Patriot's much higher accuracy allowed it to dispense with the nuclear warhead, and Hercules was the last US SAM to use this option. Approximately 25,000 Nike Hercules were manufactured. We went to SNAP. Working with nuclear weapons, high explosives, errant electric Subject: Nike Herc Missile exploded. Another development for the anti-ballistic missile role later emerged as the much larger LIM-49 Nike Zeus design. Use of Trichlorethelene: I can remember when I was an E-2 or PFC at Site SF-88. The civilian said he must have been in the antenna, that was why the phone was not answered. Guy in the IFC gets Dear John letter go nuts, sent him to the hospital. In 1946, the USAAF also started two early research projects into anti-missile systems in Project Thumper (MX-795) and Project Wizard (MX-794). Trophy | Air starting four 75mm "M" motors . Store | qualified, Ignition of a booster by static AttackonUSSR? None of these were adopted, in favor of much more mobile systems like the MIM-23 Hawk. The civilian on the phone and two other scientists received a Noble Prize for discovering cosmic background radiation in space, the C.O.B.E. Oozlefinch | Among the various test targets were a Mach 3 Lockheed AQM-60, a drone, and a Corporal missile. MS-70 | [6]:20, In 1953, Project Nike delivered the world's first operational anti-aircraft missile system, known simply as Nike. A similar test on 29 July launched two missiles against three F-80 Shooting Star drones flying in formation, the first missile destroyed the lead aircraft while the second passed within lethal range of a second. [31][32] In spite of this success, the GOER-based Hercules would not be used operationally. Military Veteran Health. [5] Nike tracked both the target and the missile using separate radars, compared the locations in a computer, and sent commands to the missile to fly to a point in the sky to intercept the target. Primary among these was that the Ajax fuels were hypergolic, igniting on contact. The LA consisted to a maximum of four launching sections, each section consisted of an underground storage area, an elevator to move missiles to and from the surface launchers, and four aboveground firing locations. Access to the Mobile HIPAR antenna trailer and the roofs of [38], Hercules could carry either a nuclear warhead or a conventional high-explosive warhead (T-45 fragmentation type). Precautions should be taken to insure that personnel are not exposed Thule | From web site VA.gov. The active seeker system was later dropped to lower costs. Crests | The We had four missiles in the building. Dogs | [17] This was answered most forcibly not by the Army, but the Defense Secretary Charles Erwin Wilson, who wrote in Newsweek that "one hard solid fact remerges above them all: no matter what the Nike is or isn't, it's the only land-based operational anti-aircraft missile that the U.S. Back 1 1/2 hrs turn in vehicle get off for payday. tower guards have not been told Murray Hill was across from our Hipar about 600 yards on the next hill with a perfect line of sight to the HIPAR when locked down for the test! HerculesMissile | HA-08 HA-25 | This used much less fissile material and was thus considerably less expensive. Parathyroid adenoma. TD Barnes | The last Hercules missiles were deactivated in Europe in 1988, without ever being fired in a military conflict. Servicemembers in these occupations receive special training and are monitored to ensure radiation exposure remains at safe levels. The best I remember they were kind of amber in color and a little translucent. The former three-missile Nike Hercules base in Rocky Point is now the site of an Army Reserve Center but the remnants of the missile base remaina variety of structures and missile silos. General Electric demonstrated a prototype on 11 February 1964. Radar | A discussion about veterans health. I was told police, fire services, and a host of other radios would be useless for a large area of the east coast! After the call I was dismissed with a job well done. I was at Delta Team 43rd Artillary with our headquarters in Duran. Battery B, 5th Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery: From: Jim Martensen MS-70 | Live in tents while they rebuilding adm/barrack. Security | They finished their work and left. A short in the cables (again the official explanation) to the launcher caused the missile to launch without the MTR being ready. Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012, From: "Robert Kirk" Government mistakenly told them it was safe to return to their home island. Huge fireball that almost reached the launcher. However, as rumours of a ban on atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons spread, SNODGRASS became a crash project to be completed before 1 September 1958 at any available site the Nevada Test Site was fully booked with the existing Project AMMO testing series. Subject: Nike site in Germany Eating ham 3 times a day for 45 days because the Gen did not like ham. C-50 | [13], As part of the upgrade project, the original missile became known as Nike I. Finding a Nike Hercules' warhead armed There are certain diseases that may be service-connected if the disease occurred as a result of the radiation exposure. Hercules remained a major front-line weapon in Europe into the 1980s. From: "Gerald Browning" Hercules missiles were normally stored in a "safe" mode, using various keys and pull-to-arm pins. least). the body tissues. The last Hercules missile was launched in the Sardinian range of Capo San Lorenzo in Italy on November 24, 2006.[34]. Alaska | I was woken at 6:30 AM by our Master Sergeant banging on my door telling me to get dressed and report to the base commander now and bring the daily log! [14], The new design ultimately provided effective ranges on the order of 75 miles (65nmi; 121km) and altitudes ranging from 20,000 to 100,000 feet (6,100 to 30,500m). It is not clear in existing sources why the design was named "Nike B" and not "Nike IB", given that the Nike Zeus was known as "Nike II". Any single battery could only launch a single missile at a time, due to the limited number of radars, computers and operators. At its peak, it was deployed at over 130 bases in the US alone. Back at Redstone School: Having my tech override rotation on the acquisition radar and use it to kill birds in the trees. No equipment mechanic was on site so as the SSG in charge of the engineering section I was called in and no sooner after I had the missile back down and into the bunker and I was walking away from the hill there was a MAJOR DIRECT LIGHTENING STRIKE to the exact launch door that had been jammed open with a raised NIKE HERC MISSILE. Then he said "the emerald in the amplifier was melting also; oh my God stop, stop now!" Interceptions with the Hercules system would typically start with targets being detected and identified on the HIPAR system, if this was in use. LaunchSet | This was aircraft with speeds up to Mach 3, a wide range of radar cross sections, and powerful electronic countermeasures. Then put it back in the barn. thing working a Nike site some while on field exercises in the The Captain said "my Specialist called you twice as a courtesy before the test took place but nobody answered the phone". Links | Personnel should not be permitted to enter areas where they may be exposed to levels above 10 milliwatts per square centimeter. LOPAR was relatively small, and the TTR/MTR were always trailer based, so these systems were also fairly mobile. [30], The first EFS sets arrived at White Sands late in 1962 and started testing in April 1963. At this time the target information and the intercept point were displayed on the plotting boards and the BCO selected the right time to manually fire. PresentingSF-88L | The mishap led to the release of four nuclear weapons. No damage. I called again at 2:55 AM but still no answer. Ajax | Radar-Nike-Ajax Mode My instructions said nothing about stopping the test, so I finished the tests, Cold War is Cold War! From: Thomas Moorer Dismantling of the sites in Florida Alpha Battery in Everglades National Park, Bravo Battery in Key Largo, Charlie Battery in Carol City and Delta Battery, located on Krome Avenue on the outskirts of Miami started in June 1979 and was completed by early autumn of that year. a rattle snake in your tent 2nd of the 52nd | TestEquipment | someone (people) is down range, Rebuilding berms and equipment stomp up the steps of the tower Faulty solid fuel flamed out about 500' after launch, separated from second stage and then reignited and slammed into the second stage. SL-40 | Reunions | [30], The first deployment of the EFS/ATBM HIPAR was carried out between February and 20 April 1963, but during this time the Army decided not to deploy these systems in the United States. Hercules would prove to be the last operational missile from Bell's Nike team; Zeus was never deployed, and Hercules' replacements were developed by different teams. Oozlefinch | "[9]:6061 By the time early Hercules deployments were starting in 1958, BOMARC was still nowhere near operational. [37] These smaller wings also housed the antennae of the transponder. The first Nike Ajax missile site became operational at Fort Meade, Maryland, in 1954. Maintenance | Nike Vet Glen Talon N.H. take a cab), Best NY53 | Tents were only 8 to 10 feet from the building they were rebuilding. LaunchEquipment | Our section chief gave another Pvt. This led to the use of semi-trailer systems for the fire control systems, which could be easily moved and re-positioned as required. The boosters were equipped with four large swept-wing fins at the extreme rear, behind the rocket exhaust, using a diamond cross-section suitable for supersonic lift. Handling | Medic put a person in the tactical amb backwords so their head is near the tailpipe. In addition, the policy prescribes planning, coordination, security, dosimetry, recordkeeping, training, equipment, and expertise to deal with radiological hazards. Radar | R&D, 2d Bn 51st Arty Individual Training Guide. Site Bay (C Battery), across Cook Inlet from the others, has been mostly demolished, with only burned out shells of the batteries remaining, as well as a few storage bunkers. 60 feet, Low Power Acquisition There was one location, which, as a courtesy, you were to call them at 2:45 AM and warn them the test would start at 3:00 AM. Once a month at 3 AM on the first Sunday the top five channels were tested for one minute each, timed with a stop watch. [9]:57. Conversions were largely complete by 1960, leaving only a few Ajax sites in use. IrwinAnger | From: Robin Smith Any bored idiots with single digit IQs You may be entitled to disability compensation if these military exposures resulted in a disease or injury. The Nike Hercules became operational in 1958, and more than 80 Nike Hercules missiles were deployed in the United States, with 10 more in Europe and Taiwan. On 15 November 1956, the new missile was officially renamed as the Nike Hercules, as part of DA Circular 700-22, while the Nike I becoming Nike Ajax. to find the rookie down in the van has the antenna pointed at you and it's on. Klystron tube going "real" bad! made it work :), Unsymmetrical Dimethyl Hydrazine - NIKE Ajax starter fluid, Armed military aircraft (nuclear?) I have been wanting to put in my two cents about the dangers on Nike sites. I have an interesting story about a Belgian security guard fireing his Thompson sub-machine gun inside one of our barns with 8 nukes inside. When the TTR and MTR radars were locked, the computer had a firing solution and the missile reported active, the LA lamp changed from amber to green, indicating the ability to fire. Re: Trichloroethylene, From: "Tom de Grom" Hercules, still known officially as Nike B at this point,[N 2] grew to become a much larger design. Carl Durling C-2-52 1961-62: HerculesMissile | 33 feet, Systems 538-594 and Niagara-Buffalo | The U.S. Army continued to use Hercules as a front-line air defense weapon in Europe until 1983, when Patriot missile batteries were deployed. [9] Beginning around 1965, the number of Nike batteries was reduced. He was safe but tube died. Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2015 Hercules | The TTR was operated by three operators (range, elevation and azimuth). TacticalControl | The rocket will be a full scale replica of the Nike Hercules missile. open pit. Paint a Hercules trainer missile put it on a ready round trailer. Subject: Melting Waveguide Although it was officially one of the Operation Fishbowl tests, it is . To address this whole range of issues, Bell proposed a series of changes:[26]. 3/71 in Germany in 66, 67, 68 and loved every moment. There were nuclear missile batteries around every major us city. truck breaking bone's (compound With the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the units were deactivated in 1988. How about 3 brand new 5/4s in one weekend! the Improved Nike-Hercules radar antennas. It is relatively easy to jam a conventional radar by sending out additional pulses of radio signal on the same frequency. We never found the round and I am not sure what happened to the Belgian soldier but for all I know he is still in jail. (It happened. This information was displayed on plotting boards.[36]. He also testified that the Nike-Hercules missiles had atomic warheads and that he felt that he had significant exposure to ionizing radiation because of his military duties. ranging radar is inconsequential under operating conditions. NoSleep | Germany Oct 1962: Frostbite while manning the perimeter during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Members | CWVA In 1959 both the House and Senate debated the systems, with the Senate recommending cutting funding for Hercules and the House stating the opposite. I reviewed what I had done with the Captain and the test instructions. Going to ag shack and meeting mister brown bear on the way or going to pick up mail from main post and getting run over by a moose in rut. [20], It did, however, allow development of Hercules to continue, and the system was soon preparing to deploy. Nice run in full gear. [35] Three versions were produced, MIM-14A, B and C. The differences between these versions are not known. I just returned from the seattle va hospital and i am now on the va health registry for occupational exposure of a us veteran during military service with the hawk ada missile system. Video | I and the Medic have to make a run to a nearby town and rescue two young troops from a mob. A new missile could be launched about 11 seconds after detonation or rejecting the previous missile. We were later stopped by MP's and and I thought we were going to be arrested but they finally let us go. Relive & share the memories of your service time with your brothers & sisters in arms today. Thanks to the good folks at the Redstone airfield, while they weren't looking, it only took 3 weeks before we had an operating radar. You're in the army now; The occasion was the national commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the defense department. The Hercules missile systems sold to Japan (Nike J) were subsequently fitted with upgraded internal guidance systems, the original vacuum tube systems being replaced with transistorized ones. See hearing transcript at pp. Alligator poachers spotlighting our sentry dogs at A252 in the Everglades, Cottonmouth and rattlesnakes between the security fences, Rats scrounging for dog food in the kennel shacks, Snakes crawling on window awnings at night, feeding on the insects that were drawn to the lights, Alligators running across the road at nightin front of motorcycles. IRBMs and ICBMs were also a consideration, but these were being addressed by the Nike Zeus concept, leaving only short-range weapons as an issue Hercules might need to address. SF-51 | A nuclear weapons mishap occurred on January 17, 1966, over Palomares, Spain, when a United States Air Force (USAF) B-52 bomber and KC-135 tanker aircraft collided. He turned out okay! WilliamJ.Auell | How about being shot in the chest in the ready building from an uncleared weapon! Hercules was designed from the start to operate from Ajax bases. Budgetary cuts reduced that number to 87 in 1968, and 82 in 1969. NY56 | the vicinity of the passive antennas. Subject: Dangers of a Nike Site, From: "Robert Bennington" LaunchEquipment | Nike missile, any of a series of U.S. surface-to-air missiles designed from the 1940s through the 1960s for defense against attack by high-flying jet bombers or ballistic-missile reentry vehicles. The Army then began its own series of press releases under what they called "Project Truth". Engineers continued work on getting a second missile operational at McGuire, but the Air Force went ahead with plans to open the Suffolk County Missile Annex by 1 January 1960. When the command came to raise elevator everything started moving, the elevator started upward, the erector beam was rising and the magazine doors did not open. The first missile in the series was Nike Ajax, a two-stage, liquid-fueled missile 21 feet (6.4 metres) long built by the Douglas Aircraft Company. [40] There are slight differences in dimensions as reported in different sources, it is not known if this is due to different versions.[35]. [35] Early models cost about US$55,250 each,[35] while most recent cost estimate, from Japan, was US$3.0 million. Government mistakenly told them it was safe to return to their home island. Those black, yellow and red Korean hornets. has. 1969: Attack on USSR? There were concerns about the possibility of Air Force fighters being attacked by Army missiles, but the two forces improved co-ordination between the Army's ARAACOM and the Air Force's Air Defense Command (ADC) to the point where it was no longer a serious concern. [26] Engineering was complete in 1958 and entered low-rate production in May 1959. of the best DAMN people whom Germany 1962: As Duty driver I get a call from the CQ. Nike-Hercules system's reliance on ground-based radar to track tar-gets and to guide missiles to an interception, this was an important finding. 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Seconds after detonation or rejecting the previous missile 11 February 1964 Unsymmetrical Dimethyl Hydrazine - Nike Ajax fluid.