The Damascus Titan missile explosion (also called the Damascus accident[1]) was a 1980 U.S. nuclear weapons incident involving a Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). If you need to flag this entry as abusive. On September 19, 1980, a second tragedy struck the 308th Strategic Missile Wing. This wasnt the first time; in most instances, it hit the platform. During the next year, the other 18 missile silos in central Arkansas received ICBMs, and Jan. 1, 1964, all silos in Arkansas were active and on alert status. This released a cloud of noxious gas, leaving a few people sick and eager to file lawsuits. What Happens When a Giant Nuclear Missile Accidentally Falls Back Into The missile not only survived the explosion in 1965, it was the same missile which exploded in 1980 near Damascus. Livingston died of his injuries [later] that day." Both areas were then filled in with concrete, scrap iron, gravel and dirt, and the property wasreturned to the previous landowners. Minuteman Missiles on the Great Plains - National Park Service Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Owen Sims, a cattle farmer, says he is breathing easier now that the last Titan 2 nuclear missile silo, situated over a ridge less than 2,000 feet from his home, has been dismantled. "Thank you" will n, We were so proud to be awarded New Boston's Busine, Do you have home improvements planned for this spr, Were counting down the days until the Arkansas, Congratulations to Lairie Kincaid on his well-dese, SAU Trap Team Takes Top Prize at 3rd Annual South Arkansas Outdoor Social, Farmers Bank & Trust Announces NCAA Name, Image, Likeness Student-Athletes, Farmers Bank Foundation Grants $125,000 to the Hope Public Schools, Farmers Bank & Trust to Acquire Community First Trust Company, Farmers Bank & Trust Opens New Full-Service Branch in Bryant, AR, Farmers Bank & Trust Opens New Full-Service Branch in Paris, TX, AR Governor appoints Chris Gosnell to Arkansas Economic Development Council, Prescott Donation to Benefit Families in Need, Shark Teeth in the Sulphur River? A missile took 15 minutes to launch and had to be fueled with a highly flammable mix of kerosene and liquid oxygen. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Pen & Quin: International Agents of Intrigue - The Mystery of the Painted Book is her debut novel. While researching what was going to be a book about warfare in space, journalist Eric Schlosser heard the story of the Damascus explosion. The likely missile field, comprising 120 silos that could potentially house weapons capable of reaching the United States mainland, was documented by researchers at the James Martin Center for . Two More Titan II Nuclear Missile Silos Blast Onto the Market in Arizona 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. I . It was morning in America, and the Ronald Reagan administration undertook massive military spendingincluding missiles to supplant the Titan II. Titan Ranch is located in Vilonia, Arkansas, just northeast of Conway. Deactivation of Arkansas' Titan II missile silos began in May 1985 and ended May 5, 1987, with the state's last missile, located near Judsonia, Arkansas, being deactivated. An official website of the United States government, 19th AW InfoSplash & Digital Bulletin Board, Sexual Assault Prevention & Response Office, https://www.dimoc.mil/resources/limitations, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. On the night of September 18, 1980, a Titan II missile carrying a thermonuclear warhead exploded in rural Arkansas. The film was broadcast by PBS as part of its American Experience series. A WWII Bomb Has Been Found at the Fukushima Nuclear Site, Dozens of Previously Hidden Nuclear Test Videos Declassified, Uploaded to YouTube, In the 1960s, Telegraph Poles Were Equipped With Nuclear Bomb Alarms, Decades Ago, the U.S. Military Set Off a Nuke Underwater, And It Went Very Badly. This photograph is considered public domain and has been cleared for release. The site is also booked for a wedding later this year. Tim Giago, an Oglala Lakota, is the editor and publisher of Native Sun News. Last Titan 2 Silo Is Dismantled in Arkansas - The New York Times The missile was more than 100 feet in length and 10 feet wide. 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 . Farmers Bank Foundation donates $5,000 to the Blevins Fire Department, Farmers Bank Foundation Contributes $100,000 to Workforce Center at UAHT, Rodeo to Banking: How Heather Raney turned a College Passion into a Career, Reggie English and Denise Austin Join Malvern, AR Team, Podcast Episode 36 Small Town Arkansas, Where it All Began: Mae Estes, Podcast Episode 35 Hucks Military Care Package Project, Podcast Episode 34 HEART from the FBT Interns, Farmers Bank Foundation Donates $10,000 to Magnolia Fire Department for Life-Saving Rescue Equipment, Farmers Bank & Trust Employee Graduates FBI Citizens Academy, Youre Invited to the Hempstead County Courthouse Grand Opening, Farmers Bank Foundation to Host Battle of the Badges Basketball Game Benefiting First Responders in Paris, TX, Treat Yourself with the Farmers Bank & Trust Credit Mastercard, Pie the Market Presidents ASPF Fundraiser, MyFarmers iTeller Promo with Kendrick & Ashley, Podcast Episode 23 FUSE Workspace: CEO Mike Daugherty, Investing in Our Future with Farmers Bank & Trust, Podcast Episode 21 Visit Paris, TX : Walt Reep, Podcast Episode 20 Providence Veterinary Care: Dr. Chris Nelson, Podcast Episode 19 Empire Arkansas: CEO Greg Williams, Podcast Episode 32 Owning Your Dream Home: Mortgage Originator Madison Haltom, Christmas Tree Mortgage Facebook Giveaway, Thinking of Building Your Dream Home? Your email address will not be published. Fortunately, the situation stabilized and the grim task of removing the bodies began. In 1965, dozens of people died after a fire started in a Titan II silo in Arkansas. "This was a half-a-million project, and I didn't have half-a-million," Hill said. Mondale and Jimmy Carter lost their bid for re-election in 1980. The Titan missile silo disasters - Arkansas' Best News Source A 1961 decommissioned Atlas-F intercontinental ballistic missile silo complex is for sale. But somethinglater determined to be an elevator malfunctionwent wrong. Devlin, now retired in Florida and a childrens book author, says he has osteoporosis and believes the hydrazine he inhaled caused it. Enjoy a Luxury Stay in an Underground Missile Silo in Arkansas 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. Many were built in Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. So every minute counted.". Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Many of these locations hold warheads awaiting dismantlement. You can see the locations of all silos on the ICBM History page. Nukes in the Heartland: Remnants of Cold War Missile Sites Remain Unlike its predecessor, the Titan II used hypergolic propellant, with fuel and oxidizer stored in the missileat room temperatureand mixed to launch almost instantaneously. The newly formed 308th Strategic Missile Wing oversaw the operation of 18 missile sites, manned by groups of four soldiers 24 hours a day. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. Moving down from level two is the kitchen and entertainment space on level one. You have to try it to see what I mean. Because their vapor detectors indicated an explosive atmosphere, the two were ordered to evacuate. [14], In September 2013, Eric Schlosser published a book titled Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety. Don't go passed the gate without permission! Lucky for us, Nick was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. I tucked my children into the beds on the second floor, while my son picked a color for the light to stay while they fell asleep. "It's all illuminated. The Ghosts of Soviet Past: Crawling Through the Decayed Nuclear Missile The entire process of the opening, cleaning, renovation and updating is documented on his largely followed Titan Ranch YouTube channel, and I highly recommend checking it out. We drove maybe 10 miles before we said anything to each other, King recalls. 40 Years Ago, We Almost Blew Up Arkansas. They told of groping around in total darkness, hearing the screams of co-workers: "Men were screaming and crying. A welder accidentally hit a hydraulic fluid line with his welding rod, which sparked a fire that quickly filled the missile shaft and sucked the oxygen out. 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. Construction on the Minuteman II structures began in 1946. I was living out of state at the time, but the disaster was covered in depth by the national press. In 1978, six months after the trailer leak in Arkansas, two airmen died after a leak in Kansas. Theres a unique history surrounding Little Rock, Arkansas that you may not know about. But the investigative crew was in a holding position for a while, and finally, around 1 a.m., Devlin and Hukle went into the silo. 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." Thats the idea of the Titan II. In his official statement in the investigation, Kennedy said it didnt make sense: Why would you energize an electrical circuit in a fuel leak? Livingston flipped the switch and then came topside. 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. It took six years to retire the missiles, demolish the launch ducts and fill in the silos with debris. About a half-mile down the road, Sgts. The missile could launch in 60 seconds, without the cumbersome raising and fueling procedures the Atlas and Titan I models required. regarding use of images of identifiable personnel, appearance of endorsement, and related matters. There was a lot of white smoke, Ayala tells Popular Mechanics, but it was hydrazine.. 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. Active Missile Silos In The Us The first disaster occurred on August 9, 1965 at launch complex 373-4, located near Searcy. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. While I wouldnt recommend this for small children, its certainly a bucket list-worthy experience for adults and older children. However, thanks to the ingenuity and tenacity of one person with a unique determination, one of those missile sites have been renovated into a luxury rental that you can stay in! U.S. Nuclear Missile SILO Fields Maps and Coordinates - NYPrepper NORTH DAKOTA MISSILE SITES: Living in a nuclear world And Mondale then refused to confirm or deny when he was asked about it at the state convention. Greg Devlin and his wife, Annette, in 1980. China Is Building A Second Nuclear Missile Silo Field The missile was installed later that month at the Albion site, northwest of Searcy, Ark., but not active until May. Oh yes, Jackie's checkup, despite her MS, showed her to be in excellent health. What Happens to Pilots That Defect to the U.S.? You don't know who you were killing. It was the same warhead that had been atop the missile during the deadly Searcy fire 15 years earlier. We always take Highway 71 South taking us through Kimball, Nebraska and Limon, Colorado coming out at Highway 25 at Trinidad, Colorado. Then it faded into relative obscurity. It had happened before. Aerial photographs taken Friday morning showed a gaping hole with smoke drifting from it, and debris scattered over hilly pastureland." Launch Complex 374-7 was located in Bradley Township, Van Buren County farmland just 3.3 miles (5.3km) NNE of Damascus, and approximately 50 miles (80km) north of Little Rock.[3][4]. Since it was very hot outside I asked this cadaver of a man, "What's the temperature." At about 1 p.m. the launch duct was suddenly filled with intense heat and billowing smoke." The missile silo itself is one of the few remaining atlas f silos that is naturally dry, with many interior levels and crib structure. The missile was installed later that month at the Albion site, northwest of Searcy, Ark., but not active until May. The complexes were grouped together in missile fields. This isnt ancient history, Schlosser, who wrote Command and Control, the seminal book about the Damascus incident and the history of nuclear weapons in America, tells Popular Mechanics. During the 25-year period of operations, Arkansas experienced two disasters connected to the missiles. Tom Dillard is a historian and retired archivist living near Glen Rose in rural Hot Spring County. Though these missiles were judged essential to the protection of the United States, storing and maintaining them proved deadly. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. For North Dakotans living next to nuclear missiles, the - InForum The Strategic Air Command facility of Little Rock Air Force Base was one of eighteen silos in the command of the 308th Strategic Missile Wing (308th SMW), specifically one of the nine silos within its 374th Strategic Missile Squadron (374th SMS), at the time of the explosion. 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. More than 600 miles to the south, the F.E. "If we built rooms, it would kind of take away from it.". The entire property spans 18 acres, with the silo near . The missile base I visited, Foxtrot-01, is right there on Google Maps. Two years earlier, a trailer at Damascus leaked oxidizer, the component that mixes with rocket fuel to propel a rocket into space or toward a strategic target. The 18 Arkansas Titan II sites were a third of the total Titan II fleet in service from 1963 until 1984. This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. The W53 thermonuclear warhead landed about 100 feet (30m) from the launch complex's entry gate. List of active missiles of the United States military - Wikipedia Air Force personnel were evacuated, and a civilian evacuation soon followed as concerns grew that the empty fuel tank could collapse and bring the rest of the rocket and missile down on top of it. These sites in Springhill in Faulkner County, Southside in Van Buren County and Center Hill in White County are now on the National Register of Historic Places. (February 2011) Air-to-air missiles. Placed on the western edges of the Soviet Union due to their limited range of 2,000 kilometers, the Sandals could . A concussion of wind hit me like a truck, and I slid 60 feet, and every foot, it felt like I was going faster. The Air Force also chose two other states to site Titan II missiles: Arizona and Kansas. The discovery of what appear to be hundreds of new missile silos under construction in China has inspired arguments that imply the United States needs more nuclear weapons. Lieutenant General Lloyd R. Leavitt Jr., the Vice Commander of the Strategic Air Command, commanded the effort to save the launch complex. "You could dump dynamite in the bottom, light it off, and these doors would just keep on going," Hill said. Colorado prairie is dotted with Minuteman missiles Designed by The Twiggs Group. The control room space sits on level two of an internal, solid steel birdcage structure. This hidden gem, a former missile silo in Vilonia, Arkansas, was designed not only to survive a nuclear explosion, but also launch a nuclear . NORTHERN WELD COUNTY If it weren't for the 184-foot tall antenna tower stretching far above the prairie, many . The Titan II missile program was terminated by the Reagan administration, but memories still burn brightly among many Arkansans. If you saw footage from the massive explosion in Beirut this past August, King says, you saw what he saw that morning. The second airmen survived his injuries, while 21 others suffered injuries from the blast and following rescue operation and cleanup. On the way up, Livingston and Kennedy were told to turn an exhaust fan on. [6] There was concern for the possible collapse of the now empty first-stage fuel tank, which could cause the rest of the 8-story missile to fall and rupture, allowing the oxidizer to contact the fuel already in the silo. All missiles in the silos are currently Minuteman III (LGM-30G). Missile nosecones from Titan IIs in Arkansas are dismantled. The entire motel was quite ramshackled and we entered number 20 with trepidation. They stood 103 feet tall and had a range of 9,300 miles. That made the trip well worth the bumps along the way. Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety, National Register of Historic Places listings in Van Buren County, Arkansas, "Titan II Missile Explosion (1980) Encyclopedia of Arkansas", "Missile silo blast kills 1, hurts 21; no radiation leak", "Colonel Replaced in Action Linked to Fatal Titan Explosion", "Command and Control American Experience WGBH PBS", "Air Force truck removes damaged warhead", "Titan warhead flown to nuclear arms plant", "Season 4, Episode 4 Nuke Kids on the Block", "The night we almost lost Arkansas a 1980 nuclear Armageddon that almost was", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1980_Damascus_Titan_missile_explosion&oldid=1137032445, National Register of Historic Places in Van Buren County, Arkansas, September 1980 events in the United States, Nuclear accidents and incidents in the United States, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 2 February 2023, at 12:19. Titan II was developed as much for use in space flight as it was for an ICBM, Stumpf says. This area now serves as a bedroom with two queen-sized beds or can be rearranged to be used a conference/presentation area with chairs and two interactive whiteboards. The Reagan Administration decided to . Civilian construction workers were working in all nine levels of the launch duct, painting and flushing the hydraulic systems that operated the steel platforms beside the missile. The 308th SMW was the last active titan wing, but after 23 years of continuous service, the ICBM mission at Little Rock AFB was over. Titan II Missiles - Encyclopedia of Arkansas Arkansas, and involved the missile exploding after the first-stage Aerozine fuel tank was punctured by a tool which fell from a maintenance platform near the top of the missile. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. At the end of the 1950s, the United States military began developing the Titans as part of its growing supply of intercontinental ballistic missiles. The second missile silo field is located 380 kilometers (240 miles) northwest of the Yumen field near the prefecture-level city of Hami in Eastern Xinjiang. Airbnb feels you, so now you can for $324 a night. Feeling very unwelcome we decided to try reaching Limon, Colorado, before dark. The second fuel tank, sitting just above the first, contained a different fuel that could spontaneously ignite if a collapse occurred and it came into contact with the aerozine 50 already in the launch duct. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard with the Class of 1990. Rachel Silva, who organized the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program's history walk Sept. 12, shows a photo of a typical missile control room during a tour on the site of the 1980 missile . The AirBnB listing even drew the attention of a couple central Arkansas musicians, who filmed three music videos inside the facility. The Titan II ICBM Missile Silo 374-7 Site, located west of U.S. 65, 1.7 miles north of intersection with Arkansas Highway 124 near Southside in Van Buren County, is nationally significant by virtue of its unique and exceptionally important history within the Titan II program: it was the site of a September 1980 accident that severely damaged . Please try viewing this website in Edge, Mozilla, Chrome, or another modern browser. Frustrated, Mondale had to call Secretary of Defense Harold Brown and pull rank, saying, Goddammit, Harold, Im the vice president of the United States, to find out it was, in fact, carrying a nuclear warhead. While the Polaris, a solid-fuel missile, was developed at the same time as the Titan missiles for use in submarines, the military was attached to the Titan II for diplomatic reasons. They all knew each other. 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. Eric Ayala was topside, at ground level near the silo. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused! The Hami missile silo field is in a much earlier . The first missile launch facility was located in jersey shore,. The initial explosion catapulted the 740-ton silo door away from the silo and ejected the second stage and warhead. The large underground facility at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, New The aerozine 50 fuel immediately began leaking into the launch duct. The demon core that killed two scientists, the underground test that didnt stay that way, One man died and more than 20 others were injured. Where Are All The Missile Silos In The US? - On Secret Hunt It took about 15 minutes to load the fuel and move the Titan I into position before firingnot a great selling point when every second might count. What you may not know is that at one time, there were 18 ICBM (intercontinental nuclear missile) silos surrounding the Little Rock area. The elevator structure and the launchertons and tons of steel that one witness later likened to red spaghetticame flying from the silo as the test team ran for cover. [1] It focused on the explosion, as well as other Broken Arrow incidents during the Cold War. That's a multimillion dollar project to do anything with it," he said. Eventually, the missile combat crew and the PTS team evacuated the launch control center, while military and civilian response teams arrived to tackle the hazardous situation. Little Rock, Conway, Searcy, Benton, Heber Springs, Fayetteville, Bentonville, Springdale, Fort Smith, Jonesboro, West Memphis, Batesville, Mountain View, Hot Springs, Pine Bluff, Texarkana, Arkadelphia. The incident began with a fuel leak at 6:30 p.m. on September 18, and culminated with the explosion at around 3:00 a.m. on September 19, ejecting the warhead from its silo. AddThis Utility Frame. He called the station, and word spread. She believes magic can be found in life and books, loves to watch the stars appear, and still dreams of backpacking the world. A look inside Level 3 of the Titan Ranch in Vilonia, featuring the facility's emergency escape tunnel and ladder. Kimberly S. Mitchell loves journeys, real or imagined. In Arkansas, three launch sites remain with both launch pads and control centers. As my stepdaughter Sarah, a rodeo girl, used to say about the distance between Rapid City and Faith, South Dakota when asked the distance, "About as far as you can drive and 20 miles more." Should the missile need to be fired in anger, launch instructions would indicate that either Target 1, Target 2, or Target 3 was in the crosshairs; the men firing the ICBMs never knew what the targets actually were. Will China Give Lethal Support to Russia? There still wasnt any official word about what was going on, but they all put on rocket fuel handlers coverall outfits (RFHCO)rubberized protective gear that resembled space suitsand walked to the silo, which had been filling with corrosive and potentially explosive vapor for hours. In the early morning hours of September 19th, two airmen entered the complex to measure the airborne fuel concentration. But not before my kids donned their Star Wars Mandalorian costumes for a little photo shoot. Livingston lay amid the rubble of the launch duct for some time before security personnel located and evacuated him. There Are Still Active Missile Silos on Highway 71 South We met with Nick, one of the current hosts, who led us down the steps into the bunker. [11], The launch complex was never repaired. They were Titan II missile silos that housed nuclear weapons on a Gemini rocket, designed to be launched into space in under one minute. The Cold War was over, and with it the threat of annihilation right? There are no windows in the space and no inclination that the sun had retreated and the moon was up. The lake was blue and beautiful and we parked about 25 yards away and opened the hatch of our SUV intent on a nice, tailgate lunch. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. It was sitting there at a moments notice, and putting the enemy on notice that they couldnt win the war..
Willingboro School District Salary Guide,
Rowlett Water Bill Payment,
Kpop Idols With Long Faces,
Articles A
