Titan I Missile Site Coordinates

Titan: A person or thing of enormous size or power (Random House dictionary).

Initially known simply as Titan. Also known as WS 107A-2 (Atlas was WS 107A-1) and WS 107B. The airframe was designated SM-68; I've also seen references as B-68 and HGM-25A and LGM-25A. Unlike Atlas, this was a true two-stage missile. The same propellants were used (RP-1 and liquid oxygen). They were deployed in sites with 3 missiles and an adjacent underground control center, and had to be lifted out of their silo to be launched. The missiles were built near Denver by the Martin company, which later became Martin Marietta, and now Lockheed Martin.

Titan I never was used as a launch vehicle after serving as a missile. It almost did with the Dynasoar space plane, which never flew, though several other launch vehicles were also considered at various times. See http://www.astronautix.com/craft/dynasoar.htm for a discussion of Dynasoar. Instead, these missiles were shipped to Mira Loma AFS and later destroyed. See Rusty Barton's web site, http://www.geocities.com/titan_1_missile/chronology.htm for more details and photos. A Titan I second stage was used as a target for a "Star Wars" test in 1985.

A very readable short history of Titan I is at the beginning of "Titan II: A History of a Cold War Missile Program" by David K. Stumpf (2000). Titan I was primarily a parallel development with Atlas though it came a little later and used very "hard" sites. Titan I sites have been described as having been designed by engineers who had no regard for the taxpayer's money. A fair diagram is at siloman's web site, see http://www.siloworld.com/ICBM/TITAN/T1/TITAN1.HTM. A better set of diagrams is at http://www.missilebases.com/titan1/titanplans.htm. See also http://globalsecurity.org/military/facility/images/lowry-0700-14A.gif and this diagram.

A short history with photos is at http://fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/icbm/sm-68.htm.

A chronology is at http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/titan1.htm.

A longer history, up to the present generations of Titans, is at http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/titan.htm.

A brief history and specs: http://strategic-air-command.com/missiles/Titan/Titan_Missile_Home_Page.htm.

Another missile fan's web site: http://www.geocities.com/titan_1_missile.

A list of Titan launches: http://host.planet4589.org/space/lvdb/launch/Titan.

Many details and photos, in this case Beale site 1, that provide information common to all Titan I sites: http://www.titani-a.org/index.html except the link died, so try our good friends at archive.org: http://web.archive.org/web/20050204144852/http://titani-a.org/index.html.

A tour of an old Titan I site, done by anonymous trespassers: http://triggur.org/silo/silo.html.

Of course Wikipedia has an entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_I

A relatively new web site (4/2007) about Titan I with some very nice photos: http://www.chromehooves.net.

Kimball Nebraska had a Titan I on display. It can be seen in a photo in Nuclear Heartland dated April 5 1988. I understand the upper stage was damaged by high winds around 1996 or 1997, only the first stage remains on display. Last I looked, the lights are still aimed far above, at where the complete missile used to be. The closest operational Titans were the Titan Is near Denver, at least 110 miles away.

Fred Epler posted a list to the missile_talk group (2/11/2003) of Titan I missiles that are or were on display, and other folks have refined the list:

Beale AFB (California), #61-4513, sitting horizontally outside warehouse as of December 1989, though it was removed in 1994
Pima Air Museum (near Tucson AZ), #61-4515 and #61-4512. 4512 is on display, horizontal. 4515 was originally assigned to Ellsworth AFB. Lee Brandon-Cremer lists these as 61-4513 and 61-4516 but this might be caused by a further report that one of the missiles has the first stage of 61-4515 but the second stage of 61-4516. On August 26, 2006, I got a note from Fred Epler that 61-4515 is now at the Museum of the United States Air Force (below).
National Museum of the United States Air Force (Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton Ohio), #61-4498, Vertical, originally assigned to Mountain Home AFB. They are building a new wing and missiles will be moved indoors and displayed upright. The goal is to be ready before December 17 2003 for the 100th anniversary of flight. On August 26, 2006, I got a note from Fred Epler that the missile on display is now 61-4515, apparently restored by the Pima museum. So where is 61-4498 now?
Vandenberg AFB (California), #60-3698, horizontal, on display at complex 395-C, originally assigned to Beale AFB, Lee Brandon-Cremer states it was at March AFB. There is also #61-4520 stage 2 at the SLC-10 museum, but 395-C is no longer part of the base tour.
Lompoc CA., # unknown, Lompoc Flower Garden (Ingram Park), scrapped in 1980's due to extensive corrosion.
Patrick AFB (FL), # unknown, outside AFTAC Headquarters, destroyed by hurricane Erin August 1995. A later note by Phil Moore said that all the missiles at AFTAC have been removed.
Ellsworth AFB (South Dakota), #61-4523, possibly assigned to Elsworth as spare, South Dakota Air and Space Museum. Horizontal.
Strategic Aerospace Museum (formerly the Strategic Air Command Museum, Bellevue Nebraska), #60-3699, originally assigned to Beale, severely damaged by high winds in July 1994, only the lower half of 1st stage remained intact.
Florence Air and Space Museum, South Carolina, #61-4499, horizontal, originally assigned to Mountain Home AFB. A note from Rusty Barton says "WAS on display..." so it might be gone.
Moffett Field, Mountain View CA (NASA Ames Research Center), #61-4492, horizontal, originally assigned to Larson AFB
Holiday Motor Lodge, San Bernardino, CA, #61-4500, horizontal though it may no longer be there.
Kimball NE, #60-3706, vertical, possibly a G-series, non operational type, destroyed by high winds about 1996-97, only 1st stage survived, the rest was scrapped
Air Force Space and Missile Museum Cape Canaveral AFS, 57-2691. Apparently it was on display vertically until recently (2003?), and is now displayed horizontally.
Near the Titusville FL high school, on US Highway 1, #61-4494. On its side and in deplorable condition as of January 2003.
Cordelle Georgia (I-75 exit 101, in a retail parking lot), #60-3694, vertical.
Veterans Home, Quincy IL, #61-4497, horizontal. Reported to be in bad shape, and possibly to be removed in the near future (as of 4/3/2003). On August 26, 2006, Fred Epler sent me a note that it is "really falling apart." I have a copy of the picture here.
Kansas Cosmosphere Museum, Hutchinson Kansas, #61-4508. May be in storage rather than on display. They also have #61-4519 stage 1 and #61-4521 stage 1 on display vertically. They may also have a Titan II, this is not confirmed.
Oklahoma City state fairgrounds, #61-4506 as of May 1967. In June 2004 it was reported that only the first stage is on display, perhaps it suffered the same fate as the Kimball missile (wind damage to upper stage).
Estrella Warbirds Museum, Paso Robles CA, #61-4528, horizontal, damaged. Apparently the second stage and upper structure are on display, first stage may be in storage.
Edwards AFB, Air Force Research Laboratory, unverified report
White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, # unknown, vertical, outside main gate.

A launch sequence timeline was posted to the missile_talk group by Fred Epler around November 23 2005. Some of the times are quite impressive, such as 47 seconds to open the silo doors.

For a Titan I countdown the clocks started at T-900 seconds (T-15:00 minutes).
The missile usually had the fuel (RP-1) already onboard.
LOX loading started at T-850 (T-14:10).
LOX loaded at T-281 (T-4:41).
Antennas were raised at T-279 (T-4:39).
Raise launcher sequence also started at T-279.
South half of silo doors starts to open at T-235 (T-3:55).
North half of door starts to open at T-214 (T-3:34), South door at 30 degrees.
Total door opening time was 47 seconds, it was rarely done in this time due to malfunctions.
Launcher starts to raise at T-185 (T-3:05).
Launcher fully raissed  at T-70 (T-1:10).
Launcher raising takes 1.9 minutes (115 seconds) to complete.
Launcher up and locked at T-55 (T-0:55).
Guidance lock at T-25.
Engines fire at T-0.
Bolts fire at T+4 and missile lifts off at T+7.
Second launcher ready to raise at T+170.
End of guidance at approximately T+321 (T+5:35).
 
Source: various Titan I T.O.'s and operational histories.

Vandenberg Air Force base is on the west coast of southern California, near Santa Maria. It is most commonly associated with tests and development of military missiles but is also used to launch polar-orbiting satellites. It had almost completed a space shuttle launch facility when the Challenger accident occurred, causing the air force to rethink launch methods and abandon shuttle launches. For Titan I, they had the Operational Suitability Test Facility (OSTF) and a "normal" Titan I site consisting of three silos. Collectively the latter were known as TF-1, or launch complex 395-A, B, and C (Stumpf, caption on photo, page 23) or perhaps TF-I and simply 395A-1, -2, and -3 (Stumpf page 26). The former, if correct, is unfortunate because the three Titan II facilities were called 395-B, C, and D. The OSTF was blown up in an accident December 3 1960 and damaged beyond repair. See http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Vandenberg_AFB.htm.

Photo Base Coordinates ID

Terraserver Vandenberg 34-48-22 120-32-40
17 miles SW Santa Maria California 395A
See http://www.siloworld.com/MISC-4/diagramostf2.htm Color photo courtesy of Jeff Goodman.

Terraserver Vandenberg 34-48-10 120-32-35
17 miles SW Santa Maria California 68-OSTF
Operational Suitability Test Facility for Titan I. See http://www.siloworld.com/MISC-4/diagramostf2.htm. This site was destroyed on December 3 1960 when the elevator failed while lowering a fully-fueled missile back into the silo. See http://www.afmissileers.org/newsletters/NL1996/jan96.pdf page 6, as well as Stumpf's book for detailed descriptions. The silo was at the far left of the image.

Beale Air Force Base is about 15 miles east of Yuba City in northern California (or about 40 miles NNE of Sacramento). Beale had 9 Titan I missiles, meaning three 3-missile sites. Siloman's list only included one of them. I found the Chico site by reading that it was very near Chico, and "flew" around the area via Terraserver and finally stumbled onto it. The other (Live Oak) was found by stumbling across a list of Sutter County historic sites that included this site and a map.

851st SMS 456th SAW
(Patch images courtesy of strategic-air-command.com and USAFPatches.com respectively).

The people: Sites were manned by the 851st SMS which was activated February 1 1961, became operationally ready September 8 1962, and was inactivated March 25 1965. The 851st was under the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing (SAW; see http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0098bw.htm).

Other resources:

http://globalsecurity.org/military/facility/beale.htm A lengthy history of Beale AFB and a few maps and photos.
http://strategic-air-command.com/bases/Beale_AFB.htm A history of Beale AFB.

Beale was used for shooting the Cold War film "A Gathering of Eagles." I understand the Lincoln site was used for missile shots in the film.

Photo Base Coordinates ID

Terraserver Beale 38-52-55  121-15-55
26 miles SE Yuba City California
(3 miles SE Lincoln California) #1
851-A
Lincoln
http://www.titani-a.org/index.html except the link died, so try our good friends at archive.org: http://web.archive.org/web/20050204144852/http://titani-a.org/index.html. Environmental remediation of the site. Terraserver's "Urban Areas" photos, which are high resolution color images, stop just short of the silos.

Terraserver Beale 39-16-35  121-49-45
15 miles NW Yuba City California
(9 miles W Live Oak) #2
851-B
Live Oak

Terraserver Beale 39-49-08  121-51-10
49 miles NNW Yuba City California
(5 miles NW Chico California) #3
851-C
Chico
I might be mistaken, but in the USGS photo it it almost looks like the silo doors are open, though the presumably-later Google Earth photo shows them closed. "On May 24, 1962, during a contractor checkout, a terrific blast rocked launcher 1 at complex 4C at Chico, destroying a Titan I and causing heavy damage to the silo. After the investigation, the Air Force concluded that the two separate explosions occurred because of a blocked vent and blocked valve. On June 6, trouble again struck as a flash fire at another silo killed a worker. Subsequently, Peter Kiewit Sons' Company received a contract signed on July 30, 1962, for an initial amount of $1,250,000 to repair the silo damaged in the May blast." (from "To Defend and Deter: Legacy of the United States Cold War Missile Program", see https://www.denix.osd.mil/denix/Public/Library/NCR/coldwar.html).

Larson Air Force Base (see http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Larson_AFB.htm) was located about 10 miles NW of Moses Lake, Washington. Closed in 1966, it's now Grant County International Airport.

568th SMS 462nd SAW (Patch images courtesy of strategic-air-command.com)

The people: The Larson Titan I complex was manned by the 568th SMS which was activated April 1 1961, became operationally ready September 28 1962, and was inactivated March 25 1965. The 568th was under the 462nd SAW (see http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0462sw.htm).

The Grant County airport, formerly Larson Air Force Base, includes the former SAGE blockhouse which is being turned into an internet data facility, see http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2002/02/11/story6.html and http://www.carrierhotels.com/news/April2002/titan0412.shtml and the company's own web site, http://www.titanone.com (which is blank).

Terraserver Larson 47-11-18  118-49-23
22 miles ENE Moses Lake Washington
(11.7 miles SW Odessa Washington) #1
568-A
Odessa
At http://www.gao.gov/GAO-01-1012SP/WA.html (link broken, see http://web.archive.org/web/20030628052919/http://www.gao.gov/GAO-01-1012SP/WA.html) this is apparently FUDS property number F10WA0349, Adams county, with $193,000 spent in cleanup costs and $676,000 to complete. An article appeared in the Tri-City Herald, http://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/1999/0907.html#anchor596414 (link dead, try http://web.archive.org/web/20060527013745/http://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/1999/0907.html) which discusses the purchase of this site by Bari Hotchkiss who hopes to do a $15 million fixup, mostly with donations. He had a web site at http://www.camptitan.com but I noticed on 3/21/2003 it's gone. However, archive.org has an old copy minus graphics, see http://web.archive.org/web/20020531132308/http://www.camptitan.com. On October 16 2003 I discovered this site is for sale on eBay, item number 2353756090 with a price of $3,950,000 (June 1 2004 the eBay item number is now 2397218266). It was also pointed out to me that the powerhouse roof has been cut open, if Siloman's photos at http://www.siloworld.com/568thSMS/site1batum.htm are indeed of that site. March 24 2004, the Oregonian newspaper had an article, see http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1080133033127710.xml (that link no longer works, they now charge for archive access) which verifies the hole in the powerhouse roof. On March 27 the Seattle Post-Intelligencer picked up the story, http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/166589_missile27.html. October 1, 2004, I noticed he's now leasing space in the site starting at $350 per month, eBay item 4326558652. January 21, 2005, for sale again on eBay, item 4351448564, this time for only $500,000; March 29, 2005, the eBay sale is gone. April 12 2006 for sale again on eBay, item 4455060285. May 11 2006, sold for $778,080.02 to "wolvie2121" though eBay sales are not binding because eBay is not a licensed real estate broker. (Via feedback, Bari complained the buyer never intended to purchase the site, and wolvie2121 claimed "thought the auction was a joke and told seller this."). On July 15, 2007, it showed up again on eBay as item number 190132455924; the advertised price is $1,500,000 with $300,000 down payment; see also http://www.themissilebase.com. On November 19, 2007, I noticed it was on eBay again as item 190162956846. On January 16, 2008, I noticed it is now eBay item 190189655473, renting/leasing space.

Terraserver Larson 46-55-04  119-03-19
17 miles SE Moses Lake Washington
(3 miles S Warden Washington) #2
568-B
Warden
At http://www.gao.gov/GAO-01-1012SP/WA.html (link broken, see http://web.archive.org/web/20030628052919/http://www.gao.gov/GAO-01-1012SP/WA.html) this is apparently FUDS property number F10WA0350, Grant county, with no money spent on cleanup and no completion cost listed. There's an EPA web page at http://cfpub.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=1002314 that lists the EPA ID as WAN001002314.

Terraserver Larson 46-54-30  119-45-23
26 miles SW Moses Lake Washington
(23 miles SSE Quincy Washington) #3
568-C
Quincy
Pretty busy and junky looking. The topo map says "U S Mil Res". At http://www.gao.gov/GAO-01-1012SP/WA.html (link broken, see http://web.archive.org/web/20030628052919/http://www.gao.gov/GAO-01-1012SP/WA.html) this is apparently FUDS property number F10WA0351, Grant county, with $7,000 spent on cleanup and no completion cost listed. The site is mostly under water and an interesting scuba diving adventure, according to an article at http://www.northwestdiver.com/features/2003/0120-1.php but the article is not there any more, try http://web.archive.org/web/20041018235810/http://www.northwestdiver.com/features/2003/0120-1.php instead.

Mountain Home Air Force Base (see http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Mountain_Home_AFB.htm) is located about 10 miles west of Mountain Home, Idaho.

569th SMS (Patch image courtesy of sacpatches.com, which is now gone)

The people: The Titan I complex was manned by the 569th SMS which was activated June 1 1961, became operationally ready August 16 1962, and inactivated June 25 1965. The 569th was under the 9th SAW (see http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0009bw.htm).

A very artistic photo of a Titan I site near Mountain Home, by Emmet Gowin, is at http://210.117.234.200/junohome/emmet%20gowin/emmet%20photo/121.jpg (that link died, so try http://web.archive.org/web/20051017114707/http://210.117.234.200/junohome/emmet+gowin/emmet+photo/121.jpg). It appears to be during construction and appears to be #3 (569-C) although one description of the image states it was taken in 1987 after abandonment.

Siloman only listed sites #2 and #3, I found #1 by guessing where it might be (south on highway 51) and looking around until I found "Missile Base Road" then followed that. Also, the coordinates for #3 on his list were incorrect.

There apparently was a loss of a missile somewhere in Mountain Home. In the January 1994 issue of the AAFM newsletter, http://www.afmissileers.org/newsletters/NL1994/Jan94.pdf, page 5, an incident is described where a helium quick-disconnect did not disconnect, resulting in a ripped-open missile complete with liquid oxygen spill. Although that article does not mention Mountain Home, a later AAFM article references this issue and does state it happened here.

Terraserver Mountain Home 42-40-12  115-52-05
33 miles SSW Mountain Home Idaho
(15 miles SSW Bruneau Idaho) #1
569-A
Bruneau
Looks partially obliterated (no silo lids visible). Appropriately, on Missile Base Road (per topo map). April 11 2005, "sdilogger" stated on the missile-talk group that this site is now filled with dirt and buried.

Terraserver Mountain Home 43-03-59  116-15-52
30 miles W Mountain Home Idaho
(7 miles NE Oreana Idaho) #2
569-B
Oreana
Very impressively developed (and photographed!). At http://www.siloworld.com/MISC-4/DUMPSITE.HTM siloman states it's a toxic dump site and the topo map states the same thing.

Terraserver Mountain Home 43-20-46  115-59-36
21 miles NW Mountain Home Idaho
21 miles SE Boise Idaho #3
569-C
Boise
On Siloman's list, this was claimed to be at 43-31-47 116-14-20 which really didn't look like a Titan I site except there were piles of dirt in the right locations to have been where silos were. In late 2002 I was contacted by Marshall Reece who provided the actual coordinates, 17.7 miles away from Siloman's.

Lowry Air Force Base was located in Denver Colorado but closed in 1996. They had 18 Titan I missiles or 6 sites (Stumpf, page 6). Some sites were found via hazardous-waste web sites that used unfamiliar notation such as site 1 complex 1A, site 1 complex 1B, and I use these below. Later I found a map with more traditional notations which is actually from the book "From Snark to Peacekeeper." However, this map (like the Lincoln map) has a few errors and I believe the list below is correct (I will indicate the book's designations as "Snark"). I was also surprised to find sites so close to Denver (practically in the suburbs to the east), so close to each other, and so close to their support base.

Other resources:

http://globalsecurity.org/military/facility/lowry.htm History of Lowry AFB and a few maps.
http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Lowry_AFB.htm History of Lowry with some cool Titan I construction pictures.

The state of Colorado, department of public health and environment, published a 2-page summary of Colorado Titan I sites and their health risks, at http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/titanmissiles.pdf and a summary of Elizabeth's site (725-C) at http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/titanmissiles2.pdf.

I know of three fatal accidents during construction of Lowry sites. In one, two workers were racing each other down the spiral staircase into the site; as one of them went through the 1500-pound revolving door, the other tripped on the last step, fell head-first, and was decapitated by the door. In a second accident, a worker started to "bleed" the hydraulic system for the silo lid doors before both doors had fully opened, causing one door to fall on several people, also killing an Air Force man on the surface. In a third accident, at the Elizabeth site, workers tried to jump a gap in work platforms at the top of a silo (with no safety net); one of them made it safely and turned around to see the second worker falling head-first 130 feet to his death. All of these astound me in the context of more modern safety awareness. These accidents were discussed in detail on the missile_talk mail list around February 18/19 2003.

451st SMW (Patch image courtesy of USAFPatches.com)

The people:

The first three sites were manned by the 848th SMS which was activated on February 1 1960, but on July 1 1961 SAC discontinued the 848th and organized the 724th SMS in its place, which became operationally ready April 18 1962. The 724th was inactivated June 25th 1965.
The second three sites were manned by the 849th SMS which was activated on August 1 1960, but on July 1 1961 SAC discontinued the 849th and organized the 725th SMS in its place, which became operationally ready May 4 1962. The 725th was inactivated June 25th 1965.
The 848th/849th SMS were under the 703rd SMW which was activated March 25 1961 and inactivated July 1 1961 (see http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0703mw.htm). It was replaced by the 451st SMW which was activated April 26 1961 and inactivated June 25 1965 (see http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0451mw.htm). Note the overlap of the two wings from April 26 to July 1 1961.

Lowry also had an RV mate/demate trainer, Fred Epler explains "[it] was located at the R/V facility on the Southern-most part of the base. The trainer was a concrete pad with the top 7.6 feet of the 2nd stage, with about 3 of it below the pad. After the Titan wing deactivated the facility was used for munitions training till Lowry closed in 94. Sometime in the late 60's a stray dog made the trainer its home." There was also a "silo trainer" used by the crane operators until an actual site became available. It was located behind the MAMS on one of the taxiways. An outline of the silo was painted and the concrete and the doors were simulated by the wooden frames. After the sites became operational site 725-A was used for training. This site was 26 miles from the base and the route to it went by 3 other sites.

Part of Lowry AFB was preserved as the nucleus of the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, see http://www.wingsmuseum.org.

Terraserver
Terraserver Urban Areas Lowry 39-38-57  104-41-26
13 miles SE Denver Colorado Site 1 Complex 1A
724-A
Snark: 724-B
The 7.5-minute topo map (July 1994) does show the site with a nearby benchmark labeled "Buckley RM2 BM 5814" while the 30-minute map (July 1981) simply shows the road. Drove by 5/19/2002, gate locked, no view, poor view from Quincy Road a little to the west. Jeramie Chlumsky sent me a Word document containing a phase one assessment from the army corps of engineers, here. On June 18 2003, the Rocky Mountain News published an article stating the site had been rezoned to allow the nearby Denver Arapahoe Dispsal Site to expand onto the site. They apparently intend to fill the silos with dirt (not trash), or simply work around the missile complex itself. The article was at http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_2047743,00.html but has expired, and they charge to access their archives; a copy is at http://web.archive.org...www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_2047743,00.html. I noticed the Terraserver image has been replaced with a newer one, but I kept the older one here so you can compare them. This is also one of the rare missile sites covered by Terraserver's Urban Areas images, which are high resolution color photos.

Terraserver
Terraserver Urban Areas Lowry 39-36-20  104-34-50
19 miles SE Denver Colorado Site 1 Complex 1B
724-B
Snark: 724-C
Shows up on the 7.5-minute topo map (July 1994) but not the 30-minute map (July 1981). Lots of other interesting-looking structures in the area, such as a large and nearly circular thing to the north-west (photo; Terraserver). Drove by 5/19/2002, could not get close to the site or the circular mystery. 2/22/2006 update: According to Scott D. Murdock's trip report "Wyoming Weekends" this cirular item is near a former Ground Wave Emergency Network (GWEN) relay node site, specifically the Watkins Communications Site GWEN 666 (YNMH) (there used to be a tower nearly 300 feet tall but it appears to be gone). However, the large circle is not the GWEN site itself. This is also one of the rare missile sites covered by Terraserver's Urban Areas images, which are high resolution color photos.

Terraserver
Terraserver Urban Areas Lowry 39-39-57  104-29-39
21 miles SE Denver Colorado Site 1 Complex 1C
724-C
Snark: 724-A
Quite an irregular polygonal fence. Some sites look like this, some fences were rectangular. Quincy Road changes from paved to dirt here. The gate is locked, with a large sign "International Union of Operating Engineers, Local no. 9". See http://www.iuoelocal9.com in particular the training section. I understand they do not use the missile site, but merely share the access road. Their facilities are about halfway up the road to the missile site, on the west side. This site was for sale on missilebases.com around February 2002 for $600,000. According to Jeramie Chlumsky, "the site clean-up looks to be in the Millions with several miles of asbestos pipe, floor tile, and surfacing materials, the whole place has to be gutted. All the fuel tanks have to be inspected for leaks and filled with sand (if they're not leaking). There are several transformers above ground that are all PCB laiden. Every valve in the place has PCB grease and is covered in asbestos. There is most likely a great deal of mercury floating about in all the electrical switches, and there is lead based paint throughout." This can probably be said for most Atlas/Titan sites! I have also heard that this site was once re-powered and re-used to test aircraft cannon by firing down the tunnel to the antenna silos, into steel plates to catch the bullets! July 19 2004, the price is now $1,450,000 and is also advertised on eBay, item number 4305137952. September 23, 2004, an interesting article about the site as well as Ed Peden was published, see http://www.westword.com/issues/2004-09-23/news/news.html. On December 7 2004 the Denver Post printed an article about this site, which stated the owner is Utah-based investor Ian England who purchased the site from another private owner in 2001; this article was at http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~33~2580767,00.html though like most newspapers it has already expired, and you need to pay to get access to the archives. April 13 2005, the Denver Post ran another article, http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~33~2812965,00.html (also archived and otherwise unavailable), stating the site is still for sale for 1.5 million dollars, and estimates the cleanup costs at $200,000 to $300,000. July 17 2005 I see the site is again for sale on eBay, item number 4394247896 and listed by the Fuller Company for US $1,295,000.00. This is also one of the rare missile sites covered by Terraserver's Urban Areas images, which are high resolution color photos. On December 21, 2006, I was informed that the asking price was raised to $1,800,000. On April 25, 2008, it was noticed that the price jumped to $2,800,000 on missilebases.com.

Terraserver Lowry 39-35-17  104-27-43
25 miles SSE Denver Colorado Site 1 Complex 2A
725-A
Snark:725-B
The 7.5-minute topo map (July 1992) shows the site, with a marker near the entrance labeled "Range RM2" The 30-minute topo map (July 1981) says "MIL RES". Drove by 5/19/2002. This one's close to a county road but does not connect to it (the entrance is on the other side, and the road may have been built after the site). In the photo, you can see two sets of Orientation Targets which provide a mark for azimuth orientation of the radar antennae, as well as optical targets. The ridge may be the road from one silo to another. I noticed the Terraserver photo has been replaced with a newer one, I'll keep the older photo here so you can compare. September 17, 2005, this site is for sale by the GSA, see http://www.auctionrp.com/auctions2/default.cfm?action=viewAuction&catId=3299; the description states "The property consists of 242.42 acres. It includes 219.52 acres of undeveloped land and an underground missile complex (22.9 acres). Access and usage restrictions apply to the underground complex. The property also includes a 1.26 acre telephone easement and a 0.30 acre utility easement." The site layout diagram, above (click for large version), is from the Invition For Bid from the auction. I do not know how typical this layout is compared to other Titan I sites.

Terraserver Lowry 39-40-07  104-01-41
45 miles E Denver Colorado
(3.5 miles N Deer Trail) Site 3 Complex 2B
725-B
Snark: 725-A
The 7.5-minute topo map (July 1978) does show the site as well as the 30-minute topo map (July 1981). 7/7/01 visited 3/2B briefly, not much to see. The chain-link fence is gone though the posts remain. Several houses in the immediate vicinity; the road is marked to the effect that the county does not maintain it. I did not feel like poking around too much. Fred Epler says this site was sold for $900 in back taxes around 1994 and has changed owners twice since then, and notes that a large high-voltage power line runs through it, or more correctly along the eastern edge. I also just discovered (11/24/2004) that the Terraserver photo is dated 26 Jun 1998 which is more recent than the one I captured earlier, and shows the homes that have been constructed (I'll keep the earlier photo so the two can be compared). Scott D. Murdock visited the area on March 19, 2005, see his Wyoming Weekends trip report which includes several images.

Terraserver Lowry 39-18-55  104-33-52
35 miles SE Denver Colorado
(4 miles SE Elizabeth Colorado) Site 2-2C
725-C
Snark: 725-C
Drove up to the gate 5/22/2002. This is now the Elbert County Trash Compactor. http://www.elbertco.com. According to http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/titanmissiles2.pdf the site is leased by Elbert County (from the federal government I assume), is used as a solid waste transfer station, and was formerly used as a solid waste landfill (using trenches, not the silos).

Ellsworth AFB (see http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Ellsworth_AFB.htm) near Rapid City South Dakota had 9 Titan I missiles (3 sites). Training began in 1960; the first missile was received Jun 22 1962; the last was removed in February 1965. I found these sites courtesy of Scott D. Murdock's trip log Rapid City Maneuvers.

850th SMS 44th SMW 44th MW
(Patch images courtesy of strategic-air-command.com, USAFPatches.com, and Ellsworth's web site, respectively) I believe the middle patch is appropriate for the Titan I era, and just for comparison the third patch is for Minuteman.

The people: Sites were manned by the 850th SMS which was activated December 1 1960, became operationally ready September 26 1962, and was inactivated March 25 1965. The 850th SMS was initially under the 28th Bomb Wing (see http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0028bw.htm) but was reassigned to the 44th SMW on January 1 1962 (see http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0044bw.htm).

An Ellsworth site (which one?) had an accident in June of 1962, where the interstage separation rockets fired when a cable was inadvertently removed. The second stage lifted off the first stage and caused major damage to the silo and missile (which was not fitted with a warhead at the time). I assume the silo lid was closed at the time. (This per Mike Morgan per Chuck Hansen's CD-ROM book The Swords of Armageddon). Nobody was injured!

Terraserver Ellsworth 44-08-12  102-37-03
31 miles E Rapid City South Dakota
(3 miles NW Wicksville South Dakota) #1
850-A
New Underwood
Color photo courtesy of Scott D. Murdock.

Terraserver Ellsworth 43-46-38  103-08-47
21 miles SSE Rapid City South Dakota
(5 miles SE Hermosa South Dakota) #2
850-B
Hermosa
Mike Morgan and others visited (with permission of the owner) in March of 2001. This one's on Missile Site Road, perhaps also know as County Road 7.

Terraserver Ellsworth 44-23-54  103-18-49
23 miles NNW Rapid City South Dakota
(10 miles E Sturgis South Dakota) #3
850-C
Sturgis
Mike Morgan and others visited (with permission of the owner) in March of 2001. The site is conveniently at the end of Titan Road. It's reasonably intact though the silo doors were apparently dropped into position after the site was inactivated, shattering them, and attachments were removed which would make lifting them nearly impossible. According to Tony Castillo's web site http://www.nesilos.com/TITAN%201/titan1.htm circa July 2005, this site is for sale for around $250,000.

Patrick Air Force Base operates the various launch facilities at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Relevant to Titan I, they launched 47 Titan I missiles from four launch complexes between 1959 and 1961.

Resources:

http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Patrick_AFB.htm History and discussion of PAFB
https://www.patrick.af.mil Patrick's web site.

(Patches courtesy of USAFPatches.com)

The People: It gets a bit confusing because wings and other units have been reorganized and renamed several times. Currently the 45th Space Wing oversees most (all?) missile launches. At one time or another subordinate units included the 4800th Guided Missile Wing, and the 6555th which has been a Guided Missile Wing, Guided Missile Group, and Aerospace Group. See for example http://www.maxwell.af.mil/au/afhra/rso/wings_groups_pages/0045sw.asp.

Note that Patrick's Titan I sites are single-missile facilities, unlike operational sites which had three missiles each. I believe these were all above-ground complexes, not silos. In Stumpf's book there is a list of Titan II launches that only includes launch complexes 15 and 16. But I also have a map of Cape Canaveral that claims 19 and 20 were also used for Titan II, perhaps the latter were for the manned space program exclusively while 15/16 were for ICBM tests.

Other resources:

http://www.fas.org/spp/military/facility/ccas.htm About CCAS and the various launch complexes.
http://www.fas.org/spp/military/facility/ccas-lc-15.htm About launch complexes 15, 16, 19, and 20.

Photo Base Coordinates ID

Terraserver Patrick 28-29-47  80-32-57 LC-15
LC-15 was used for Titan I and Titan II launches but dismantled in 1967.

Terraserver Patrick 28-30-05  80-33-06 LC-16
LC-16 was used for Titan I, Titan II, and Pershing launches. It was also used for Apollo Service Module testing.

Terraserver Patrick 28-30-24  80-33-15 LC-19
LC-19 was used for Titan I, and Titan II Gemini launches.

Terraserver Patrick 28-30-43  80-33-24 LC-20
LC-20 was used for Titan I, Titan II, and Titan IIIA launches. It was later (early 1990s) used for the Starbird and Red Tigress research rockets (see https://www.patrick.af.mil/heritage/Cape/Cape3/cape3-9.htm and http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/library/report/1994/cape/cape3-9.htm).

Photo	Base	Coordinates	ID
Terraserver	Vandenberg	34-48-22 120-32-40 17 miles SW Santa Maria California	395A
See http://www.siloworld.com/MISC-4/diagramostf2.htm Color photo courtesy of Jeff Goodman.
Terraserver	Vandenberg	34-48-10 120-32-35 17 miles SW Santa Maria California	68-OSTF
Operational Suitability Test Facility for Titan I. See http://www.siloworld.com/MISC-4/diagramostf2.htm. This site was destroyed on December 3 1960 when the elevator failed while lowering a fully-fueled missile back into the silo. See http://www.afmissileers.org/newsletters/NL1996/jan96.pdf page 6, as well as Stumpf's book for detailed descriptions. The silo was at the far left of the image.

Terraserver	Larson	47-11-18 118-49-23 22 miles ENE Moses Lake Washington (11.7 miles SW Odessa Washington)	#1 568-A Odessa
At http://www.gao.gov/GAO-01-1012SP/WA.html (link broken, see http://web.archive.org/web/20030628052919/http://www.gao.gov/GAO-01-1012SP/WA.html) this is apparently FUDS property number F10WA0349, Adams county, with $193,000 spent in cleanup costs and $676,000 to complete. An article appeared in the Tri-City Herald, http://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/1999/0907.html#anchor596414 (link dead, try http://web.archive.org/web/20060527013745/http://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/1999/0907.html) which discusses the purchase of this site by Bari Hotchkiss who hopes to do a $15 million fixup, mostly with donations. He had a web site at http://www.camptitan.com but I noticed on 3/21/2003 it's gone. However, archive.org has an old copy minus graphics, see http://web.archive.org/web/20020531132308/http://www.camptitan.com. On October 16 2003 I discovered this site is for sale on eBay, item number 2353756090 with a price of $3,950,000 (June 1 2004 the eBay item number is now 2397218266). It was also pointed out to me that the powerhouse roof has been cut open, if Siloman's photos at http://www.siloworld.com/568thSMS/site1batum.htm are indeed of that site. March 24 2004, the Oregonian newspaper had an article, see http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1080133033127710.xml (that link no longer works, they now charge for archive access) which verifies the hole in the powerhouse roof. On March 27 the Seattle Post-Intelligencer picked up the story, http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/166589_missile27.html. October 1, 2004, I noticed he's now leasing space in the site starting at $350 per month, eBay item 4326558652. January 21, 2005, for sale again on eBay, item 4351448564, this time for only $500,000; March 29, 2005, the eBay sale is gone. April 12 2006 for sale again on eBay, item 4455060285. May 11 2006, sold for $778,080.02 to "wolvie2121" though eBay sales are not binding because eBay is not a licensed real estate broker. (Via feedback, Bari complained the buyer never intended to purchase the site, and wolvie2121 claimed "thought the auction was a joke and told seller this."). On July 15, 2007, it showed up again on eBay as item number 190132455924; the advertised price is $1,500,000 with $300,000 down payment; see also http://www.themissilebase.com. On November 19, 2007, I noticed it was on eBay again as item 190162956846. On January 16, 2008, I noticed it is now eBay item 190189655473, renting/leasing space.
Terraserver	Larson	46-55-04 119-03-19 17 miles SE Moses Lake Washington (3 miles S Warden Washington)	#2 568-B Warden
At http://www.gao.gov/GAO-01-1012SP/WA.html (link broken, see http://web.archive.org/web/20030628052919/http://www.gao.gov/GAO-01-1012SP/WA.html) this is apparently FUDS property number F10WA0350, Grant county, with no money spent on cleanup and no completion cost listed. There's an EPA web page at http://cfpub.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=1002314 that lists the EPA ID as WAN001002314.
Terraserver	Larson	46-54-30 119-45-23 26 miles SW Moses Lake Washington (23 miles SSE Quincy Washington)	#3 568-C Quincy
Pretty busy and junky looking. The topo map says "U S Mil Res". At http://www.gao.gov/GAO-01-1012SP/WA.html (link broken, see http://web.archive.org/web/20030628052919/http://www.gao.gov/GAO-01-1012SP/WA.html) this is apparently FUDS property number F10WA0351, Grant county, with $7,000 spent on cleanup and no completion cost listed. The site is mostly under water and an interesting scuba diving adventure, according to an article at http://www.northwestdiver.com/features/2003/0120-1.php but the article is not there any more, try http://web.archive.org/web/20041018235810/http://www.northwestdiver.com/features/2003/0120-1.php instead.

Terraserver	Mountain Home	42-40-12 115-52-05 33 miles SSW Mountain Home Idaho (15 miles SSW Bruneau Idaho)	#1 569-A Bruneau
Looks partially obliterated (no silo lids visible). Appropriately, on Missile Base Road (per topo map). April 11 2005, "sdilogger" stated on the missile-talk group that this site is now filled with dirt and buried.
Terraserver	Mountain Home	43-03-59 116-15-52 30 miles W Mountain Home Idaho (7 miles NE Oreana Idaho)	#2 569-B Oreana
Very impressively developed (and photographed!). At http://www.siloworld.com/MISC-4/DUMPSITE.HTM siloman states it's a toxic dump site and the topo map states the same thing.
Terraserver	Mountain Home	43-20-46 115-59-36 21 miles NW Mountain Home Idaho 21 miles SE Boise Idaho	#3 569-C Boise
On Siloman's list, this was claimed to be at 43-31-47 116-14-20 which really didn't look like a Titan I site except there were piles of dirt in the right locations to have been where silos were. In late 2002 I was contacted by Marshall Reece who provided the actual coordinates, 17.7 miles away from Siloman's.

Terraserver Terraserver Urban Areas	Lowry	39-38-57 104-41-26 13 miles SE Denver Colorado	Site 1 Complex 1A 724-A Snark: 724-B
The 7.5-minute topo map (July 1994) does show the site with a nearby benchmark labeled "Buckley RM2 BM 5814" while the 30-minute map (July 1981) simply shows the road. Drove by 5/19/2002, gate locked, no view, poor view from Quincy Road a little to the west. Jeramie Chlumsky sent me a Word document containing a phase one assessment from the army corps of engineers, here. On June 18 2003, the Rocky Mountain News published an article stating the site had been rezoned to allow the nearby Denver Arapahoe Dispsal Site to expand onto the site. They apparently intend to fill the silos with dirt (not trash), or simply work around the missile complex itself. The article was at http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_2047743,00.html but has expired, and they charge to access their archives; a copy is at http://web.archive.org...www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_2047743,00.html. I noticed the Terraserver image has been replaced with a newer one, but I kept the older one here so you can compare them. This is also one of the rare missile sites covered by Terraserver's Urban Areas images, which are high resolution color photos.
Terraserver Terraserver Urban Areas	Lowry	39-36-20 104-34-50 19 miles SE Denver Colorado	Site 1 Complex 1B 724-B Snark: 724-C
Shows up on the 7.5-minute topo map (July 1994) but not the 30-minute map (July 1981). Lots of other interesting-looking structures in the area, such as a large and nearly circular thing to the north-west (photo; Terraserver). Drove by 5/19/2002, could not get close to the site or the circular mystery. 2/22/2006 update: According to Scott D. Murdock's trip report "Wyoming Weekends" this cirular item is near a former Ground Wave Emergency Network (GWEN) relay node site, specifically the Watkins Communications Site GWEN 666 (YNMH) (there used to be a tower nearly 300 feet tall but it appears to be gone). However, the large circle is not the GWEN site itself. This is also one of the rare missile sites covered by Terraserver's Urban Areas images, which are high resolution color photos.
Terraserver Terraserver Urban Areas	Lowry	39-39-57 104-29-39 21 miles SE Denver Colorado	Site 1 Complex 1C 724-C Snark: 724-A
Quite an irregular polygonal fence. Some sites look like this, some fences were rectangular. Quincy Road changes from paved to dirt here. The gate is locked, with a large sign "International Union of Operating Engineers, Local no. 9". See http://www.iuoelocal9.com in particular the training section. I understand they do not use the missile site, but merely share the access road. Their facilities are about halfway up the road to the missile site, on the west side. This site was for sale on missilebases.com around February 2002 for $600,000. According to Jeramie Chlumsky, "the site clean-up looks to be in the Millions with several miles of asbestos pipe, floor tile, and surfacing materials, the whole place has to be gutted. All the fuel tanks have to be inspected for leaks and filled with sand (if they're not leaking). There are several transformers above ground that are all PCB laiden. Every valve in the place has PCB grease and is covered in asbestos. There is most likely a great deal of mercury floating about in all the electrical switches, and there is lead based paint throughout." This can probably be said for most Atlas/Titan sites! I have also heard that this site was once re-powered and re-used to test aircraft cannon by firing down the tunnel to the antenna silos, into steel plates to catch the bullets! July 19 2004, the price is now $1,450,000 and is also advertised on eBay, item number 4305137952. September 23, 2004, an interesting article about the site as well as Ed Peden was published, see http://www.westword.com/issues/2004-09-23/news/news.html. On December 7 2004 the Denver Post printed an article about this site, which stated the owner is Utah-based investor Ian England who purchased the site from another private owner in 2001; this article was at http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~33~2580767,00.html though like most newspapers it has already expired, and you need to pay to get access to the archives. April 13 2005, the Denver Post ran another article, http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~33~2812965,00.html (also archived and otherwise unavailable), stating the site is still for sale for 1.5 million dollars, and estimates the cleanup costs at $200,000 to $300,000. July 17 2005 I see the site is again for sale on eBay, item number 4394247896 and listed by the Fuller Company for US $1,295,000.00. This is also one of the rare missile sites covered by Terraserver's Urban Areas images, which are high resolution color photos. On December 21, 2006, I was informed that the asking price was raised to $1,800,000. On April 25, 2008, it was noticed that the price jumped to $2,800,000 on missilebases.com.
Terraserver	Lowry	39-35-17 104-27-43 25 miles SSE Denver Colorado	Site 1 Complex 2A 725-A Snark:725-B
The 7.5-minute topo map (July 1992) shows the site, with a marker near the entrance labeled "Range RM2" The 30-minute topo map (July 1981) says "MIL RES". Drove by 5/19/2002. This one's close to a county road but does not connect to it (the entrance is on the other side, and the road may have been built after the site). In the photo, you can see two sets of Orientation Targets which provide a mark for azimuth orientation of the radar antennae, as well as optical targets. The ridge may be the road from one silo to another. I noticed the Terraserver photo has been replaced with a newer one, I'll keep the older photo here so you can compare. September 17, 2005, this site is for sale by the GSA, see http://www.auctionrp.com/auctions2/default.cfm?action=viewAuction&catId=3299; the description states "The property consists of 242.42 acres. It includes 219.52 acres of undeveloped land and an underground missile complex (22.9 acres). Access and usage restrictions apply to the underground complex. The property also includes a 1.26 acre telephone easement and a 0.30 acre utility easement." The site layout diagram, above (click for large version), is from the Invition For Bid from the auction. I do not know how typical this layout is compared to other Titan I sites.
Terraserver	Lowry	39-40-07 104-01-41 45 miles E Denver Colorado (3.5 miles N Deer Trail)	Site 3 Complex 2B 725-B Snark: 725-A
The 7.5-minute topo map (July 1978) does show the site as well as the 30-minute topo map (July 1981). 7/7/01 visited 3/2B briefly, not much to see. The chain-link fence is gone though the posts remain. Several houses in the immediate vicinity; the road is marked to the effect that the county does not maintain it. I did not feel like poking around too much. Fred Epler says this site was sold for $900 in back taxes around 1994 and has changed owners twice since then, and notes that a large high-voltage power line runs through it, or more correctly along the eastern edge. I also just discovered (11/24/2004) that the Terraserver photo is dated 26 Jun 1998 which is more recent than the one I captured earlier, and shows the homes that have been constructed (I'll keep the earlier photo so the two can be compared). Scott D. Murdock visited the area on March 19, 2005, see his Wyoming Weekends trip report which includes several images.
Terraserver	Lowry	39-18-55 104-33-52 35 miles SE Denver Colorado (4 miles SE Elizabeth Colorado)	Site 2-2C 725-C Snark: 725-C
Drove up to the gate 5/22/2002. This is now the Elbert County Trash Compactor. http://www.elbertco.com. According to http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/titanmissiles2.pdf the site is leased by Elbert County (from the federal government I assume), is used as a solid waste transfer station, and was formerly used as a solid waste landfill (using trenches, not the silos).

Terraserver	Ellsworth	44-08-12 102-37-03 31 miles E Rapid City South Dakota (3 miles NW Wicksville South Dakota)	#1 850-A New Underwood
Color photo courtesy of Scott D. Murdock.
Terraserver	Ellsworth	43-46-38 103-08-47 21 miles SSE Rapid City South Dakota (5 miles SE Hermosa South Dakota)	#2 850-B Hermosa
Mike Morgan and others visited (with permission of the owner) in March of 2001. This one's on Missile Site Road, perhaps also know as County Road 7.
Terraserver	Ellsworth	44-23-54 103-18-49 23 miles NNW Rapid City South Dakota (10 miles E Sturgis South Dakota)	#3 850-C Sturgis
Mike Morgan and others visited (with permission of the owner) in March of 2001. The site is conveniently at the end of Titan Road. It's reasonably intact though the silo doors were apparently dropped into position after the site was inactivated, shattering them, and attachments were removed which would make lifting them nearly impossible. According to Tony Castillo's web site http://www.nesilos.com/TITAN%201/titan1.htm circa July 2005, this site is for sale for around $250,000.