What is this?

[spinr]

So... I'm bored, perusing Google Maps and I come across this:

The Thing

Any ideas as to what it may be; the complex within the circle, that is?

When you switch to the map view, it shows that it is located within a dark grey colored area, which Google uses to designate parks, airports, .gov locations, military sites, etc.  There's no labels or place names nearby, though.  And it sits smack-dab on the VA-NC border.

:/

[Justin]

No idea.

Evidently Google Earth also captured a flying car, too.

[griz]

Could it be some sort of farm for research? I know Va Tec has some for ag studies.

[TarpleyG]

You've seen those cars out in front of junk yards that are mounted on top of a couple of poles, right?  Probably what the car is.

Greg

[Gewehr98]

I'm guessing a power plant.

[Moondoggie]

I'm thinking a silo on a farm.  Or something like a center pivot irrigation system.

Or some Amish Farmer who thought it would be cool to make us heathens wonder what the circle-thingy-viewed-from-a-sattelite really is.

Elizabeth City is pretty close to Norfolk/Dam Neck.  Could be some sort of Naval Communications Facility.  Like an emitter for aircraft simulation/training ranges.  I know that there are "practice ranges" off the coast in that area for aircrews to practice attacking.  The circular clearing could be for security purposes.

[Gewehr98]

I found it!

Just doin' some more snoopin' around that location, and using DeLorme Street Atlas.  Notice the buttload of satellite dishes (6 by my count) just to the Northwest of the round facility mentioned?  Also, there's a geodesic-domed dish to the Northeast of the round facility.

So, using DeLorme, and working my way East from Lake Drummond (the prominent water feature to the West) I found a nearby city named Moyock.  Then, back to Google, I used Moyock and Communications Facility.  Voila'!  

It's called the Moyock Naval Security Group Activity Northwest.  The satellite dishes gave it away:

http://cryptome.org/moyock-eyeball.htm

Anybody familiar with the NSA-style "Elephant Cage" antenna from listening outposts?  Look at the spacing and roundness of the dark spots at the round facility.  

[Harold Tuttle]

IMHO its part of "the Naval Support Activity Northwest Annex"

NCTAMSLANT provides classified and unclassified voice, messaging, data and video communications to ships, submarines, aircraft, and ground forces operating worldwide in support of Naval and joint missions. Responsibilities include operating, administering and maintaining control of base communications offices and communications stations in the Atlantic region. NCTAMS LANT also provides direct communications support to Unified, Specified, Fleet Commander in Chiefs (CINC) and Fleet Commanders.

its just across the NC/VA border in NC
but its accessed from the VA side

the Norfolk Navy facility has a family care facility in that small "town" to the north
in fact there's a "main gate" entrance there

Ballahack road & Cardinal Street in Chesapeake, VA
Relay Road is the drive in road

Theres a CAMSLANT Coast Guard comm station there too

the no mans land around the facility is interesting


its to big to be a brig:

The Pentagon Proposes Chesapeake Military Prison
(Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, May 20, 2005)
A proposal to house a military prison at a little-known Navy installation near the North Carolina border caught Virginia officials by surprise this week. The sweeping Pentagon proposals released last week included a call for a consolidated brig at the Naval Support Activity Northwest Annex, off Ballahack Road in southern Chesapeake, Va.

it may be a long wave sub comm station

[Gewehr98]

Looks like the Elephant Cage antenna was dismantled in the Google image posted by spin180, hence the circle of dark spots instead of a full antenna.  Compare it to the image on the website I listed above.

[spinr]

Hhhmm, that's pretty cool.

Good job, Gewehr98.

Thanks!



You know, I've seen photos of those 'elephant cage' arrays and I though something looked similar about it all, just couldn't make the connection.  

The antenna array at the Moyock location has indeed been removed.  A link on the page you linked here stated it was dismantled in July, 2005.  So, that's a fairly recent photo.  I wonder what they're up to, what with the construction taking place on the East side of the complex.



Well, let's go see what else I can find...  Suppose I should add another layer to my tin-foil hat, first...

[Fly320s]

Didya notice the nice shooting range on the NW side (assuming a north up map)?

[French G.]

NWSG activity came to mind as soon as you said location. I zoomed in followed the entrance road and then followed the other road to the shooting range, just recently went there to run some qualification shoots. No telling what all these Security group activities do, but chances are since I am on the high seas I am talking to you through NCTAMSLANT. If you follow the entrance road from the thing north, check out the feature just below the intersection. It looks almost like a railroad track, but it is one huge antenna, two rows of poles about 16 feet between the rows, 12 ft between each pole running as far as you can see each way. ELF antenna?

And yes, the range is pretty nice, except the berm is prorected with huge piles of tires. One day a Marine and a tracer will burn that place up. Besides, do we really need 12,000 tires holding rainwater for the Chesapeake mosquito farm?

[Guest]

I don't know how to post it, but there is a very interesting place about 10 miles due east of Kabul at 34 31 10 69n, 69 20 54 49 e.  A huge compound. Any body know what it is?

[Telperion]

Are you talking about this?
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=kabul&t=k&ll=34.519535,69.347935&spn=0.016831,0.038538&t=h

Edit: on a hunch, I did a search, and it appears to be the Pul-e Charkhi prison

[Justin]

Click for something interesting.

The giant triangular structure that looks like it was built by the Covenant from Halo is actually the world's *cough* tallest hotel.  If you zoom out, you'll notice that it's located in P'yong Yang, North Korea.  Evidently construction was halted in 1992, and it was never opened.  It's just a concrete shell.  Yep, that's right, while millions of North Koreans were starving to death, Kim Jong Il blew 2% of his nation's GDP on building a giant phallus that was never finished.

More info here.

Oh, and as long as you're looking at North Korea, may as well say herro to the USS Pueblo  which the N. Koreans are still holding as a trophy over US running dog imperialism or somesuch claptrap.

If you download the full program of Google Earth you can see a lot of interesting things, including overlays with points of interest.  For some reason, I've been gravitating toward looking at the various thugocracies of the world.  I have to say, it does give you a new appreciation for the US when you can surf directly to the satellite photo of North Korea's death camps.

[Matthew Carberry]

Elmendorf AFB still has a functioning Elephant Cage (well it was a decade ago).  The signs say they'll shoot you if you penetrate the fence.

They have to catch you first.

[Guest]

Well check this out:

http://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&hl=en&ll=66.266856,179.25087&spn=0.118835,0.4422&t=k

It may be the biggest "blacked out area" of them all.  I have a theory as to what this is: note the "fallout pattern" of apparantly screwed-up land running in what's probably the prevailing wind direction.

Back in the early Reagan era, the US caught the Russkies stealing our computer tech for, among other things, pipeline and pump monitoring and control.  Rather than call them on it, we slipped them directly rigged code and made sure it got past QA via an insider.  The result was the biggest non-nuke explosion ever...killed God knows how many people and made the commies have to doubt practically ALL their stolen tech goodies.

I got a feeling the rectangle is ground zero.  Both Russia and the US would want some sort of cover on it out of mutual embarassment.