Air Command had no specific plan to deal with the earthquake since it focus had been on war planning. The war planning, however, prepared it for dealing with the natural disaster. The earthquake severely damaged Anchorage International Airport and destroyed its control tower and left only 3,000 feet of usable runway. Operations were shifted to Elmendorf AFB, whose control tower was also destroyed. Major structural damages were sustained to the following Elmendorf AFB buildings and facilities: three AAC headquarters buildings, three airmen dormitories, telephone and telegraph buildings, and the base hospital. Base operations and passenger terminal, bowling alley, alert hangar, field house, auto hobby shop, commissary warehouse, central heat and power plant, POL tanks and lines and base roads also received damage. The estimated repair damages came to $12,346,000. The water, sewage, electrical, communications and heating infrastructure received considerable damages. The earthquake damaged 14 F-102As. Most of the damage resulted from light fixtures falling from the roof of hangars onto the aircraft causing skin damages. Other aircraft were similarly damaged. Maintenance personnel were able to remove all 26 aircraft that were parked in the hangars by 1800. No fires occurred despite the fact that fuel was on the hangar floors and the light fixtures that fell were still hot. Military Airlift Command Air Transport Command (ATC) aircraft began using the Great Circle Route from Japan to the United States beginning with a film of the Japanese Capitulation on 2 September being flown from