tos Plnetos Nike Missile Site HAER No. CA-56 (LA-94-L)(LA~94-C ...
Cold War History: Nike Missile Sites in...
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HA-08 Windsor HA-25 Manchester HA-36 Portland BR-15 West Haven BR-17 Milford BR-65 Fairfield BR-73 Westport BR-94 Monroe BA-04 Ansonia HA-85 Avon HA-HQ New Britain HA-67 Plainville HA-48 Middletown 84 95 95 84 91 395 Kent Sharon Lebanon Lyme Killingly Newtown Salisbury Stafford Goshen Norfolk Granby Litchfield Haddam Guilford Cornwall Tolland Woodstock Union Danbury Suffield New Milford Hebron Pomfret Salem Ledyard Thompson Canaan Montville Avon Enfield Groton Ashford Greenwich Plainfield Berlin Mansfield Colchester Madison Oxford Glastonbury Griswold East Haddam Coventry Easton Hamden Preston Shelton Wilton Redding Ellington Bristol Voluntown Stamford Hartland Southbury Somers Cheshire Torrington Middletown Canton Simsbury Stonington Warren Woodbury Canterbury Norwich Fairfield East Lyme Ridgefield Wallingford Brooklyn Sterling Colebrook Willington Washington Eastford Roxbury Waterford North Stonington Durham Milford Harwinton Killingworth Southington Windham Burlington Barkhamsted Portland Bozrah Winchester Hampton Putnam Norwalk Morris Chaplin Weston Trumbull Old Lyme Sherman Bethany Lisbon Watertown Waterbury Wolcott Farmington Columbia Bloomfield Plymouth Franklin Branford Orange Clinton Bolton Manchester Scotland Chester Essex Hartford Brookfield Darien South Windsor Andover Bethlehem New Haven Seymour Sprague Prospect Naugatuck Cromwell North Canaan Rocky Hill Deep River Windsor Monroe Meriden New Hartford East Hampton Vernon Bethel Westport East Windsor New Canaan Marlborough Stratford New Fairfield North Branford North Haven Middlebury Woodbridge Bridgeport West Hartford Westbrook East Granby Bridgewater East Hartford Newington Old Saybrook Plainville Middlefield New Britain East Haven Thomaston Wethersfield West Haven Derby Ansonia Beacon Falls New London Windsor Locks THE NIKE was a two stage missile using a solid fuel booster stage and a liquid fueled second stage. The missile could reach a maximum speed of 1,000 mph, an altitude of 70,000 feet and had a range of 25 miles. The missile used a high explosive fragmentation warhead that could successfully destroy or at least damage a single incoming Russian bomber. AS SOVIET BOMBER production increased, the one missile/one bomber scheme was deemed impractical, so the decision was made to equip some of the second generation Nike missiles, the Hercules, with atomic warheads in the 1-40 kiloton range (in comparison, the nuclear bomb which destroyed Hiroshima was approx. 15 kiloton). The atomic warhead would be detonated in front of an incoming group of bombers and would in theory destroy or damage them either by the blast or by the radiation effects, including thermal and EMP. Having nukes detonate above the continental US was thought to be a desirable alternative to having them go off in our cities! EACH NIKE SITE actually consisted of two facilities: a control or radar site known as an "IFC" most often located on a hill for maximum line of sight range, and a companion launch site also known as a "battery," which was usually within two miles of the control site. There were also Nike housing units assigned to most batteries and a regional maintenance center in Windsor Locks, CT. A Circle of Defense Path: P:\GIS\map projects julyaugsept2013\nike sites map.mxd Date Saved: 10/17/2013 2:12:21 PM Nike missile site locations and background information courtesy of coldwar-ct.com and Wikipedia. IN 1944 THE WAR DEPARTMENT demanded a new air defense system to combat the new jet aircraft, as existing gun-based systems proved largely incapable of dealing with the speeds and altitudes at which jet aircraft operated. Project Nike was a U.S. Army project proposed in May1945 by Bell Laboratories to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. The project delivered the United States' first operational anti-aircraft missile system, the Nike Ajax, in 1953. THE NIKE BATTERIES were situated to protect strategic and tactical sites within the US. As a last-line of defense from air attack, they were positioned to protect cities as well as military installations. They were organized in Defense Areas and placed in a circle around population centers and strategic locations. Cold War History: Nike Missile Sites in Connecticut Explanation Missile Site Hartford Defense Area Bridgeport Defense Area The Nuclear Edge Ajax missile battery in Simsbury. Condos now sit on this location. (Photo courtesy of Simsbury Historical Society) Author: SandgrenP A Nike Ajax missile IN CONNECTICUT, missile batteries were concentrated in two areas, the Hartford Defense Area (HA) and the Bridgeport Defense Area (BR). Regular Army units manned these sites after activation in 1956-57. The Bridgeport Defense Area would become integrated into the New England Defense Area before being deactivated in 1971. SITE Launch Town Control Site Launch Site HA-08 E Windsor/Warehouse Point Scantc Road, pr es ent si te o f Ne w Tes tame nt Chur ch Phelps Road HA-25 Manchester 110 Garden Grove Road, (now used by town of Manchester) Line Street HA-36 Portland Reeves Road, Meshomasic State Forest Clark Hill Road HA-48 Cromwell/Middletown Country Squire Road, now elderly housing Mile Lane HA-HQ New Britain Rocky Hill Road HA-67 Plainville North Mountain Road off Loon Lake Hyde Rd. off Scoo Sw amp Road HA-85 Avon/Simsbury 824 Montevideo Road BR-04 Ansonia Ford Street (currently used by U.S. Forest Service) Osborne Lane and Deerfie ld BR-15 West Haven Boston Post Road, Orange (currently Orange Air Natonal Guard) Bull Hill Lane BR-17 Milford Eels Hill Road, north of Rt. 162 Rock Road BR-65 Fairfie l d 1 Rod Highway off Reef Rd (now F i re Trai n i ng Cent er) 10 Old Dam Road BR-73 Westport Bayberry Lane at Merrit Pkwy (now Heal th D i st. Office + W est port Astr onom i ca l Society) 85 North Avenue BR-94 Monroe Eagle Drive extenton (now a US Gov ' t. stor age faci lity) 41.14.28, -72.10.21 (approximate)
Transcript of Cold War History: Nike Missile Sites in...
HA-08 Windsor
HA-25 Manchester
HA-36 Portland
BR-15 West Haven
BR-17 Milford
BR-65 Fairfield
BR-73 Westport
BR-94 Monroe BA-04 Ansonia
HA-85 Avon
HA-HQ New BritainHA-67 Plainville
HA-48 Middletown
84
95
95
8491
395
Kent
Sharon
Lebanon
Lyme
Killingly
Newtown
Salisbury Stafford
Goshen
NorfolkGranby
Litchfield
Haddam
Guilford
Cornwall
Tolland
WoodstockUnion
Danbury
Suffield
New Milford
Hebron
Pomfret
Salem
Ledyard
ThompsonCanaan
Montville
Avon
Enfield
Groton
Ashford
Greenwich
Plainfield
Berlin
Mansfield
Colchester
Madison
Oxford
Glastonbury
Griswold
East Haddam
Coventry
Easton
Hamden
Preston
Shelton
Wilton
Redding
Ellington
Bristol
Voluntown
Stamford
Hartland
Southbury
Somers
Cheshire
Torrington
Middletown
Canton Simsbury
Stonington
Warren
Woodbury
Canterbury
Norwich
Fairfield
East Lyme
Ridgefield
Wallingford
Brooklyn
Sterling
Colebrook
Willington
Washington
Eastford
Roxbury
Waterford
North StoningtonDurham
Milford
Harwinton
Killingworth
Southington
Windham
Burlington
Barkhamsted
Portland
Bozrah
Winchester
Hampton
Putnam
Norwalk
Morris
Chaplin
WestonTrumbull
Old Lyme
Sherman
Bethany
LisbonWatertown
Waterbury
Wolcott
Farmington
Columbia
Bloomfield
Plymouth
Franklin
BranfordOrangeClinton
BoltonManchester
Scotland
Chester
Essex
Hartford
Brookfield
Darien
South Windsor
Andover
Bethlehem
New Haven
Seymour
Sprague
ProspectNaugatuck
Cromwell
North Canaan
Rocky Hill
Deep River
Windsor
Monroe
Meriden
New Hartford
East Hampton
Vernon
Bethel
Westport
East Windsor
New Canaan
Marlborough
Stratford
New Fairfield
North Branford
North Haven
Middlebury
Woodbridge
Bridgeport
West Hartford
Westbrook
East Granby
Bridgewater
East Hartford
Newington
Old Saybrook
Plainville
Middlefield
New Britain
EastHaven
ThomastonWethersfield
West Haven
DerbyAnsonia
Beacon Falls
New London
Windsor Locks
30THE NIKE was a two stage missile using a solid fuel booster stage and a liquid fueled second stage. The missile could reach a maximum speed of 1,000 mph, an altitude of 70,000 feet andhad a range of 25 miles. The missile used a high explosivefragmentation warhead that could successfully destroy or at least damage a single incoming Russian bomber.
AS SOVIET BOMBER production increased, the one missile/one bomber scheme was deemed impractical, so the decision wasmade to equip some of the second generation Nike missiles,the Hercules, with atomic warheads in the 1-40 kiloton range (in comparison, the nuclear bomb which destroyed Hiroshima was approx. 15 kiloton). The atomic warhead would be detonated in front of an incoming group ofbombers and would in theory destroy or damage them either by the blast or by the radiation effects, including thermal and EMP. Having nukes detonate above the continental US was thought to be a desirable alternativeto having them go off in our cities!
EACH NIKE SITE actually consisted of two facilities: a control or radar site known as an "IFC" most oftenlocated on a hill for maximum line of sight range, and a companion launch site also known as a "battery," which was usually within two miles of the control site. There were also Nike housing units assigned to most batteries and a regional maintenance center in Windsor Locks, CT.
A Circle of Defense
Path: P:\GIS\map projects julyaugsept2013\nike sites map.mxd Date Saved: 10/17/2013 2:12:21 PM
Nike missile site locations and backgroundinformation courtesy of coldwar-ct.com and Wikipedia.
IN 1944 THE WAR DEPARTMENT demanded a new air defensesystem to combat the new jet aircraft, as existing gun-based systemsproved largely incapable of dealing with the speeds and altitudes at which jet aircraft operated. Project Nike was a U.S. Army project proposed in May1945 by Bell Laboratories to develop aline-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. The project delivered the United States' first operational anti-aircraft missile system,the Nike Ajax, in 1953.
THE NIKE BATTERIES were situated to protect strategic and tacticalsites within the US. As a last-line of defense from air attack, they were positioned to protect cities as well as military installations. They were organized in Defense Areas and placed in a circle around population centers and strategic locations.
Cold War History: Nike Missile Sites in Connecticut
ExplanationMissile Site
Hartford Defense Area
Bridgeport Defense Area
The Nuclear EdgeAjax missile battery in Simsbury. Condos now sit on this location.(Photo courtesy of Simsbury Historical Society)
Author: SandgrenP
A Nike Ajax missile
IN CONNECTICUT, missile batteries were concentrated in two areas, the Hartford Defense Area (HA) and the Bridgeport Defense Area (BR). Regular Army unitsmanned these sites after activation in 1956-57. The Bridgeport Defense Area would become integrated intothe New England Defense Area before being deactivatedin 1971.
SITE Launch Town Control Site Launch SiteHA-08 E Windsor/Warehouse Point Scantc Road, pr es ent si te of Ne w Tes tame nt Chur ch Phelps RoadHA-25 Manchester 110 Garden Grove Road, (now used by town of Manchester) Line StreetHA-36 Portland Reeves Road, Meshomasic State Forest Clark Hill RoadHA-48 Cromwell/Middletown Country Squire Road, now elderly housing Mile LaneHA-HQ New Britain Rocky Hill RoadHA-67 Plainville North Mountain Road off Loon Lake Hyde Rd. off Scoo Swamp RoadHA-85 Avon/Simsbury 824 Montevideo RoadBR-04 Ansonia Ford Street (currently used by U.S. Forest Service) Osborne Lane and Deerfiel dBR-15 West Haven Boston Post Road, Orange (currently Orange Air Natonal Guar d) Bull Hill LaneBR-17 Milford Eels Hill Road, north of Rt. 162 Rock RoadBR-65 Fairfiel d 1 Rod Highway off Reef Rd (now Fi re Tr ai ni ng Cent er ) 10 Old Dam RoadBR-73 Westport Bayberry Lane at Merrit Pkwy (now Heal th Di st. Office + West port Astr onomi ca l Soci ety) 85 North AvenueBR-94 Monroe Eagle Drive extenton (now a US Gov' t. stor age faci lity) 41.14.28, -72.10.21 (approximate)
