Nike Missile Sites (1 Viewer)

[PolarBear]

How many out there remember the Nike Missile Batteries of the US Army in the 1950s and 60s that were meant to protect us during the Cold War? I actually toured one of these bases as a boy in Connecticut as part of a father and son program sponsored by the YMCA. I also recall having a model kit of one of the missiles and its launcher. Here is a photo below
Randy 3/21/08

 

[Combat]

How many out there remember the Nike Missile Batteries of the US Army in the 1950s and 60s that were meant to protect us during the Cold War? I actually toured one of these bases as a boy in Connecticut as part of a father and son program sponsored by the YMCA. I also recall having a model kit of one of the missiles and its launcher. Here is a photo below
Randy 3/21/08

I used to pass one of those historical markers in Fairfax, VA that referenced the Nike Missile. The print was too small and traffic too fast to ever read it though.

 

[Wraith]

Never heard of these. Thanks for the info and pic Randy.

Brings a whole new sense of urgency to the catchphrase "Just do it"

 

[PolarBear]

Never heard of these. Thanks for the info and pic Randy.

Brings a whole new sense of urgency to the catchphrase "Just do it"

It's amzing they let us in to see them. Not these days. I was from the generation that had atomic bomb air raid drills in school (hide under your desk) and we even had an evacuation route from my hometown to a more rural area. Scary times.

 

[sceic2]

I grew up in Rapid City SD near Ellsworth AFB during the 50’s and early 60’s. Ellsworth was among the top targets of the Soviets during the cold war. It was a B52 and missile command base. There were 30 to 40 missile silos scattered around the area of that part of SD, MT, and NE that were controlled by a command unit at Ellsworth. B52's were on 24-hour ready alert at the end of the runway for decades. Often the pilots were not sitting in the ready rooms next to the runway but were sitting in their seats in the planes for long periods of time. It is now home to one of the B1 Wings.

As a school child we did indeed practice "duck and cover." During the Cuban missile crisis my Boy Scout Troop was used to stock the fallout shelters allover the city. We unloaded semi trucks full of blankets, cases of biscuits in metal drums, and filled containers with potable water into the basement of the high school, banks, power company office and even the down town library.

Outside Ellsworth were several Nike missile batteries. During the Cuban crisis we figured it was serious as all of the missiles were out on the rails at the ready for immediate launch. It was a scary time to see all those missiles pointed sky ward. Many of the children were Air Force dependents and they were white with fear. Some had fathers who were on the B52’s and most of them said Daddy is flying and he said he may not come back; then they would cry and yell “Daddy, that’s my daddy” when ever a jets contrail would appear overhead.

Now they sit abandoned, Nike and Minute Man sites. Ellsworth is scaled way back and is lucky to still be open.

 

[PolarBear]

I grew up in Rapid City SD near Ellsworth AFB during the 50’s and early 60’s. Ellsworth was among the top targets of the Soviets during the cold war. It was a B52 and missile command base. There were 30 to 40 missile silos scattered around the area of that part of SD, MT, and NE that were controlled by a command unit at Ellsworth. B52's were on 24-hour ready alert at the end of the runway for decades. Often the pilots were not sitting in the ready rooms next to the runway but were sitting in their seats in the planes for long periods of time. It is now home to one of the B1 Wings.

As a school child we did indeed practice "duck and cover." During the Cuban missile crisis my Boy Scout Troop was used to stock the fallout shelters allover the city. We unloaded semi trucks full of blankets, cases of biscuits in metal drums, and filled containers with potable water into the basement of the high school, banks, power company office and even the down town library.
Outside Ellsworth were several Nike missile batteries. During the Cuban crisis we figured it was serious as all of the missiles were out on the rails at the ready for immediate launch. It was a scary time to see all those missiles pointed sky ward. Many of the children were Air Force dependents and they were white with fear. Some had fathers who were on the B52’s and most of them said Daddy is flying and he said he may not come back; then they would cry and yell “Daddy, that’s my daddy” when ever a jets contrail would appear overhead.
Now they sit abandoned, Nike and Minute Man sites. Ellsworth is scaled way back and is lucky to still be open.

October '62 was a very frightening time. I was a senior in High School and ironically my US History class was studying the Monroe Doctrine which gave the United States the right to prevent European intervention in Latin America. Hence JFK's blockade of Cuba to keep out the Russian missiles.
Randy

 

[pugio]

bear, at least you had missiles. in the 50's, guarding fort hamilton in brooklyn the army set up anti-aircraft batteries all along the "belt parkway" (a major highway), i guess to shoot down any russian planes that the nikes missed. "the best of times, the worst of times"

 

[binder001]

In our area there is a state capitol (Lincoln) SAC HQ (Offutt AFB at Bellevue) and several Atlas missle batteries into the 60's. There were several Nike SAM sites around the area. The one I remember most was near Crete NE because the highway split the base. The Admin areas and early-warning radar were on a hill to the north of the highway and the missle bunkers, etc were in a fold of ground to the south of the highway. When we would visit my parents friends in Crete I would make sure to look at the missle base. The radar was always turning - pretty cool to a kid. That base is all gone, the admin area is housing now. There is another former Nike base northwest of Lincoln that had the admin area turned over to the local school district and is the home to Raymond Central High School.

One of the former Atlas bases near Mead, NE is still government property - the National Guard use the area for training. A couple of the above-ground missle bunkers still have the concrete shells standing.

Gary