Above: an unknown Titan 2 site. Note the propellant tankers on the hardstands.
Titan: A person or thing of enormous size or power (Random House dictionary).
An excellent history of Titan II is "Titan II: A History of a Cold War Missile Program" by David K. Stumpf (2000).
A nice collection of stories is "Titan Tales: Diary of a Titan II Missile Crew Commander" by John H. Womack (1997).
See also:
Titan II was a follow-on of the Titan I, using some of the same hardware though different fuels (nitrogen tetroxide instead of liquid oxygen for the oxidizer, Aerozine-50 for the fuel instead of RP-1), a larger second stage, plus they launched from inside the silo. Titan II ICBM sites had one missile in a vertical silo, with an adjacent command center staffed by 4 men. They were on alert for 24 years, from 1963 until 1987. All Titan II sites were destroyed per international treaty with the exception of the museum at Sahuarita Arizona. However, "destroyed" simply means the site was rendered unusable (e.g. silo headworks destroyed but some underground structures were left alone). In October 2002 there was a report on the missile_talk Yahoo group that Davis-Monthan site 13 is in remarkably good condition, the blast doors were either open or easily openable (supposedly the contractor was to have welded them shut).
Titan II was also known as Weapon System 107A-2 and LGM-25C, and at first SM-68B (Stumpf page 52).
The Titan family was more than an ICBM. Titan IIs were used as the booster stage for the Gemini manned space flights. 14 Titan II ICBMs were refurbished for launch vehicles, and between 1988 and 1999 eight of them were used, all successfully. Titan follow-ons were used as space launch vehicles until late 2005.
Titan II missiles on display:
ICBM site identification, outside of Vandenberg, is confusing because each site had three different "names". First there is the CE (Corps of Engineer) identification, a number between 1 and 18. These numbers typically increase as you go around the Air Force base in a clockwise direction. Second there is the SEQ, the Squadron/Complex identification which also indicates the order in which sites were accepted. Third is the SAC or Strategic Air Command designations. The following are in CE order but SE and SAC are included based on Stumpf's book. Scott D. Murdock tells me there is yet another identification scheme, USAF real property site designation numbers.
Above: an unknown Titan 2 site. Note the propellant tankers on the hardstands.
Vandenberg Air Force base (see http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Vandenberg_AFB.htm) 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. They 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 II it had three training facilities collectively called TF-II, or Launch Complex 395-B, C, and D, as well as the Silo Launch Test Facility (SLTF) which had been built during the Titan I program to investigate silo launches. During the Titan II program, the SLTF functioned as the QMT (Operations and Maintenance Missile Trainer) using a Titan II propellant-handling trainer, substituting water for propellants.
Complexes 395-B, 395-C, and 395-D were all used off and on as actual alert sites between January 1967 and April 1968, depending on other launch activities involving Titan IIs. In December 1969 complexes B and D were deactivated and complex C was mothballed, but was occasionally used for more Titan II launches. It certainly looks to be the best preserved one in the photos that follow.
The locations are not well documented, that I could find. Based on the map in Stumpf, page 129, the following are educated guesses on my part.
| Photo | Base | Coordinates | ID |
Terraserver | Vandenberg | 34-48-25 120-32-58 17 miles SW Santa Maria California | 68-SLTF |
| Silo Launch Test Facility for Titan II, though in fact the only missile launched was a Titan I on May 3 1961. The facility was only intended to prove the design of a silo that could fire a missile, and to try out construction methods. Later it became the Titan II Operations and Maintenance Missile Trainer (QMT). See http://www.siloworld.com/MISC-4/diagraSLTF.htm. | |||
Terraserver | Vandenberg | 34-46-57 120-36-26 17 miles SW Santa Maria California | 395-B |
| The color photo, which shows 395-B as well as 576-A (Atlas D), was sent to me by Jeff Goodman. | |||
Terraserver | Vandenberg | 34-44-04 120-35-48 17 miles SW Santa Maria California | 395-C |
Terraserver | Vandenberg | 34-42-28 120-35-23 17 miles SW Santa Maria California | 395-D |
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base is located within the city limits of Tucson, Arizona. Stumpf, page 132, has a map locating Davis-Monthan's sites. There used to be a nice web site about the Arizona Titan II sites at http://home.earthlink.net/~mdkurowski/main.htm but it's gone, and archive.org doesn't seem to have a usable copy. Sigh.
Other resources:
(Patch images courtesy of
USAFPatches.com except the last one which I "borrowed"
from an eBay auction.
Note the 571st and 390th both had two different patches)
Davis-Monthan sites were manned by the 570th and 571st SMS, part of the 390th SMW for which there was a web site here but last I checked (2/3/2003) it was gone and it's not on archive.org either. There is also a 390th association at http://www.390smw.org. The 570th and 390th were activated January 1 1962 and inactivated July 31 1984. The 571st was activated May 1 1962 and inactivated December 2 1983. A history of the 390th is at http://strategic-air-command.com/wings/0390mw.htm as well as http://globalsecurity.org/wmd/agency/390mw.htm.
The Titan Missile Museum (SAC 571-7, below) is a must-see for anybody interested in missiles. Through the museum, tours are occasionally given of one or more of the abandoned sites; see http://www.titanmissilemuseum.org/view.php?pg=12 which is where the following text was obtained (tours vary and may disappear entirely, so be sure to check with them as to what is currently available):
You'll rendezvous at 8 a.m. at a nearby restaurant for a pre-departure briefing, depart for the complex at 8:30, stay at the site for as along as you want, then depart for a debriefing, discussion, and coffee back at the restaurant by around 10:30 a.m. Tour includes handouts of photos and diagrams of the complex.
Participants must be able to hike on level ground for at least a quarter mile, and must be at least 12 years old. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Registration fees must be paid in advance and are not refundable. Participants will be mailed detailed instructions and map for 8 a.m. rendezvous. For more information email: penson@u.arizona.edu. Make your reservations by email to info@titanmissilemuseum.org. No phone calls please.
Fee: $25 Members, $30 non-Members
| Photo | Base | Coordinates | ID |
Terraserver | Davis-Monthan | 32-35-51 110-53-20 27 miles N Tucson Arizona (6 miles WSW Oracle Arizona) | CE 1 SEQ 570-9 SAC 570-1 Oracle |
| On February 19 2003 this site went up for sale on eBay, item number 2309094117, with a starting bid of $25,000,000. The description was: "Privately owned USAF TITAN MISSILE SILO COMPLEX. Is available for sale in southern Arizona between Phoenix and Tucson. Command Center Silo has been excavated and consists of 3 shock aborbing suspended floors. Connecting security door leading to the missile silo has never been opened. Security door to the complex and command center are in full working order. It comes with two acres of surface ground. The Complex is easily accessed from State Highway." The price was later lowered to merely $2,000,000. At the end there were zero bids. | |||
Terraserver | Davis-Monthan | 31-58-56 110-11-08 44 miles SE Tucson Arizona (7 miles E Benson Arizona) | CE 2 SEQ 571-16 SAC 571-1 Benson |
| Per Stumpf, #2 was the Alternate Command Post (ACP) for squadron 571. I'm not positive about the coordinates. There are two square areas adjacent to each other, this is the lower-left one and I think one can just make out the propellant hardstands. On 3/3/2004 I noticed this site was for sale on eBay, item number 2384545506, $250,000 starting bid (zero bids so far). The legal description given was "parcel #120-28-001-3: (Located in) Southeast one-quarter of Section 3, Township 17 South, Range 21 East, Gila & Salt River Meridian." (6/19/2004, item number is now 4306726158, and price is $100,000). | |||
Terraserver | Davis-Monthan | 31-57-33 110-22-26 34 miles SW Tucson Arizona (4 miles W Benson Arizona) | CE 3 SEQ 571-15 SAC 571-2 Benson |
| The topo map shows this as a Military Reservation with the added notation "North Base". There are other surface structures in the area that may be more contemporary. Also, I did some image processing (histogram equalize) on the thumbnail so something would show up. The color image on Google Earth is much better. Just off West Titan Drive. There are houses being built nearby, also a gas station and fast-food places (per email 4/4/2008), probably at the I-10 interchange 1.7 miles east. | |||
Terraserver | Davis-Monthan | 31-58-17 110-30-30 27 miles SE Tucson Arizona (4.5 miles WSW Mescal Arizona) | CE 4 SEQ 571-17 SAC 571-3 Mescal |
| The 1981 topo map calls this a U S Military Reservation. One map of sites refered to this as being near Mescal. There is a Mescal Junction or Mescal Interchange on Interstate 10 at 31-57-46 110-26-05, exit 297. Just north is a small town called Mescal, probably on the original highway before the Interstate was built, at 31-59-23 110-26-03. It is this "ghost" town that I reference above for distance. According to the Arizona Daily Star (http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/136312) the site is for sale, as of 7/3/2006. On 2/25/2008, on the missile_talk forum, it was stated this site is for sale for $900,000 and has been dug up quite a bit. According to email I received 4/4/2008, there is now a caretaker on site and a security fence is under construction. | |||
Terraserver | Davis-Monthan | 31-57-25 110-39-47 22 miles SE Tucson Arizona (5.7 miles SW Pantano Arizona) | CE 5 SEQ 571-18 SAC 571-4 Pantano |
| The 1981 7.5-minute topo map again says "US Mil Res" and the 1994 30-minute map says "Mil Res." Nearby is something called "Missile Tank" though it's not clear what it's referring to. This site was apparently being "mined" for fill dirt and some of the underground structures are being exposed but more recent reports (4/5/2008) suggest dirt is being dumped back into the site. 11/6/2005, the new owner posted some photos to the missile_talk group. It was also pointed out that siloman has photos at http://www.siloworld.com/390th%20SMW/PRESENT%20DAY/571st%20SMS/571-4/571-4.HTM. But then on November 9 2005 he wrote to say the sale fell through because Pima County claims the site has historical value. | |||
Terraserver | Davis-Monthan | 31-45-13 110-53-27 30 miles S Tucson Arizona (8 miles SE Continental Arizona) | CE 6 SEQ 571-14 SAC 571-5 Continental |
| The 1981 7.5-minute topo map says "US Mil Res" and the 1994 30-minute map says "Military Reservation." I understand the site is owned by the Department of Agriculture (US? State of Arizona?) for an emergency helicopter field, and that they may have opened the LCC. This sounds a bit odd to me. On 4/4/2008 I received an email message stating it's owned by the US Forest Service as a helicopter base for firefighting. The access portal has been dug open but is also locked. | |||
Terraserver | Davis-Monthan | 31-38-39 111-04-15 39 miles SSW Tucson Arizona (15 miles SSW Continental Arizona) (4 miles S Amado Arizona) | CE 7 SEQ 571-12 SAC 571-6 Amado |
| The 1976 7.5-minute topo map says "U S Military Reservation" and the 1994 30-minute map says "Military Reservation." The Burro Inn Restaurant and Suites was located on the property. That's probably the white-roofed building in the upper part of the photo. I understand it was built on top of one of the hardstands. June 19 2003, this will be sold soon via eBay; the owner closed the inn due to his declining health. The inn had a web site: http://www.burroinnsilo.com/index.htm, but the web site is gone, try http://web.archive.org/web/20030623041046/http://www.burroinnsilo.com/index.htm. An announcement of the sale is at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2003/6/prweb69278.php. July 13 2003, it's for sale as eBay item number 2334810489 with a starting price of $600,000. That didn't sell (it ended July 26) and was relisted as item number 2339003557 which also didn't sell (there were two bids but both were below the reserve price). October 18 2003, I noticed it's for sale on eBay again, item 2353517811, $600,000, and the auction ended November 13, zero bids. According to the Arizona Daily Star (http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/136312) the site is now a fitness center, probably Crista's Totally Fit at 70 W El Burro Lane, Tubac. I saved a couple of maps from the sale, here and here. | |||
Terraserver | Davis-Monthan | 31-54-12 110-59-56 21 miles SW Tucson Arizona (4.5 miles SW Sahuarita Arizona) (4 miles NNW Continental Arizona) | CE 8 SEQ 571-13 SAC 571-7 Continental |
| The 1981 topo map says "U S Military Reservation." This is the Titan Missile Museum, see http://www.titanmissilemuseum.org. Notice in the picture you can see the partially-open silo lid. I expect this is the best view of what a site looked like when active. This site (or rather, the silo interior and missile) appeared in the movie "Star Trek: First Contact." CNN did a segment on the museum, see http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/experience/the.bomb/route/05.titan/ except the link died, try http://web.archive.org/web/20071223180715/http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/experience/the.bomb/route/05.titan. A nice collection of photos is at http://polarinertia.com/jan04/titan01.htm. Another short article on the museum, courtesy of the Center of Land Use Interpretation: http://www.clui.org/clui_4_1/lotl/lotlf95/titan.html. | |||
Terraserver | Davis-Monthan | 31-53-17 111-23-21 36 miles SW Tucson Arizona (8.8 miles NNE Palo Alto Ranch Arizona) | CE 9 SEQ 570-3 SAC 571-8 Palo Alto |
| On 2/24/2008, Gary Baker posted the following description on the missile_talk forum: Titan II Site 571-8 is located 14 miles south of Three Points at 19955 S. Sasabe Rd., Tucson. The 14-acre site is located in the scenic foothills of the Sierrita Mountains. The site is surrounded by beautiful Sonoran desert that is owned by the State of Arizona and therefore secure from development. While only a 45 minute drive to Tucson, the only sign of civilization from the site is a ranch headquarters about 1/2 mile away and the Kitt Peak observatories on the other site of Altar Valley. There is a well on the site and electricity and telephone are about 1/2 mile away. The site has not been excavated. This is probably the most scenic of all the Tucson Titan sites. Price is $300,000. Contact Joe Morgan 520-494-9932 or 520-280-8073 or email. | |||
Terraserver | Davis-Monthan | 32-00-17 111-21-19 30 miles SW Tucson Arizona (6 miles SW Three Points Arizona) | CE 10 SEQ 570-2 SAC 571-9 Three Points |
| Another site being "mined" for fill dirt. In the March 2006 issue of the AAFM newsletter (http://www.afmissileers.org/newsletters/NL2006/Mar06.pdf, page 6) is an interesting story of how a blast door became inoperative, and a crew had to enter the silo from outside to fix the problem. | |||
Terraserver | Davis-Monthan | 32-06-03 111-15-45 22 miles WSW Tucson Arizona (2.5 miles SSW Three Points Arizona) | CE 11 SEQ 570-1 SAC 570-2 Three Points |
Terraserver | Davis-Monthan | 32-22-04 111-27-43 25 miles WNW Tucson Arizona (17 miles WSW Marana Arizona) (18 miles W Rillito Arizona) | CE 12 SEQ 570-7 SAC 570-3 Rillito |
Terraserver | Davis-Monthan | 32-21-33 111-19-05 27 miles NW Tucson Arizona (9 miles WSW Marana Arizona) (10 miles W Rillito Arizona) | CE 13 SEQ 570-6 SAC 570-4 Rillito |
| According to the Arizona Daily Star (http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/136312) the site was purchased in 1997 by Eric Neilson who has built a house and in 2002 excavated the access portal. Eric is involved with the Titan Missile Museum, which offers occasional tours of Eric's site. | |||
Terraserver | Davis-Monthan | 32-31-24 111-14-21 30 miles NW Tucson Arizona (8 miles NW Marana Arizona) (9 miles NW Rillito Arizona) | CE 14 SEQ 570-5 SAC 570-5 Rillito |
| Per Stumpf, #14 was the Alternate Command Post (ACP) for squadron 570. April 7 2004 I received email from a nearby resident who pointed out the road to the site is called Missile Base Road (and is paved). Google Earth calls it East Missile Base Road. | |||
Terraserver | Davis-Monthan | 32-25-40 111-08-15 21 miles NW Tucson Arizona (2.5 miles NE Marana Arizona) (1.3 miles NE Rillito Arizona) | CE 15 SEQ 570-4 SAC 570-6 Rillito |
| A little humorous, the 1995 topo map says "Pit." According to the Arizona Daily Star (http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/136312) the site is now a nursery, probably the Acacia Nursery at 8080 W Tangerine Road. It looks well developed as a nursery judging by the image on Google Earth. | |||
Terraserver | Davis-Monthan | 32-44-55 111-06-58 40 miles NNW Tucson Arizona (17 miles NW Oracle Junction Arizona) | CE 16 SEQ 570-8 SAC 570-7 Oracle Junction |
| mdkurowski reported there is a house on the site, confirmed by Google Earth. | |||
Terraserver | Davis-Monthan | 32-39-10 111-01-44 32 miles NNW Tucson Arizona (9 miles NW Oracle Junction, Arizona) | CE 17 SEQ 571-11 SAC 570-8 Oracle Junction |
| Barely discernable, but the propellant hardstands are visible. | |||
Terraserver B&W 
Terraserver Color | Davis-Monthan | 32-28-43 110-55-45 19 miles N Tucson Arizona (1.5 miles W Catalina Arizona) (18 miles S Oracle Junction Arizona) | CE 18 SEQ 571-10 SAC 570-9 Oracle Junction |
| The 1981 topo map says "U S Military Res". It looks like parts of Catalina are beginning to surround the site. mdkurowski reported there is a church on the site. This was the first location I found that is covered by Terraserver's color "Urban Areas" photos, which in this case shows quite a bit of activity, and buildings that may or may not be the aforementioned church. According to the Arizona Daily Star (http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/136312) this is the Vista de la Montaņa United Methodist Church. | |||
Terraserver Terraserver Urban Areas | Davis-Monthan | 32-08-35 110-49-20 5.5 miles SE Tucson Arizona | WSA |
| Weapons Storage Area (WSA) at Davis-Monthan. Immediately north and west is an impressive array of aircraft in storage. Although Terraserver includes color "Urban Areas" images, they do not seem to be as clear as the black-and-white images. | |||
Little Rock Air Force Base is located near Little Rock, Arkansas.
Scott Murdock discovered a reference
in "A Systematic Study of Air Combat Command Cold War
Material Culture, Volume II-15: A Baseline Inventory of Cold War
Material Culture at Little Rock Air Force Base"
prepared for HQ ACC by
Mariah Associates, Inc. under a Corps of Engineers contract,
which includes
"Resource No. 25016, Real Property No. 1712 Support Structure
(Simulated Silo)".
Scott posted a picture on the Yahoo! missile_talk group.
Fred Eppler identified it as an RV mate-demate trainer and stated
there was also one at Lowry in the munitions training hangar in
the 1960s, though that one may be gone since Lowry has been shut down.
Other resources:
The people: Little Rock sites were manned by the 373rd SMW and 374th SMW which were under the 308th SMW (see http://http://strategic-air-command.com/wings/0308mw.htm and http://globalsecurity.org/wmd/agency/308bw.htm). The 308th and 373rd were activated April 1 1962 and inactivated August 18 1987. The 374th was activated September 1 1962 and inactivated August 15 1986.
| Photo | Base | Coordinates | ID |
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-12-34 92-07-28 36 miles NNE Little Rock Arkansas (1 mile SSE Mount Vernon Arkansas) | CE 1 SEQ 373-5 SAC 373-1 Mt. Vernon |
| I found this one on my own, I'm pretty sure it looks right. Pretty well obliterated. | |||
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-18-55 92-01-08 44 miles NE Little Rock Arkansas (3.5 miles ESE Rose Bud Arkansas) | CE 2 SEQ 373-7 SAC 373-2 Rose Bud |
| Terraserver updated its photo, taken in 2001. But the older one is interesting in contrast so I kept it around as well. Both are spliced from separate photo runs which makes it look pretty bad in both cases. | |||
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-26-31 091-58-57 54 miles NNE Little Rock Arkansas (5 miles SE Heber Springs Arkansas) | CE 3 SEQ 373-4 SAC 373-3 Heber Springs |
| Terraserver updated its photo, taken in 2001. But the older one is interesting in contrast so I kept it around as well. Located on Dusty Road or Fort Cox Road, Google Earth seems to use the same names for two different roads about 1/3 of a mile apart. | |||
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-22-13 091-47-39 55 miles NE Little Rock Arkansas (2 miles ENE Letona Arkansas) (2 miles N Albion Arkansas) | CE 4 SEQ 373-1 SAC 373-4 Albion |
On August 9 1965, 53 men lost their lives in a fire caused by
a welder accidentally rupturing and igniting a hydraulic line.
The fire was intense but quick and did not damage the missile.
The complex was off alert for over 13 months for investigation
and repairs.
21 years later, 400 people attended a memorial service and the
unveiling of a granite monument.
Details are in Stumpf's book.
Some URLs regarding the accident:
Terraserver updated its photo, taken in 2002. But the older one is interesting in contrast so I kept it around as well. There is a structure (house?) just where the site's road turns off Snowden Road. | |||
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-15-38 91-51-25 46 miles NE Little Rock Arkansas (1.5 miles E Center Hill Arkansas) | CE 5 SEQ 373-2 SAC 373-5 Center Hill |
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-08-33 91-54-03 38 miles NW Little Rock Arkansas (3/4 miles NE Antioch Arkansas) | CE 6 SEQ 374-10 SAC 373-6 Antioch |
| On January 24 1968, MSgt R. Eugene Bugge was killed when he slipped on a work platform and fell 80 feet onto a shock isolation mount. He was not wearing a safety harness as instructed. | |||
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-26-08 91-34-05 66 miles NE Little Rock Arkansas (2 miles N Velvet Ridge Arkansas) | CE 7 SEQ 373-3 SAC 373-7 Velvet Ridge |
| There appears to be excavation on the east and west sides. Possibly an old quarry on the east, now filled with water. My photo is an older one, Terraserver's is now newer; an interesting thing to note in Terraserver's is the shadow of a tall structure north of the entrance, I don't know what it is. | |||
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-18-16 91-39-08 56 miles NE Little Rock Arkansas (2 miles NNW Judsonia Arkansas) | CE 8 SEQ 373-6 SAC 373-8 Judsonia |
| It looks like a house has been built immediately to the west. Off Missile Base Road. | |||
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-13-36 92-49-17 43 miles NW Little Rock Arkansas (1 mile ENE Blackwell Arkansas) | CE 9 SEQ 374-17 SAC 374-1 Blackwell |
| On 4/4/2003 I noticed Terraserver has a newer photo but it looks worse than the one I saved and thumbnailed. | |||
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-11-19 92-37-50 35 miles NW Little Rock Arkansas (2 miles NNE Plumerville Arkansas) | CE 10 SEQ 374-18 SAC 374-2 Plumerville |
| On 4/4/2003 I noticed Terraserver has a newer photo than the one I saved and thumbailed above. Several new structures (houses?) have appeared. I'm leaving the old one in place, above, and you can click on the Terraserver link for the newer photo. Most unusual, a road (Caney Meadow Drive) runs directly through the center of the missile site. | |||
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-18-41 92-43-25 45 miles NW Little Rock Arkansas (3/4 miles NNE Saint Vincent Arkansas) | CE 11 SEQ 374-15 SAC 374-3 St. Vincent |
| On 4/4/2003 I noticed Terraserver has a newer photo. I'm leaving my saved photo and thumbnail alone for now. This one is on Missile Road. | |||
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-17-15 92-32-51 40 miles NNW Little Rock Arkansas (1.5 miles NNE Springfield Arkansas) | CE 12 SEQ 374-14 SAC 374-4 Springfield |
| There are two Springfields in Arkansas, this one is close to Conway. Terraserver seems to think there's another one near Leachville in the northeast corner of Arkansas but it's not on the map. | |||
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-10-05 92-23-32 30 miles N Little Rock Arkansas (6.5 miles NE Conway Arkansas) (1.3 miles S Springhill Arkansas) | CE 13 SEQ 374-16 SAC 374-5 Springhill |
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-17-30 92-23-14 39 miles N Little Rock Arkansas (4 miles N Greenbrier Arkansas) (2.2 miles NE Republican Arkansas) | CE 14 SEQ 374-11 SAC 374-6 Republican |
| There is a nice house near the enclosure's entrance. Immediately east is a quarry, probably Pyramid Rock LLC (their 1999 operating permit is http://www.adeq.state.ar.us/ftproot/pub/WebDatabases/PermitsOnline/Air/1790-AR-1.pdf). Another quarry is located about one mile WNW of the first. | |||
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-24-50 92-23-50 47 miles N Little Rock Arkansas (3.4 miles N Damascus Arkansas) (1 miles S Southside Arkansas) | CE 15 SEQ 374-12 SAC 374-7 Southside |
|
Per
http://www-apparitions.ucsd.edu/~ntim/bio/clavis.html
(which is now gone, but try
http://web.archive.org/web/20070128215310/http://www-apparitions.ucsd.edu/~ntim/bio/clavis.html),
site 15 a.k.a.
374-7 near Damascus exploded after a worker dropped a wrench socket down
the silo, which punctured a fuel tank, which exploded 8.5 hours later and
blew off the 740-ton (!) lid and threw the warhead 600 feet (it landed
intact except for some dents). This story is at many other sites on the
web but that's the first one I found with the site designation. This
happened September 18, 1980. The silo was later filled with gravel.
A fascinating and very detailed telling of this is in Stumpf's book.
This incident was also the basis for a 1988 made-for-TV movie entitled
"Disaster at Silo 7".
On January 27 1978 the same site had suffered an oxidizer leak when a transport trailer's heaters malfunctioned and raised the tank's temperature to 101 degrees Farenheit. The resulting cloud closed highway 65 and caused some evacuations. Four civilians were treated for inhalation of oxidizer fumes. And on October 8 1976, Sgt. Larry South died when he was overcome with Freon 113 fumes that had accumulated from a cleanup of hydraulic fluid. | |||
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-08-42 92-15-16 29 miles NNE Little Rock Arkansas (5.5 miles NE Hamlet Arkansas) (2 miles SE Holland Arkansas) | CE 16 SEQ 373-9 SAC 373-9 Hamlet |
| Maps (e.g. Stumpf page 142) show this as the "Hamlet" site but my Garmin emap GPS receiver, US road atlas, and Terraserver do not list such a place. In fact my emap doesn't show highway 36 going north from Hamlet, but the topo map does show Hamlet at 35-04-41 92-18-19, the junction of US highway 64 and highway 36. On 4/4/2003 I noticed Terraserver has a new photo but I think the old one I saved and thumbnailed, above, is better. 9/7/2004, for sale on missilebases.com for $85,000 "plus share of salvage profits". June 28, 2006, I noticed the price had gone up to $117,000 "plus share of salvage profits". I'm not sure what it finally sold for, but the new owner is busy digging stuff up, see http://www.siloworld.com/308th%20SMW/PRESENT%20DAY/373rd%20SMS/373-9/373-9.htm. As of February 18, 2009, it is for sale via http://www.siloforsale.com, see http://www.siloforsale.com/Property2.htm, for $125,000. This one is just off Missile Base Road. There is a large building near the enclosure entrance. On November 16, 2009, I noticed the site is for sale on eBay, item 170395907653, $150,000. | |||
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-19-46 92-14-59 42 miles NNE Little Rock Arkansas (4.8 miles E Guy Arkansas) | CE 17 SEQ 374-13 SAC 374-8 Guy |
Terraserver | Little Rock | 35-24-36 92-08-57 48 miles NNE Little Rock Arkansas (15 miles ENE Damascus Arkansas) (4 miles NE Quitman Arkansas) | CE 18 SEQ 373-8 SAC 374-9 Quitman |
Terraserver | Little Rock | 34-53-55 92-06-58 15 miles NE Little Rock Arkansas | WSA |
| Weapons Storage Area (WSA) for Little Rock AFB. | |||
McConnell Air Force Base is located near Wichita, Kansas. McConnell had 18 Titan IIs (Stumpf page 6). Stumpf, page 138, has a map locating these sites.
Resources:
(Patch images courtesy of
USAFPatches.com)
McConnell sites were manned by the 532nd SMS and 533rd SMS, under the 381st SMW (see http://strategic-air-command.com/wings/0381mw.htm and http://globalsecurity.org/wmd/agency/381mw.htm). The 532nd and 381st were activated March 1 1962 and inactivated August 8 1986. The 533rd was activated August 1 1962 and inactivated November 1 1985. All three seem to have become training units at Vandenberg AFB.
Scott Murdock drove by many of these sites and took photos, although there just isn't much to see: http://airforcebase.net/trips/dirt/dirt.html.
| Photo | Base | Coordinates | ID |
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-58-55 097-00-04 27 miles NE Wichita Kansas (3 miles NNE Potwin Kansas) | CE 1 SEQ 533-9 SAC 533-1 |
| The water annex should be several miles east, at 37-59-02 96-55-55, though it's hard to see on either Terraserver or Google Earth. | |||
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-55-29 096-50-37 31 miles NE Wichita Kansas (7 miles N El Dorado Kansas) | CE 2 SEQ 533-8 SAC 533-2 |
| The small square "thing" north of the main complex is the water system at 37-55-38 96-50-37. | |||
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-41-55 096-50-55 27 miles E Wichita Kansas (3.5 miles WNW Leon Kansas) | CE 3 SEQ 533-7 SAC 533-3 |
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-39-42 096-39-25 37 miles E Wichita Kansas (7 miles W Beaumont Kansas) | CE 4 SEQ 533-6 SAC 533-4 |
| It looks like a house or other structure has been built on the site. Jeff Goodman confirms this. In the June 2007 issue of the AAFM Newsletter (available here, on page 15) Mike Riemer states that the property owner and a group of people are interested in digging down to the site's control center. The water annex should be at 37-41-56 96-55-55 though the it is hard to spot as such on Terraserver. | |||
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-34-16 096-46-28 32 miles ESE Wichita Kansas (9 miles N Atlanta Kansas) | CE 5 SEQ 533-5 SAC 533-5 |
| The water annex should be at 37-37-05 96-46-19, and can barely be seen on Terraserver. | |||
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-30-07 096-54-12 27 miles SE Wichita Kansas (6 miles ESE Douglass Kansas) | CE 6 SEQ 533-4 SAC 533-6 |
| The 1979 topo map says "U S MILITARY RESERVATION". The water annex should be at 37-29-09 96-55-04. | |||
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-24-29 096-59-57 27 miles SE Wichita Kansas (2.3 miles S Rock Kansas) | CE 7 SEQ 533-3 SAC 533-7 |
|
On November 12 1964 roughly 1,800 gallons of oxidizer (nitrogen
tetroxide) were spilled with no injuries, but extensive damage resulted.
On August 24 1978 an oxidizer cutoff valve didn't close at the end of a fueling operation, spilling oxidizer in large quantities. This forced the evacuation of the town of Rock and also killed SSgt. Robert J. Thomas during the mishap; A1C Erby B. Hepstall died on September 2 or 3. 25 others received a range of injuries. The final cause was determined to be a failure to follow proper procedures during fueling. By 1981 almost $10 million was spent in repairs before the decision was made to shut down the Titan II ICBM program. The water system site is at 37-23-26 97-00-37. Jeff Goodman reports at least 5 wells here, probably all monitoring wells to track underground movement from the spills. Note there are at least two different towns in Kansas named Rock. | |||
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-15-43 096-51-14 39 miles SE Wichita Kansas (6 miles E Winfield Kansas) | CE 8 SEQ 533-2 SAC 533-8 |
| Two water annexes are across the road at 37-15-22 96-51-15, and 37-15-14 96-51-15. | |||
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-17-36 097-13-38 28 miles SSE Wichita Kansas (3.5 miles NW Oxford Kansas) | CE 9 SEQ 533-1 SAC 533-9 |
| Alternate Command Post (ACP) 533rd SMS. The water system annex was about a mile north, 37-19-05 97-13-24. Jeff Goodman reports there's a house on the site. | |||
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-11-04 097-24-30 35 miles S Wichita Kansas (2 miles NW Rome Kansas) | CE 10 SEQ 532-15 SAC 532-1 |
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-15-18 097-32-04 31 miles SW Wichita Kansas (7.5 miles W Wellington Kansas) (3/4 mile SE Mayfield Kansas) | CE 11 SEQ 532-13 SAC 532-2 |
| Ironic, this is right next to a cemetary. | |||
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-21-48 097-37-58 27 miles SW Wichita Kansas (5.5 miles W Anson Kansas) (2 miles S Conway Springs Kansas) | CE 12 SEQ 532-14 SAC 532-3 |
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-28-05 097-42-42 25 miles SW Wichita Kansas (4 miles WSW Viola Kansas) | CE 13 SEQ 532-12 SAC 532-4 |
| It looks like there are logs or poles across the silo in the 1991 USGS photo, but not in the Google Earth photo. | |||
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-27-52 097-54-41 35 miles SW Wichita Kansas (3.5 miles W Norwich Kansas) | CE 14 SEQ 532-17 SAC 532-5 |
| Jeff Goodman reports there's a house on the site. This is visible in the Google Earth photo but it was not there in the 1991 USGS photo. | |||
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-25-30 098-04-07 43 miles SW Wichita Kansas (5.5 miles ESE Spivey Kansas) | CE 15 SEQ 532-16 SAC 532-6 |
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-37-18 097-54-14 31 miles W Wichita Kansas (1.5 miles ENE Murdock Kansas) | CE 16 SEQ 532-11 SAC 532-7 |
| Three construction workers fell ill from fumes when torches were used on launch doors coated with lead-based paint (either during construction, or maybe later during modifications). Note there are at least two different towns named Murdock in Kansas. | |||
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-41-47 098-04-02 40 miles W Wichita Kansas (4 miles NE Kingman Kansas) | CE 17 SEQ 532-18 SAC 532-8 |
Terraserver | McConnell | 37-45-08 097-45-56 23 miles WNW Wichita Kansas (2 miles W Saint Joe Kansas) | CE 18 SEQ 532-10 SAC 532-9 |
| Alternate Command Post (ACP), 532nd SMS. The Topeka Capital-Journal's interactive map lists #18 as being near a town called St. Joe which is not on a Kansas DOT map. St. Joe *is* listed on the USGS topo maps on terraserver, however, and is also in my Garmin emap GPS receiver. Apparently it's on or near Titan Road, as shown by the photo courtesy of Jeff Goodman. | |||
Patrick Air Force Base operates the various launch facilities at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
Resources:
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.afhra.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=9692.
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:
| 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 (link died, try http://web.archive.org/web/20010109205000/http://www.patrick.af.mil/heritage/Cape/Cape3/cape3-9.htm) and http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/library/report/1994/cape/cape3-9.htm). | |||
