Naval Facility Barbados

Naval Facility Barbados was a United States Navy Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) station established on the island of Barbados in 1957 during the height of the Cold War. Its primary mission was to provide undersea surveillance of Soviet submarine activity in the Atlantic Ocean, contributing valuable acoustic data to the U.S. anti-submarine warfare effort. Operated by a small contingent of U.S. Navy personnel and civilian technicians, the facility played a crucial role in monitoring undersea traffic until advances in technology and shifting strategic priorities led to its closure in 1979. The decommissioning of Naval Facility Barbados marked the end of over two decades of quiet but significant contribution to U.S. maritime security in the Caribbean region.