The Air Force's goal in launching the Titan program was twofold: one, to serve as a backup should Atlas fail; and two, to develop a large, two-stage missile with a longer range . I hope you all enjoyed my journey into the belly of the Titan. The sight of my car filled me with relief; I half expected it to be towed away, or to find a police officer waiting for me to emerge, but this time I lucked out. If you would like specifics on good places to park and how to get from good parking areas to the silo, please email me at missilesilostoose@gmail.com. They sealed the ladder but you can get in through the large gated opening. It truly was one of the most interesting places I've explored so far. Really a cool experience! Titan uhhhnick. I guess I will chime in, Someone that knew the owner posted to my YouTube channel bitching how it's trespassing, I mentioned that there was No Signs, No Fence, no nothing to say otherwise. Prices range from $133K ("Underground structures flooded") to a 210-acre Titan-F site for $1.45M. Thanks for letting me live vicariously through you, as I will NEVER experience this particular tour! With no attitude control, it began tumbling end-over-end and quickly lost thrust. I was lucky to see it once, and was lucky I came the second time when he was already out, or I'd have a mark on my record now.By the way, fantastic walkthrough. The gap between the bars and the dirt ground is only about 10 inches and the hardest part of getting through is your legs because if you go face up underneath, your legs end up being straight as they go through which places lots of stress on your knees if you're a bigger person. I was in the Othello Washington area when I came across an area In the middle of nowhere. A cut and fill method was used to install the missile silos and launcher control facilities. The first successful launch was on 5 February 1959 with Titan I A3, and the last test flight was on 29 January 1962 with Titan I M7. It's a shame the place has become off-limits. One remained in use at Vandenberg AFB until it guided a last Thor-Agena launch in May 1972. Do you know if it is still possible to get under? You've been inside a Titan II silo? Yeah, that guy from the gas station said there are definitely other silos around, but he said they are likely to be far more tightly locked down (this one was opened up for environmental cleaning or something like that). The last thing the guidance system did was to determine if the missile was on the right trajectory and pre-arm the warhead which then separated from the second stage. GPS: It's move-in ready and nuclear-attack ready. I just happened to check back on this thread today. Dives. It encompassed all of the equipment and even the bases for the Titan I strategic missile. Stay safe! Thanks, Jake! United States Air Force, The T.O. The federal government does not have exclusive criminal jurisdiction over the Titan missile bases in Grant county, nor does it have concurrent jurisdiction, since it has not complied with applicable . If you enjoyed it, feel free to, Southeastern Colorado's incredible ghost towns, https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JimSullivanPlacesThatWere/posts, https://www.flickr.com/photos/placesthatwere/, Looking out the main entrance of the Titan I missile silo, Looking up a shaft leading to the surface, The bottom of the shaft was littered with old tires and other detritus. I heard the owner got sick of trespassers and decided to close it up. Thanks. Schriever devised an entirely new organization for program management. Washington. In hindsight, the rush to get the project completed caused workers and supervisors to forsake prudent measures. The Titan I was initially designated as a bomber aircraft (B-68),[6] but was later designated SM-68 Titan and finally HGM-25A in 1962. On November 18, 1959, the Walla Walla District opened bid packages. 701-335-6525 . The airframe contractor also would assemble the sub-systems provided by other Air Force contractors. Didn't go very far to find it was blocked by sand and dirt. Most are sealed today, with one in Colorado that is easily entered but also very unsafe. [52] The decision was made to deploy Titan squadrons in a "hardened" 3 X 3 (three sites with one control center and three silos each) to reduce the number of guidance systems required. These former Cold War Nuclear Complexes are both private and publicly owned and are located at the "former Lowry Bombing and Gunnery Range (FLBGR) east of Aurora, north of the town of Deer Trail, and south . It does not surprise me that the ventilation system was not marked on the diagram. The last time I was in the the bars were not in place. Hoselton, Gary A., Titan I Guidance System, Brekenridge, Colorado: Association of Air Force Missileers, Volume 6, Number 1, March 1998, p. 7. Spent about an hour exploring only the power house and surrounding tunnels but had to leave when we encountered a group of 15 highschoolers. Green Warren E., 1962, The Development of the SM-68 Titan, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base: Air Force Systems Command, 1962, AFSC Historical Publications Series 62-23-1, p. 77. I sure got my exercise exploring that place. I assumed it was State Land maybe even federal. George P. Sutton wrote "Aerojet's most successful set of large LPRE was that for the booster and sustainer stages of the versions of the Titan vehicle". See, Earl , Titan Missile Memoirs, Huntington Beach, California: American Aviation Historical Society Journal, Summer 2014, p. 118. . Great stuff! The chosen method was the Service and Salvage contract, which required the contractor to remove the equipment the government wanted before proceeding with scrapping. List of all Titan I site Coordinates, 30th LRS air terminal: a small shop with large responsibilities - Santa Maria Times (subscription), U.S. Senate OKs amendment requiring annual missile defense tests - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, US missile site in Ravenna to get first public airing - Akron Beacon Journal, Pentagon Launches Test Missile from Vandenberg - NBC 7 San Diego, Law Enforcement Torch Run crosses VAFB - Santa Maria Times (subscription), Iridium's SpaceX launch slowed by Vandenberg bottleneck - SpaceNews, US Air Force test-launches Minuteman missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base - LA Daily News, Missile-Defense Interceptor Flies From Vandenberg Air Force Base - Noozhawk, Seven detained at Vandenberg missile protest - Santa Maria Sun, L-3 Wins Consolidated Air Force Satellite Control Network Contract - Signal Magazine, Final Titan Rocket Launch Ends an Era (10/20/2005), Peacekeeper nuclear missile officially deactivated (9/20/2005), Blue Origin rocket plans detailed (6/13/2005). I went on December 30th with 7 guys this time instead of 4. [19][18][20], The four A-type missile launches with dummy second stages all occurred in 1959 and were carried out on 6 February, 25 February, 3 April, and 4 May. I would love to explore one of these sites but I'd probably end up at the bottom of a shaft! [15] Counterarguments that the Titan offered greater performance and growth potential than the Atlas as a missile and space launch vehicle,[15] the Titan program was under constant budgetary pressure. By 6 May 1966 the Air Force wanted to retain 5 Titan sites and the General Services Administration had earmarked 1 for possible use. Should have walked in on foot at night. Most of the people I know are either too scared to go or have no interest. Ken Wood and Jim Sullivan,Do you guys know the property owners and if they will call the police if we try to get into the silo?? [33] After a brief period as an operational ICBM, it was retired from service in 1965 when Defense Secretary Robert McNamara made the decision to phase out all first generation cryogenically fueled missiles in favor of newer hypergolic and solid-fueled models. Decommissioned missile bases from the Cold War dot the countryside, and where they once held ICBMs now hold everything . [23] On 1 July, the newly opened LC-20 hosted its first launch when Missile J-2, an operational prototype, was flown. Dane County, Wisconsin. The basement of Oyster-Adam school. From 1962-1965, the 577th Strategic Missile Squadron was based at Altus Air Force Base in Altus, Oklahoma. ), SM-?? The burning remains of the Titan impacted 300 meters from the pad in an enormous fireball. The flight ended in failure when an improper disconnect of a pad umbilical caused an electrical short in the second stage. I made a few corrections based on the information your provided. When you're driving up to the silo you need to go by houses and they obviously know what you're doing if they see you. Every time I visit, I am blown away and filled with wonder at the enormity of the location. Even though Titan complexes were designed to withstand nearby nuclear blasts antenna and missile extended for launch and guidance were quite susceptible to even a relatively distant miss. (stg. [7] This had resulted in three badly botched programs; the programs of the Snark, Navaho and RASCAL missiles had slipped an average of 5 years and had cost overruns of 300 per cent or more. Also some used to be in Arkansasthe Titan or Atlas missilesuntil one blew its fuel loadbecause of a dropped wrenchand threw its payload quite a distance. We successfully explored around half of the silo in 90 and made it out with no tickets. I went late in the summer of 2015 and there really weren't any "no trespassing" signs, the road was clear, and my group was perfectly fine. Titan I 568-B I wish I could have seen the place when it was in better shape. Fifty-four missiles were in silos in total, with one missile as a spare on standby at each squadron, bringing to 60 in service at any one time. Boeing 727 & NA CT-39A. )Also, the "entrance" that you went in wasn't actually an entrance. I was so surprised to see that some of the openings above ground haven't been sealed off for liability reasons. But that's a dream. Sutton, George P, History of Liquid Propellent Rocket Engines, Reston Virginia: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2006, Hansen, Chuck, Swords of Armageddon, 1995, Chukelea Publications, Sunnyvale, California, page Volume VII Page 290-293. Responsibility for this project initially fell on the Walla Walla District of the Corps of Engineers, which set up an area office in October 1959. Aerojet produced the excellent LR87-AJ-3 (booster) and LR91-AJ-3 (sustainer). 10 Each launch complex included three missile silos, an antenna silo, a power house, fuel and . The large door in the pics, that says He'll has no exit, is the actual main surface entrance. We done a lot of target practice out there on the surface and we would explore the tunnels while we were out there. Take care and BE CAREFUL! [76], Most of the ATHENA guidance computers were given to universities. On 20 January 1961, Missile AJ-10 launched from LC-19 at CCAS. [25], The next launch at the end of the month (Missile J-4) suffered premature first stage shutdown and landed far short of its planned impact point. 2500 sqft. This former titan air force missile site is situated on 57 + or - acres in the middle of farm country in Adams County Wa. May 19, 1883 . It did not make economic sense to refurbish them as SM-65 Atlas missiles with similar payload capacities had already been converted to satellite launchers. It's so awesome. I went with 4 buddies of mine an explored it during the first week of June, 2018. On 5 February, LC-16 returned to action by hosting Missile C-4. (stg 1 mated to stg 1 above), SM-?? All need some work. Still it would be a great place for my family & friends. Unlike the Deer Trail site (site 2B), it has not been excavated all the way down to the tunnel level and cut open. Located on a hill. And his fascination with these historic weapons and the underground spaces that housed them never diminished . I wouldn't be surprised if the entrance was more blocked off in the future, but for now it is still possible to get in. Watching a couple of videos. Marsh, Lt. Col.Robert E., Launch of The Blue Gander Door, Brekenridge, Colorado: Association of Air Force Missileers, Volume 4, Number 1 1996, p. 8. McMurran, Marshall W., Achieving Accuracy a Legacy of Computers and Missiles, p 141, Xlibris Corporation, 2008. The Titan I was considered for use as the first missile to put a man in space. Hopefully I can find another of these somewhere close. If you are passing through I highly recommend you visit the museum, it apparently looks the same as when it was still active from the 60's to the mid 80's. Explored this Aug 2019 and it was still accessible. Green, Warren E., The Development of the SM-68 Titan, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base: Air Force Systems Command, 1962, AFSC Historical Publications Series 62-23-1, p. 128. [35] Following the launch of the first missile the other two could reportedly be fired at .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}7+12-minute intervals. In October 1960, the construction oversight responsibilities were passed on to the Corps of Engineers Ballistic Missile Construction Office (CEBMCO). It was one of three Titan missile bases in the Columbia River Basin, which were built about 1960 and decommissioned in . . HGM-25A Titan I ICBM 1961-1965 Operated three missile sites: (1 August 1960-25 June 1965) 725-A, 14 miles SE of Watkins, Colorado 393515N 1042742W 725-B, 4 miles NNE of Deer Trail, Colorado 39 . Wow, I never realized how huge the Titan bases are! It's a very creepy but interesting place to visit. If you do this quietly during nighttime and don't use flashlights you have little risk of being caught. [43], Titan I also was the first true multi-stage (two or more stages) design. Green, Warren E., The Development of the SM-68 Titan, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base: Air Force Systems Command, 1962, AFSC Historical Publications Series 62-23-1, p. 54. It's been many years since exploring back in the early 80's when I was stationed at Buckley ANGB. Martin technicians had moved the activator relay into a vibration-prone area during repair work on the missile, and testing confirmed that the shock from the pad hold-down bolts firing was enough to set off the relay. All that rust and that graffiti of the white eyed creature. It was still very awesome when I was there, but abandoned places are always more interesting when artifacts are still lying around. The Titan 1 Missile Silo is for sale for $4.2 million. "We were hoping it wasn't going to start quite as high as what it did. While I was down there I tried not to think about how far I was from the entrance and how much earth was between me and the surface. In storage, SM-86 61-4513 Beale AFB (not on display, was horizontal, removed 1994) Horizontal, SM-89 61-4516 (st. 2) Pima Air Museum, outside DM AFB, Tucson, Arizona, now WPAFB Horizontal, SM-92 61-4519 (st. 1) Kansas Cosmosphere, Hutchinson, Kansas. [39][40] The guidance computer used the tracking data to generate instructions which were encoded and transmitted to the missile by the guidance radar. A closeup of the conduits running through one of the walls beside a doorway, A platform along the wall inside a Titan I launcher fuel depot, The flooded floor of the above elevator shaft, It was neat to look down at the platform below, where I had been standing hours earlier. I have SEVERE claustrophobia and found myself at times a bit panicked just from your extraordinary photographs! Lots of memories of Deer Trail and the missile site. Titan Looking up at the silo doors. missile silo for sale. 21M-HGM25A-1-1 Technical Manual Operation and Organizational Maintenance HGM-25A Missile Weapon System, United States Air Force, 1964, Pg 7-1 - 7-3. Like I said before, if you park far enough away from the silo to not be seen and if you're quiet on the walk in, there is little risk of being caught. There wasn't a whole lot to see after salvage, but it was eerie to swim through an industrial complex and see all of the warning signs and eyewash stations a hundred feet under water.I would love to find some more to explore! I do wonder if any of the other sites have a way in, worst case repeal in through the ventilation shaftunlikely the blast doors for the ventilation are closedmost were missing in the DearTrail complex. One is 2 stories tall and served as the command room and crew quarters. The water mus have been freezing. I'll admit it's pretty dangerous and nuts, but I've found it nearly impossible to convince anyone to come along with me. 2 Cold War-era nuclear missile silos that sat abandoned for decades went on sale in Arizona for $495,000 each. Sad to see all the graffiti. That's a good dream to have and hold on too. [41] Guidance commands continued for the stage 1 burn, the stage 2 burn and the vernier burn ensuring the missile was on the correct trajectory and terminating the vernier burn at the desired velocity. Launch Vehicle: Titan I.. Titan program initiated. The flat, wide-open spaces of Eastern and Central Washington were also appealing, making missiles easier to launch. Hoselton, Gary A., Titan I Guidance System, Brekenridge, Colorado: Association of Air Force Missileers, Volume 6, Number 1, March, 1998, p. 4. Two decades ago, Nik Stroiney toured the Titan Missile Museum in Arizona. Weapon System 107A-2 was a weapon system. The succeeding LGM-25C Titan II served in the U.S. nuclear deterrent until 1987 and had increased capacity and range in addition to the different propellants. Legal 2 bd. Clemmer, Wilbur E..1966, Phase-Out of the Atlas E and F and Titan I Weapon Systems, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base: Historical Research Division Air Force Logistics Command, 1962, p. 28.