The elderly man behind the counter was a dead ringer for the man lying on a gurney in the movie Young Frankenstein who Gene Wilder, Dr. Frankenstein, assaults unintentionally while instructing a group of medical students. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. King decided to hang around. Investigators later discovered that a welder working on level 3 had "hit a hydraulic line with his welding rod, rupturing the hose and causing the spray of hydraulic fuel to catch fire." It is eerie to see military vehicles and military personnel going to and from these scary silos in the middle of wheat country. We were joined by GT himself, who gave us an incredible tour, along with stories about the restoration effort and a few SNAFU moments during the massive project. Missiles were programmed with three potential targets. October 18, 2021. The military continued to use Titan rockets as part of its intercontinental ballistic missile program through the 1980s, and this was not the only dramatic incident involving them. Meanwhile, as a countermeasure, the silo was filling with water to douse potential flames and dilute the vapor. They tried to recreate it in an empty silo, and it bounced into the wall. The entire property spans 18 acres, with the silo near . The film was broadcast by PBS as part of its American Experience series. An airman dropped a wrench socket and it fell 80 feet and pierced the thin skin of the rockets first stage fuel tank. Back in September 1980, September 18, Jeff Plumb climbed into his pickup and headed toward the nuclear missile silo near a tiny town in Arkansas called Damascus. When I needed a break from writing the series, I found myself scrolling around Nebraska and Colorado, looking for silos and . Once clear of the silo, the second stage exploded. The nearly 4,000 square-foot LCC now sleeps six comfortably and can hold as many as 70 visitors for a meeting or conference. It was forecast as a beautiful day so we decided to pack a lunch, find a nice spot along the highway and enjoy our lunch. The first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) silos arrived on the Great Plains in 1959 when Atlas sites were constructed in Wyoming. As if they didn't have enough to worry about. But this never happened. The Air Force-owned property houses the only remaining Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile complex left of the 54 that were active during the Cold War. Each launch complex contained underground operational offices as well as living quarters for a staff of four. It turned out a worker doing routine maintenance on one of the missiles had dropped a nine-pound socket. Tell Us About the Most Amazing Parts of Tulsa, Oklahoma! Further, any commercial or non-commercial use of this photograph or any other At about 1 p.m. the launch duct was suddenly filled with intense heat and billowing smoke." China Is Building A Second Nuclear Missile Silo Field After a half hourthey could only stay in the silo that long because of their oxygen tanksthey came back up. In 1978, six months after the trailer leak in Arkansas, two airmen died after a leak in Kansas. The blast completely destroyed the silo and sent the 750-ton silo door . You may also know that it was an important location during the Cold War, a difficult time in the US and World History. Print Headline: The Titan missile silo disasters. After the accident, the area around the missile silo was littered with debrisboulders of concrete, giant springs, pieces of navigation systems. While renovating, GT decided to put in a spiral staircase to save space and it adds to the industrial ambiance. He said, "The same as it was when you came in." By 1986 these sites were all decommissioned and destroyed. Dig for Fossils in Northeast Texas. In a Sept. 12, 2014 photo, Teri Kramer points out an escape hatch over from www.washingtontimes.com. PBS explores 1980 nuclear threat triggered by socket wrench Crews of four men would work 24-hour shifts, followed by 24 hours off. by Tom Dillard | May 19, 2019 at 1:45 a.m. Two of the most serious disasters to plague the Titan II missile program during the Cold War occurred in Arkansas. Amazingly, we all slept wonderfully. After the missiles were retired, they were again used as space launchcraft until the last one was launched in 2003. Nodak, based in Grand Forks, served 55 missile silos around the region. We always take Highway 71 South taking us through Kimball, Nebraska and Limon, Colorado coming out at Highway 25 at Trinidad, Colorado. Titan II Missiles in Arkansas - Only In Arkansas God, help me! Delta- 09 was believed to be assigned the name "Cassandra's Missile . Livingston lay amid the rubble of the launch duct for some time before security personnel located and evacuated him. Possibly a fuel leak. "It was designed to remain intact enough to retaliate if necessary.". "Basically, what your smart phone can do today, the bottom floor of the launch control center did back then," Hill said. "You didn't know if it was going to Cuba or if it was going to Moscow," Hill said. The first disaster occurred on August 9, 1965 at launch complex 373-4, located near Searcy. The Doomsday Clock is at 100 seconds to midnight., The odds of a city being destroyed are probably the highest since World War II, says Schlosser. trademark, including the use of official emblems, insignia, names and slogans), warnings President Reagan announced plans to retire the Titan II program in September 1981, only one year after the Damascus disaster. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. A missile silo during the Cold War is now a popular, and high-rated, short-term vacation rental near Roswell, New Mexico. Ten years ago, Hill purchased the site that Titan Ranch sits on. Ed's daughter-in-law drove the pickup truck past the missile silo and out toward the cow pasture. Aerial photographs taken Friday morning showed a gaping hole with smoke drifting from it, and debris scattered over hilly pastureland." Nuclear weapons are just ideal for that., The next nuclear bomb to go off will not be delivered by a missile. Investigations including a congressional inquiry delved into the Damascus tragedy. In Arkansas, three launch sites remain with both launch pads and control centers. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. Pieces of debris were taken away from the 400 acres (1.6km2) surrounding the facility, and the site was buried under a mound of gravel, soil, and small concrete debris. Cleaning Up America's Worst Nuclear Waste Dump, Why Russian Hybrid Warfare Failed in Ukraine, Titan II: A History of a Cold War Missile Program, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. The silos launch door was propelled over 600 feet from the launch complex. Police discussing evacuation plans after the explosion. Miraculously, only one person died: Livingston, in a local hospital the day after the explosion of pulmonary edema, sometimes called dry drowning. Workers from . Not that the Air Force was sharing that information. Once through the blast doors, visitors enter Level 2, which is the former operations center where the officers would initiate the order to launch the ICBM. A compilation of platforms and weapons, the three legs of the U.S. nuclear triad serve as the backbone of America's national security. Both areas were then filled in with concrete, scrap iron, gravel and dirt, and the property wasreturned to the previous landowners. The Air Force also chose two other states to site Titan II missiles: Arizona and Kansas. PDF Locations of U.S. nuclear weapons, 2006 - Federation of American Scientists As Jackie waved her hands around my head trying to chase the flies out of the window, cars passing us must have thought she was a woman gone mad who was assaulting the driver. The most common sites have been the . Check out the other articles in the series: The demon core that killed two scientists, missing nuclear warheads, the bombs that fell on North Carolina, and the underground test that didnt stay that way. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. All missiles in the silos are currently Minuteman III (LGM-30G). Then we realized what it was and started grabbing for masks.. Of course the flies didn't swarm on us until we opened the tailgate and started to prepare our lunch. They all knew each other. Phew!We decided not to drive 14 hours back to Rapid City as we did on the trip down, but to stop about half way and spend the night. They stood 103 feet tall and had a range of 9,300 miles. Offer subject to change without notice. Aerozine 50 is hypergolic with the Titan II's oxidizer, dinitrogen tetroxide, such that they spontaneously ignite upon contact with each other. The discovery follows the report earlier this month that China appears to be constructing 120 missile silos near Yumen in Gansu province. For us, there were two, queen size beds set up for my children. 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Senior Airman David Livingston, one of the two airmen on the scene, died from injuries sustained during the explosion. The 308th Strategic Missile Wing was created and operated from the base, overseeing the missiles, [], Your email address will not be published. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. 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Perhaps most famously, as the investigative journalist Eric Schlosser recounts in his book Command and Control, in 1980, a Titan II missile exploded in its silo in Damascus, Arkansas, while carrying a nuclear warhead. The missiles were stored in massive underground silos, which were constructed in the early 1960s and closed in the early 1980s. "This whole facility was designed to shake to survive in case of war," Hill said. A concussion of wind hit me like a truck, and I slid 60 feet, and every foot, it felt like I was going faster. For a minute, it was the same deal as an A-bomb. But Peters realized it wasnt a nuclear explosion, because he had time to think. NORTHERN WELD COUNTY If it weren't for the 184-foot tall antenna tower stretching far above the prairie, many . But now, the socket fell all the way down the missile shaft66 feetbounced off the shaft mount ring, and hit the side of the missile, puncturing its eighth-inch hull. The other B-52 wing at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana has more than 900 warheads, and White-man AFB in Missouri has more than 130 bombs for its B-2 bombers. The aerozine 50 fuel immediately began leaking into the launch duct. DoD image must be made in compliance with guidance found at This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. Rex Peters was up to get a blood pressure pill. During the Cold War, Arkansas played a role in the protection of the nation by housing a series of intercontinental ballistic missiles across otherwise peaceful farmland. (Kennedy died in 2011 at the age of 56.) King remembers sitting on the hood of a sheriffs car, aimlessly slipping his shoes on and off. Eric Ayala was topside, at ground level near the silo. They dont know where the warhead is, King recalls being told. By comparison, a house my be blown down by 5 psi of pressure, he said. Incredible Active Missile Silos In Arkansas Ideas. Our destination in the vicinity of this sleepy little town was an enormous subterranean Dvina missile silo complex, once the home of R-12 medium-range ballistic missiles (NATO designation: SS-4 Sandal) of the Soviet nuclear arsenal. Fueled and ready to go 24 hours a day, Titan IIs could be ready to go at a moment's notice. The PTS crew stayed at the site as an investigative crewDevlin, Rex Hukle, David Livingston, and Jeffrey K. Kennedyarrived. One can visualize men in uniform going about their business far below the surface of the earth, manning and maintaining the silos with their guided missiles armed with nuclear warheads smack in the middle of Colorado while cattle graze peacefully just outside of the wire fences enclosing the silos. The missile was not armed at the time. His book Children Left Behind was awarded the Bronze Medal by Independent Book Publishers. Devlin, now retired in Florida and a childrens book author, says he has osteoporosis and believes the hydrazine he inhaled caused it. By 9 p.m. the Air Force had a team on site and began evacuating personnel as well as some local residents. Here's what the terrifying incident . A high-end master bedroom, spacious living room and stainless steel kitchen gives a visitor the feeling of visiting a supervillain's lair more than a military facility engineered for Armageddon. The Air Force refused to confirm or deny if a nuclear weapon was involved in the explosioneven to Vice President Walter Mondale, who was in Arkansas that day for the state Democratic convention, trying to help the states young governor, Bill Clinton, in a re-election bid. Visitors actually drive over the top of the former missile silo on their way to the LCC. Titan II - Zero Hour "The nuclear warhead landed about 100 feet from the launch complex's entry gate; its safety features operated correctly and prevented any loss of radioactive material. Titan Ranch is located in Vilonia, Arkansas, just northeast of Conway. When the socket fell, it plunged 70 feet to pierce the side of the . The large underground facility at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, New Livingston died of his injuries [later] that day." "But that was part of the psychological training. The air turned white and chunks of steel-reinforced concrete fell out of the sky after the fuel ignited. The nuclear warhead was also ejected from the missile silo. It has been painstakingly restored by GT Hill. These were giant rockets, designed to fly long distances while carrying nuclear weapons. Theyd heard on the scanner there was something going on at Missile Complex 374-7, the Titan II Missile installation in nearby Damascus. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Missile Guidance Speed Image AIM-7 Sparrow: Semi-active radar homing: Mach 4: AIM-9 Sidewinder: Infrared homing: Unverified (Mach 2.7) AIM-120 AMRAAM: Active radar homing: Pen & Quin: International Agents of Intrigue - The Mystery of the Painted Book is her debut novel. Eighteen were in Arkansas, from which intercontinental ballistic missiles carrying nine-megaton nuclear warheads could be launched to strike targets as far as 5,500 miles away. Arkansas' missiles were manned and operated by airmen from the Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville, Arkansas, with air bases near Tucson, Arizona, and Wichita, Kansas, maintaining nearby Titan II silos there. The 390th Strategic Missile Wing, headquartered at Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, was active from 1962-84 and had command of the 18 sites in Southern Arizona. Three of the Arkansas launch sites--in White, Van Buren, and Faulkner counties--have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Inside the super-hardened silo, meant to be protected from nuclear attacks, the team loaded the rocket with oxidizer, a key ingredient for blast-off, and sent it up to the surface. You know you're definitely in someplace different, but we wanted to make it nice enough that you didn't think you were in a silo.". Suddenly the flies began to land on everything and in the process they flew by the hundreds into the back of our SUV. It is a long and lonely route. About a half-mile down the road, Sgts. The Titan II, on the other hand, had a longer range and could be used for defense as well as for the nations nascent space program. [5] The 8lb (3.6kg) socket fell off the ratchet and dropped approximately 80 feet (24m) before bouncing off a thrust mount and piercing the missile's skin over the first-stage fuel tank, causing it to leak a cloud of its aerozine 50 fuel. Enjoy a Luxury Stay in an Underground Missile Silo in Arkansas Airmen Jeffrey Plumb and David Powell were in the silo working on the missile. Kennedy went down into the silo by himself to get readings. There are only a few places in the United States where you can tour a former nuclear missile silo, but only one with luxury accommodations where you can also host a party, and its only a few hours away. It was dank and smelled of fresh vomit. Now she writes adventures to send her characters on journeys, too. "Some people get a little nervous down here. which pertains to intellectual property restrictions (e.g., copyright and The first missile silo was listed in november 2019 for $395,000, and sold for $420,000. [8][17], Jeff Plumb's account of his role in the incident was featured in a 2017 episode of WBEZ's This American Life. Tom Dillard is a historian and retired archivist living near Glen Rose in rural Hot Spring County. There do remain some active missile silos, in montana, north dakota, and at warren air force base, which is in both colorado and wyoming. The aim was to bring the weapon right up to the point where it could be launched, without actually sending it off: They needed to know the missile would be ready to use in attack, if needed. King and Phillips arrived at the site at the same time as Van Buren County Sheriff Gus Anglin, and they were all greeted by military security personnel, who told them no evacuation of the area was necessary at that point. A look inside Level 3 of the Titan Ranch in Vilonia, featuring the facility's emergency escape tunnel and ladder. A total of 21 people were injured. Titan II Missile Explosion in Arkansas - 40 Year Anniversary Little Rock, Conway, Searcy, Benton, Heber Springs, Fayetteville, Bentonville, Springdale, Fort Smith, Jonesboro, West Memphis, Batesville, Mountain View, Hot Springs, Pine Bluff, Texarkana, Arkadelphia. These sites stayed active until President George H.W. On May 22, 1958, a crew was servicing Nike missiles at a site in Middletown, N.J. One missile exploded, starting a chain reaction that set off seven others, causing what the Associated Press . The Cold War was over, and with it the threat of annihilation right? silo: [noun] a trench, pit, or especially a tall cylinder (as of wood or concrete) usually sealed to exclude air and used for making and storing silage. These are MAJOR nuclear war targets, each one of these silo's will be hit with minimum one warhead with a fairly large yield as part of a Russian counterforce attack. "That way if there was a nuclear explosion, they always wanted to have one door closed to protect the facility," Hill said. And the origin of those dates back to the height of the Cold War in the 1950s and '60s, specifically the Soviet launch of the Sputnik satellite in 1957. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Only in Arkansas. [5], A 1988 television film, Disaster at Silo 7, is based on this event. 75) of Scorpion is largely based on this event. https://www.dimoc.mil/resources/limitations, Its a lot of heavy information in a short time, but worth absorbing every minute of it. Incredible Missile Silos In Arkansas For Sale References The tanks that held the rockets fuel and oxidizers broke open, mixed, and exploded.