Decommisioned ICBM Silo Online Tour

Bullzeye

Dont know how many of you have seen this already, but it's incredibly interesting and eerie, to say the least.It'd probably be more so without all the graffiti, but punks will be punks. http://triggur.org/silo/ I'd like to visit one, but I dont think so, based on the high-probability that: A)theres no animal life (not even bugs) down there for a reason... B)I'd likely fall and kill myself if the rads didnt get meC)I'd likely be arrested and put in a Federal prison for several years D)Almost all the silos are in the Midwest (probably because theres more open space with less people to meddle, and also an enemy bomber would have to cross at least half of the US to get there to bomb it).Props to Bubba29 on HCT from who's post I got the link.Post your opinions!

Bullzeye

Two follow-up questions for our resident Gunbroker military rocket-scientists:Do you suppose the Air Force purposely flooded the silos and the lower levels after they decommed the facility? Is that what they do with old silos? Or was it just groundwater percolation or rain?What is the "buddy system" that nearly every sign in the facility insists must be followed at all times (with big red letters for emphasis)?

badboybob

Horse manure, and bull puckey.

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PC=BS[This message has been edited by badboybob (edited 02-13-2002).]

talon

Having spent 4 years as a launch officer for the Minuteman III, and not having visited the web Page above (4 years was enough!), I can say the VRSA channel 17s (Launch tube flooding) alarm used to go off often.. lots of ground water. There were pumps to take care of the problem, and they sure worked out. If those pumps were shut down you had one deep swiming pool in less than a day. The buddy system: SAC required 2 people to be present whenever anyone was near a Nuc, or controls of a nuc. This was called "The Two Man Policy". That was one rule that was NEVER bent, let alone broken(as far as I knew).

Bullzeye

Thanks talon!

talon

The last minuteman went off line in 1998.(at least at Grand Forks AFB, ND). There were 1000 of them scattered over fly-over country in the early 70's (when i was last with them). They were solid fuel puppys not so much subject to 'fueling' problems. Unlike the Titans and Atlas', the launch crews were located at least 3 miles distant from their missiles, and controlled 10 (and up to 50 in an emergency) rather than just one. I remain ignorant of the US missile program today. But, I've been under the assumption that the Navy's missile subs now carry on the mission by themselves.

dakotashooter2

We had a ton of those things here in eastern ND. They were all stripped for salvage, imploded and filled with gravel within the last two years. A few years back it wasn't unusual to see a guarded convoy on the Hwy moving the missles around.

talon

OK, I went to the web site cited above. The complex that is shown is definately not a Minuteman set up, and may be for the Atlas program which shut down before 1968. That program was replaced by the Titans, which were themselves replaced by the minuteman system. (phased out is a better term). The minuteman missile could react to a launch order about 15 times faster than the others. Which was necessary as right after 'missile away' we expected to be vaporized by a Ruski Incoming. How would you like to work in that kind of environment. For 4 years. You feel like a whitetail on opening day.

Bullzeye

I believe the guy said it was decommed sometime during the 1960's.He also claims that it held Titan I missiles, but based on his comments that "by the time it was decommed in the 1960's, it had been obsolete for many years", I'm inclined to think that it was probably an old Atlas missile site.The fact that they were still using kerosene jet fuel instead of solid propellant to power the missiles is also indicative of the fact that it was probably an Atlas launch site.Still though, damn near the creepiest thing I've seen in a long time. I would have brought a Geiger counter for sure. The nukes werent built very well in those days...Also very creepy: The guy says he and his friend were called in by the FBI and read the Riot Act for trespassing some time after they came back, but to this day he still has absolutely no idea how they could have found out.... Heres a question: In the event that contact with the White House, NORAD, Pentagon, or SAC is severed in a possible nuclear exchange scenario, who is the one guy who has to sit in front of the big red button in the command room of that silo and make the decision within the 10-minutes it would take for the Soviet ICBMs to reach the US?Probably the most difficult decision any human could possibly ever have to make.I dont know if I could work in a silo or boomer sub in good conscience, knowing that some day I might play a major role in the end of the human race.Proliferation and MAD, I know I know....But still....

Captain Gunbroker

the young laddy commentswithout ryhme or reasonnot to visit thy placehe shurly musta been wheezinfur the examples he gaveits easy to seethat letter a fits him to a t

talon

As far as launching a nuc is concerned, at least c1971 when I left, was that you only "turned keys" on a valid command. If you lost comms, you sat there...forever if necessary. As a matter of fact, while you were sitting there, if your panel displayed countdown sequencing initiation (by one, two, or three of the other secondary centers), you inhibited. In SAC you slobered on command: no thinking or war gaming was tolerated. You didn't assume zip. I believe the ruskis had the same rules. As they say, war is too important to leave in the hands of generals (or launch crews).

RugerNiner

When I was a kid ther used to be a fenced in area, not large, maybe 150ft x 150ft that had round concrete coverings. For some reason there was always a mule in there too. I was told this was a NIKE Base(spelling maybe wrong). I know this was a military installation. Does anybody know what it was. Very seldom were there any vehicles around. It was also situated at the corner of what could be considered back highways in farm country.

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Remember...Terrorist are attacking Civilians; Not the Government. Protect Yourself!

Bullzeye

I believe the NIKE Hercules was an early type of intermediate-range ballistic missile.But I think talon will know a lot more.

talon

Sorry, Bullzeye. My experience was limited to the MMII & III. It was all I could do just to absorb that info. And, when I left that job I NEVER wanted to see another missle of any sort. That was 31 years ago!

Bullzeye

Why is that, Talon?

Captain Gunbroker

lil cry baby

wundudnee

There are about a half a dozen old silos ringing Topeka, Ks.. They were out of date by the time they were finished in the early 60's. They were decommissioned almost immediately after completion. They are not to mysterious, just big wet holes in the ground and all are privately owned now except one that has been converted to a high school. Jackson Heights north of Holton, Ks.Last year somebody tried to make one into a meth. lab but that didn't work out to well.A few people tried to convert them to living quarters but they are to expensive to maintain.

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"If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?" Will Rogers

whiteclouder

bullzeye:They did not use kerosene jet fuel to power the Atlas. Why do you think they called them rockets? Duh...Clouder..

Bullzeye

Those are 5 Mark-21 MIRV warheads, each with a yield of approximately 2.39 Megatons, mounted on a "bus" vehicle which is meant to be mounted on the Peacekeeper, the newest US ICBM missile.When the Peacekeeper is launched, it detaches in the stratosphere (out of radar contact), and the bus vehicle with warheads attached re-enters the atmosphere.The bus is equipped with small rocket boosters and follows a set trajectory, dropping all 5 warheads in pre-programmed spots.Each warhead is 48 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb, which is just about enough to annihilate a large city with one detonation.

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This is the Mark-41 free-fall thermonuclear fusion bomb.It has a yield of 25 Megatons, which makes it the most powerful nuclear weapon ever created. Only 5 were created due to the prohibitively expensive cost of production, the abnormally large amount of ordinance required, and the serious doubts surrounding it's practical effectiveness in a war scenario. It is simply too huge, some say.It is approximately 115 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb.To give you an idea of how powerful this is, a Mark-41 dropped midway between the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego would have enough spread to utterly annihilate both cities and the space between. If dropped in midtown Manhattan, it would utterly destroy every borough in the city as well as the majority of Long Island, the cities of Paterson, Newark, and Jersey City in New Jersey, and most likely the cities of Greenwich, Norwalk, and Stamford in Conneticuit. It would also flash-boil much of Long Island sound, resulting in the largest tsunamis in world history hitting all the way down the East Coast.Yes, I think it's fair to say nukes are evil.[This message has been edited by Bullzeye (edited 02-14-2002).]

Txs

I spent several years in SAC. Seeing a clip of readied nukes uploaded in an alert bird is an impressive sight, but not as sobering as viewing the contents of some of our weapons storage facilities. Tough to comprehend what you're seeing.The SAC two-man policy referred to became a way of life. A "no lone zone" area required that you not only have two persons, but that they each be qualified to perform the job being done. Each was then able to insure that the other wasn't committing an act of sabotage.One of the most impressive sights I've seen was when standing at the exit of an alert pad when a klaxon sounds. This was back then we only had a matter of minutes for the crews to get on their aircraft and get airborne. Everything was done in a very efficient and coordinated manner, but you didn't make the mistake of getting in anyones way. You WILL be run down by an aircraft if you're not paying attention. Nothing-and I mean nothing-slowed our aircraft from getting off the ground.Hearing a herd of B52's initiating emergency starts, each with eight explosions going off and all engines immediately spooled up to full power will rock you. Then it really gets loud when the entire wing's complement of BUFF's passes within 50 ft. of you running wide open. You don't so much hear this kind of sound-you FEEL it. A B52's landing gear is steerable, so they taxied out like sports cars. Mario Andretti would'a sure been proud!We were very good at what we did, even being awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. You just didn't get much press coverage for this kind of work. The best measure of telling you were doing a good job was that you were never called upon to deliver a full meal deal.[This message has been edited by Txs (edited 02-16-2002).]

getten,old

I spent 65-67 on a SAC base,Whiteman AFB,in MO. I did get to see the inside of command centers,launch facilities etc,because of my job.Really impressive to an 18 year old.The no lone zone is right on the mark TXS.The security was intence,just getting into certain areas on base was a major project,vechile,personal search,badge exchanges etc.When a plane arrived with what was called a "HOT G&C CAN" {guidance and control}We had to be armed and have an officer with us when we picked it up.I loved getting those 2nd louys on of the sack,of course they always got the crappiest hours to pull OD.Also remember going home on leave about 6 mo.out of basis and having the neighbors telling me the FBI was at their homes checking me and my family out so I could get the neccesary security clearance.

Bullzeye

I've read a little about the nuclear-wing B-52 pilots.They sleep in one piece jumpsuits and have velcro shoes If you consider that the most conservative nuclear war scenarios include having 75% of the nuclear-capable bombers being destroyed from ICBM nukes before they even get off the ground, that speed does serve a purpose.Some would argue that if the nukes start falling, it wont matter if you buy it on the ground or get up only to return to find there's nothing left.Here's a major * scenario you might appreciate:October 25, 1962- During the Cuban Missile Crisis: Intruder in Duluth At around midnight on October 25, a guard at the Duluth Sector Direction Center saw a figure climbing the security fence. He shot at it, and activated the "sabotage alarm." This automatically set off sabotage alarms at all bases in the area. At Volk Field, Wisconsin, the alarm was wrongly wired, and instead of the sabotage alarm, the Klaxon sounded which ordered nuclear armed F-106A interceptors to take off. The pilots knew there would be no practice alert drills while DEFCON 3 was in force, and they believed World War III had started. Immediate communication with Duluth showed there was an error. By this time aircraft were starting down the runway. A car raced from the command center and signaled the aircraft to stop just before they took off. The original intruder was a bear.

Bullzeye

Thought you might enjoy that.