Launched from a Montana silo, a Minuteman III would take about 20 minutes to reach Moscowits speed is not constant along its flight path. in Nike Missile Sites. Some buildings still in use, others torn down. FDS. The three underground magazines are existent and in reasonably good condition. FDS Redeveloped into single-family housing. Hart Island, Double Magazines covered over with vegetation on north end of island; Buildings spread out all over the island, all appear in highly deterioration condition. Obliterated, City of Detroit. Even the signs listing the bunker's rules can be read decades later. Barracks buildings remain intact and little altered. Hanford Defense Area (H): Nike missiles replaced and augmented gun batteries that had been previously installed IFC Redeveloped into a public park called Nike Park, in the middle of a much larger industrial park. FDS. In single-family home subdivision built since inactivation of Nike Fire Control Site. Totally obliterated; formerly a three-magazine (1B2C)/12-launcher facility with battery at Lake Shore Drive off the end of what's now I-55, south of the McCormick Place complex. FDS. This is an early Ajax-only site that was never converted to Hercules. Now Northeastern University Marine Science Center. A helicopter pad is shown in the lower portion of the photo. Obliterated, new office building construction, in highly urban area. Accessible to the public by hiking. Pittsburgh Defense Area (PI): At first, three active Army battalions manned the ring around "Steel City". No evidence of IFC site. No evidence of LS. But, by the late 50s, the Soviet Union shifted its strategy because those aircraft were vulnerable to attack. One of the first intercontinental ballistic missile sites in the United States. No evidence of IFC site. Almost intact buildings still exist but are vandalized and a section has major fire damage. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. The following are considered the three major ones: All Belgian Nike sites were in the 2 ATAF part of then West-Germany. Magazine area used by construction company for equipment repair/storage. Only a few are intact and preserve the history of the Nike project. Totally obliterated. Former buildings still in use, mostly cleared no sign of any radar towers. C-03 Montrose/Belmont. Air strip is now part of Evergreen Lakes subdivision. Some IFC buildings still in-use, part of site also used by "Rolnick Observatory" also using old IFC buildings. L-31's housing area was taken over by the Air Force after the IFC was closed by the Army, and was redesignated as Loring Family Housing Annex #5. Now obliterated, Park, ownership by Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Partially redeveloped; now the location of National Park Service, Fenced and behind a locked gate, largely intact. Now open to the public for tours by National Park Service staff. Talcott Mountain Science center (buildings/radar pads). Largely redeveloped, although several old IFC buildings still used. Largely obliterated. Different parts of the site also took on various roles including a fire and police academy, school, and target range. Quick Description: Former Nike site in Naperville, Illinois. Barracks building in use, several radar towers still standing. Site is now utilized by the LAPD SWAT team for training. The first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) silos arrived on the Great Plains in 1959 when Atlas sites were constructed in Wyoming. Municipal complex storage yard. No evidence of launchers. Some radio towers but no evidence of radar. Magazines visible, earth grading equipment moving dirt around area. Under restoration since 2009. Appears to be largely intact underneath vegetation overgrowth; old access road entrance at Ave J & 133 Street largely obliterated. Concreted areas cracked and in poor condition. Four buildings still standing, no radar towers. The silo complex was listed for sale on a variety of real estate brokerage sites last. Former triple Ajax battery. Redeveloped but abandoned; site of a former automobile dealership on Grant Street, now empty. Located on Belle Isle, south of Blue Heron Lagoon, East side of Lakeside Drive, Obliterated, City of Detroit. Wiloughby Eastlake School District. Likely most of site is under vegetation cover. Buildings in use, magazines still intact, being used as a parking lot. Most buildings in good condition, magazine in good condition. Missile pads partially Intact, Harvard University. Magazines probably under asphalted parking lot. LA-45DC was integrated with the USAF Air Defense Command/NORAD Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense radar network as Site RP-39 / Z-39 The AADCP was inactivated 1 Sep 1974 along with the remaining Nike Hercules sites. This old steel industry company town has a tradition of parking cars on the sidewalk so people can walk in the narrow streets. Largely obliterated, now Massachusetts Audubon education center. Administrative offices built over Missile magazines and sleeping quarters circa 1991. Large number of commercial bee hives. Operating units were C/54th (/55-9/58) and C/4/1st (9/58-4/74). Built on 11 acres of land, the silo was specifically home to the. This area is within the SRA on the southern shore of the lake. 2023 Atlas Obscura. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Nuclear missile launch sites were installed across the country during the cold war in the 1950s and 1960s, and some were placed in illinois. FDS. Intact, US Park Service, very deteriorated condition. On top of mountain ridge, under US Army control. Two radar towers still stand. Record Group 21 Record Group 77 Record Group 291 Record Group 21, Records of the United States District Courts (2 civil cases) U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, Chicago, Civil Records, Civil Case Files, Case 71C2016, Chicago Indian . Obliterated, Milagra Ridge (GGNRA). Access road also overgrown with vegetation, inaccessible. The site was initially an AN/FSG-l Missile-Master Radar Direction Center. Site used as vehicle storage for county vehicles, and other public services. This urban drawbridge gained eternal pop culture fame when the Blues Brothers jumped it while it was raised. Obliterated Private ownership. Controlling the SAMs was the 29th Artillery Group (Air Defense). Former above-ground site with berms protecting launchers. There are two adjacent ski recreation areas. It was later upgraded to the AN/TSQ-51 "Missile Mentor" solid-state computer system. Cleared land, no evidence except a few pipes emerging from below ground; apron off Forest Way still visible. No evidence of IFC. Private owners, buildings in good shape, appears to be single-family homes built on site. GRAFTON The last remnants of a U.S. Army missile base that defended American skies during the Cold War can still be spotted by sharp-eyed visitors to Pere Marquette State Park. This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 15:53. Private ownership. Also being used by School District for school bus parking. The housing area in Brandywine, Maryland, supported Washington Nike Site W-36 from approximately 1957 1961. Redeveloped into Asbury Broadneck Methodist church. FDS. Abandoned, some buildings standing, magazine deteriorating but visible. Private ownership. No radar towers. (WTTW Archive). The AADCP was inactivated in 1969. Redeveloped into Gardner Unified School offices. Army Air-Defense Command Post (AADCP) SL-47DC was established at Belleville AFS, IL in 1959 for Nike missile command-and-control functions. Intact double underground magazine, Small arms storage, firing, and maneuvering range. Private owner, construction use. Abandoned. Redeveloped into USAR Center. The entrance road has many abandoned trailers and also much junk along the sides. Large piles of earth on top of magazines, some vehicles parked in magazine area visible in aerial images. Largely intact and listed on the. Private ownership. Some old roads remain. Nothing remains except large open area. This is the entrance to the 341st Missile Wing, 490th Missile Squadron M-01 in Monroe, Montana off of Missile launch areas now abandoned and overgrown. A few vehicles being stored in abandoned berm area, appears in good shape. After being closed by the Army in 1974, in 1976 the housing part of PH-41/43 was transferred to the Air Force for use by Gibbsboro AFS, New Jersey. Some ruins are visible along the west boundary, including the crushed fuelling stand and parts of the acid storage sheds.384850N 0772121W / 38.81389N 77.35583W / 38.81389; -77.35583 (W-74-LS). IFC existed right along the lakefront, but has now been developed and turned into an open prairie as part of the forest preserve. TV transmitter site. 384744N 0894758W / 38.79556N 89.79944W / 38.79556; -89.79944 (SL-10-CS), Private Ownership Purchased 7-12-14 by Ron Mertens of Smithton IL. King Salmon Long Range Radar Site is still in use. FDS. Some buildings standing, Now USG Plant. Magazine launch doors removed; site appears to be filled in, with vegetation covering fill sites. Launch "pits" used for reservoirs for the waste treatment plant. In private ownership, buildings appear standing. "New Testament Church". Still in use, with a few buildings, one radar tower, TXArNG training. FDS. The Air Force ceased radar operations on 30 Sep 1969, and the AADCP was inactivated on 1 Sep 1974. Redeveloped into Howard Cassidy Park. Gloucester Township, IFC is a vacant lot with woods, some old roads. CTANG(CT Air National Guard), Communications/Radar site. Redeveloped into South Pine Creek Park. Buildings in poor condition, some roofless, some not. A missile silo in Abilene, Kansas, used to store and launch ballistic missiles in the 1960s, is on sale for $380,000. Formerly manned by the B/54th (12/54-9/58), B/4/1st (9/58-9/59) and MDArNG D/2/70th (9/59-9/53). L-13's housing area was taken over by the Air Force after the IFC was closed by the Army, and was redesignated as Loring Family Housing Annex #2. Exterior of the administration building and launch area can be viewed during the tour. Figure 6 shows satellite views of a normally unattended silo (left) and one undergoing maintenance (right). 374132N 1222652W / 37.69222N 122.44778W / 37.69222; -122.44778 (SF-59-CS). Fort Monroe, HQ Training and Doctrine Command. Part of Army Reserve Center, in back of facility. Magazine area has been partially filled in, severe cracking of concrete, abandoned. Today, partially Intact, Private ownership. FDS. As the sites were decommissioned, they were first offered to federal agencies. The satellite view allows you to see the actual military facility when you zoom in. Administrative Area buildings intact deteriorated. On high mountain peak. Deactivated silos were located in Arizona, California, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, New York, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington. D-57 site demolished, redeveloped into Ford Motor Co. automotive parts distribution center in 2021. All buildings in use in excellent condition. The U.S. reverted the islands to Japan on May 15, 1972, setting back a Ryky independence movement that had emerged. The Russian invasion of Ukraine brings back memories of the Cold War. The AADCP inactivated in June 1974. Mostly intact, some IFC buildings being used for transmitter support with large radio towers on site. 94th ADA Group, headquartered in Kaiserslautern for most of the Nike-Hercules period had four battalions as follows, with locations: - In Pforzheim (Hagenschie/Wurmberg), in Baden-Wrttemberg there is a missile launch site operated by the US-Army until April 1985. Part of the IFC has been redeveloped into unorganized sports facility. zoom this map to see individual missile silos. Some IFC buildings in use. West side of site largely forested with little evidence of use. Demolished, Roswell Correctional Center Partially. FDS In private ownership, the barracks north of the launch area were demolished in 2010 but were previously used as the Jacksonville Senior Center. Residential housing built in place. Magazines visible and fully functional. A semi-circular embankment protecting the fueling area remains. The missile station, officially dubbed SL-40, is near Hecker, a town of 500, though it has a Red Bud address: 5055 M Road. Former twin magazine site, intact, now Anne Arundel County Police Training Academy. These were supposed to be airlifted to certain Nike sites in case of deterioration of the international political situation in the world. FDS. It was designated as Gibbsboro Family Housing Annex. The concrete area around magazines, in good shape, appears to be used as a storage yard. IFC Redeveloped into 2 parks; no remains. FDS. Now a parking lot. Fenced. Battalion Blvd remains. As of Nov 1999, it was still on the Ellsworth AFB real property books, excess and awaiting disposition. Launch site with three intact missile pits located at the end of Stocksdale Road in Kingsville, MD. Double-battery Nike. Not much else. Public Safety Training Center. All buildings torn down, only disturbed areas with some concrete building pads and former streets. Buildings demolished in December 2020. FDS. The missiles were stored horizontally underground. Appears to be light industrial estate. Electrified with working elevators. Constructed during the Cuban Missile Crisis [October 1962]. Now privately owned but undeveloped. Units assigned are the 2071st USAR School, 326th Maintenance Battalion and 214th MI Company. Site equipped with the AN/GSG-5(V) BIRDIE solid-state computer system. Above-ground magazines protected by berms. Home now to the 103rd Air Control Squadron. Known as Orange Air National Guard Station. Upon deactivation of this Hercules battery in 1960, the equipment was forwarded to the Norfolk site at Deep Creek/Portsmouth. B-21DC was integrated with the USAF Air Defense Command/NORAD Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense radar network as Site MM-1. On that date, jurisdiction, control, and authority was transferred to the California Air National Guard. Dillingham Airport, Above-ground Nike-Hercules launch facilities overgrown with vegetation, no buildings remain abandoned. The Army housing was commonly referred to as West Nike Housing Area, and was controlled by Ellsworth AFB until about 2000. At southwest of Fort Sheridan National Cemetery. San Francisco Defense Area (SF): San Francisco was defended by 12 Nike sites: SF-08, SF-09, SF-25, SF-31, SF-37, SF-51, SF-59, SF-87, SF-88, SF-89, SF-91 and SF-93. It was faster, and could travel farther up to 90 miles. A few buildings in use by Teen Challenge; drug & alcohol rehab center. A parking lot for Northeastern University Suburban Campus. The U.S. government began phasing out Nike bases in the mid-1960s amid budget cuts. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. The Radar towers, Generator bldg., Van pads, and connecting building foundation are all there. Interstate 87. Located on Webb State Park/South Shore Association for Retarded Citizens (Mess Hall, EM Barracks and Missile Test & Assembly Building remain, pits buried but vents & ducts are visible). Above ground launching site with berms protecting launchers. Some roads still exist as unconnected concrete. Buildings under vegetation, two large radio towers fallen on side visible . Site is actively being restored by volunteers of Maryland Wing, Civil Air Patrol. Buildings exist on east side of road, appear to be in poor condition and overgrown. Remains in secure area, used as a storage area. If those centers fail to carry out a launch order, specially-configured E6B airborne command posts, nicknamed Doomsday Planes, can take over. Was Midway School. In private hands. Redeveloped into Nike Park Sports Complex on Diehl Road. Buildings Demolished Sept 2015 Magazines are there and part of a municipal maintenance facility. Buildings were torn down, some new structures erected, and a bunch of old boats and trucks stored on site; may be a junkyard. Largely Obliterated, some remains in semi-wooded area. The AADCP was later integrated with the USAF Air Defense Command/NORAD Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense radar network as Site P-80 with FPS-10 (2); FPS-8/GPS-3; FPS-7C and FPS-6A radars. FDS. Launch site abandoned, appears to be above-ground site with launchers located within berms. The Cost of U.S. Nuclear Forces: From BCA to Bow Wave and Beyond, Fact Sheet: Ballistic vs. Cruise Missiles. Nike launch site totally obliterated. Buildings standing, magazines visible with launch doors visible. United States Minuteman Missile Wings - 272KB PDF Army Air-Defense Command Post (AADCP) C-80DC established at Arlington Heights AI, IL in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions. Closed by 1997. Being redeveloped into high-end single-family housing. Magazine area used for school bus parking. This site was co-located with the now closed. Some buildings still in use, no towers, two concrete pilons still visible. Totally obliterated by new construction. Formerly located on Hog Island, formerly Ft. Duvall. FDS. On that date, it was designated as Potrero Hills Storage Annex; and jurisdiction, control, and accountability were assigned to Travis AFB. Is now known as Nike Base Town Park; as such, it hosts Grand Island's Senior Citizen Center, a town-sponsored safe hangout for teens known as Reality Cafe, and space for group meetings. Razed but broken concrete pads still visible; former Civil Defense site. Magazine visible, covered with vegetation and refuse. Buildings at beginning of entrance road, former underground double magazine. Magazine area visible from aerial imagery. On "Nike Base Road". FDS. Site leased in about 2014 and is now Wing Headquarters for the Maryland Wing, Civil Air Patrol. Either Army Reserve or NY National Guard site. Check it out: For more like this, check out these 10 state parks in Illinois that are totally splendid. Figure4shows an underground launch control center. Intact, LA County Fire Camp #9 and GTE cellular relay station. Nothing left. U.S. Army Air Defense Command operated the sites with Regular Army units (possibly from 562nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment) from 1960 until 1966. The park currently owns three Ajax missiles and one Hercules. Magazines were sealed during environmental hazards assessment in the 1990s but were then opened and badly vandalized. Private ownership, redeveloped into single-family housing. FDS. Remains under US government control, National Institute of Standards and Technology. Intact, Communications Facility Partially. 20th century castles, llc has sold 60 properties. For instance, from Launch Facility (Missile Silo) Delta-09 to Moscow was approximately 5,100 miles. Now a forest preserve. Bennett's Creek Park. Appears to be the base of a radar tower remaining, no buildings. FDS. Many listings will have "FDS" following either the control site or launch site heading, which means that the site has gone through the "Formerly-Used Defense Site" program and has been transferred from DoD control to another party. Well preserved site with numerous IFC buildings in use. Obliterated by 1997. Double magazine, launch doors appear to be concreted over, some buildings erected on firing pads. Here are some maps showing the locations of U.S. Minuteman III ICBM silo's along with coordinates. Launch area obliterated, owned by Fairfax County and repurposed as Popes Head Park; a marker close the site, Virginia Historic marker E98 states: Redeveloped into "Observatory Park". Fenced and gated. Magazine exists, concreted over. The AADCP inactivated in 1966. Until recently, Nike Missile Base C-84 near the Chicago suburb of Barrington, Illinois, served as an archival repository for Lake County; the records were stored in one of the three underground missile storage areas. Installation started in late 1959 [1] after the United States Army had purchased 44 acres (18 ha). FDS. Was in use by Army Reserve and PA National Guard. The Arlington Heights Army Air Defense Site was a Project Nike Missile Master site near Chicago, Illinois. Off Nike Road. Some buildings still standing and in use by Independence Board of Education. As of 2019, entire launch site covered by new police academy. Three years later, the U.S. Army Air Defense Command deactivated the remaining missile batteries. Private ownership, electrical service, buildings and radar towers standing. Thoroughly fenced in. Units from the Bridgeport Defense Area assisted in operating the Plainville site. If so, are any of the silo structures still there? Private ownership, mostly returned to agricultural use, single magazine is about all that is left. Guided public tours are available JuneSeptember through a local non-profit organization. Initially, New York's air defenses had been manually coordinated from Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island. Map showing the location of the Minuteman Missile Visitor Center, Launch Control Facility Delta-01 and Launch Facility (Missile Silo) Delta-09.