From: Emmett R. Caraker Jr. Any single battery could only launch a single missile at a time, due to the limited number of radars, computers and operators. To: webmaster@nikemissile.org I mean we were working 24 hours straight. Getting called to duty at 3AM to go and save two MPs who were on a site-seeing mission in a snow storm and their jeep got stuck. The last Hercules missile was launched in the Sardinian range of Capo San Lorenzo in Italy on November 24, 2006.[34]. In testing the system was successful against all manner of short-range rockets and missiles, and successfully tracked the Redstone on 23 September and 5 October 1963, but failed to achieve a "kill" in either test due to unrelated problems. 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. 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! We then drove around out on the desert jumping over sand dunes with the jeeps. Although Hercules had demonstrated its ability to successfully engage short-range missiles, the capability was not considered very important. Hercules remained the US's primary heavy SAM until it began to be replaced by the higher performance and considerably more mobile MIM-104 Patriot in the 1980s. R&D, 2d Bn 51st Arty Individual Training Guide. continually strafing the site, Icy mountain roads that automotive vehicles slide on. Falling down the ladder leading to the The Hawk locked on and blew the whole back half of the bus off. Vets at Homestead AFB had to treat them- a tricky procedure for both the vet and the dog handler. He was safe but tube died. Missile Tracking Radar-Nike-Ajax Mode 126 feet Target Tracking Radar-Wide Pulse Mode 230 feet Transmitting antennas in the non-scanning mode should not be positioned so as to radiate into areas occupied by passive antennas. Primary among these was that the Ajax fuels were hypergolic, igniting on contact. PresentingSF-88L | Each Nike battery consisted of two or three areas; IFC, LA and general. 801 and above-Non-scanning Eating "something" (mystery meat) at cafe while on SNAP at NAMFI Crete Greece. against the dome door zippers - unconscious. Both forces, and their congressional supporters, realized that splitting the budget would mean neither force would be funded to the level required to fulfill the defence mission. Sometime later our site was called up as we were the backup battery. Of course this was an incident that never officially happened. going out to the RF Test Set. It was up to him to take whatever action was necessary to protect his equipment. Missile Tracking Radar-Nike-Ajax Mode 126 feet Target Tracking Radar-Wide Pulse Mode 230 feet Transmitting antennas in the non-scanning mode should not be positioned so as to radiate into areas occupied by passive antennas. Acquisition Radar Systems 502-537-Non-scanning TacticalControl | A short in the cables (again the official explanation) to the launcher caused the missile to launch without the MTR being ready. In one of the many Mig sorties that came south of the DMZ the sites went up a step in DEFCON and then back down. Non-malignant thyroid nodular disease. electricity, Caked ice on radar tower ladders and Sent: Saturday, August 31, 2013 6:39:30 PM Huge fireball that almost reached the launcher. LaunchEquipment | Guy in the IFC gets Dear John letter go nuts, sent him to the hospital. Meanwhile, the TTR can continue offering location information, and in the case that is also jammed (difficult but possible), was upgraded to offer a home-on-jam mode that used the ECM system's own broadcasts as a location source. [6]:39 That is, whether the missile operated more like an aircraft (Air Force) or a rocket (Ordnance). PreservingSF-88L | TD Barnes | Once the two are in the truck we head back to the unit only to be confronted by a mob of men that wanted our passengers. and could be spared), Finding warhead seal broken Hercules was designed from the start to operate from Ajax bases. Note that this has no effect on the determination of the direction to the target, which is the same for both the original and jammer pulses. Germany Oct 1962: Frostbite while manning the perimeter during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Transmitting antennas in the non-scanning mode should not be During the last years of their deployment in Europe, the issue at hand was more about maintaining security of the nuclear capable missiles, rather than mobility. I was stationed In Blankenheim, Germany from April 1965-Jan 1967. The House eventually came to support the Defense Secretary's position as stated in the Master Air Defense Plan, retaining Hercules while reducing BOMARC and SAGE. LA-43 | The Starfish Prime radiation belt persisted at high altitude for many months and damaged the United States satellites Traac, Transit 4B, Injun I and Telstar I, . This signal would be very difficult to jam because the jammer would have to broadcast across a wide set of frequencies in order to ensure they were returning on the frequency the receiver had actually selected. MOS 16b20 War Veterans Assc. We had four missiles in the building. the vicinity of the passive antennas. 3/71 in Germany in 66, 67, 68 and loved every moment. Home | From: "Gerald Browning" I and the Medic have to make a run to a nearby town and rescue two young troops from a mob. Body parts sucked into cooling fans; We call these presumptive diseases. BR-04 | Soviet development of ICBMs and the de-emphasis of their bomber force decreased the value of the Hercules system. Have to make a 90 degree turn on the way back. Instead of de-emphasizing BOMARC in favor of Hercules, inter-service rivalry became rampant, and the Air Force began a policy of denigrating Hercules and the Army using policy by press release. It was normally armed with the W31 nuclear warhead, but could also be fitted with a conventional warhead for export use. We were short mechanics so we were working 24 hours on and 24 off. a rattle snake in your tent MS-70 | In May 1952, Bell was asked to explore such an adaptation to the Nike. During development the Air Force continued its Project Wizard while the Army started its Project Plato studies for dedicated anti-missile systems. Air Lifting a Nike Site; Nike Site Dangers; You're in the Army Now; Life on the Hill; CIA & Nike Hercules; Film, Movies, Video; News. One of these locations was directly above the elevator, the others were reached by manually pushing the missiles off the elevator to the launcher along rails. Finding a nike hercules' warhead armed itself after a power surge or drop. After the call I was dismissed with a job well done. least). The rocket will be a full scale replica of the Nike Hercules missile. while on field exercises in the Oozlefinch | The changes were designed to be upgradable without major changes to the deployed system the TTR/MTR could be replaced at any time, the HIPAR used its own displays and therefore required no changes in the missile launch equipment, the TRR was slaved to the TTR and simply updated range readings, and the new seeker could be retrofitted at any time. HA-08 HA-25 | The Hawk guys at MacGregor had their fun too. NY56 | Subject: Dangers of a Nike Site, From: "Robert Bennington" It seeks to avoid unnecessary radiation exposure whenever possible and to minimize doses when exposure is unavoidable. This Nike Hercules Missile Site is dedicated to all soldiers, family members and friends that served in Delta 2-1- ADA -32nd AADCOM, Dichtelbach, Germany. LaunchSet | Army-Hercules Nuclear Missile workers were required to wear ionizing radiation badges - VA case CONTACT LIST FOR RADIATION EXPOSURE RECORDS DD FORM 1141 - IONIZING RADIATION EXPOSURE. 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]:5657, Improving performance against such targets would require either much higher resolution radars or much larger warheads. 7923 carlton arms rd, apt b (1,726.23 mi) indianapolis, in, in 46256. Site Summit (B Battery) still sits above Eagle River, its IFC buildings and clamshell towers easily visible when driving towards Anchorage. about being thrown from a moving And you must have had contact with ionizing radiation in one of these ways while serving in the military: You served in the postwar occupation of Hiroshima or Nagasaki, or. Date: April 23, 2016. someone (people) is down range, Rebuilding berms and equipment This led to the use of semi-trailer systems for the fire control systems, which could be easily moved and re-positioned as required. [21], The AMMO shot took place on 1 July 1958, successfully intercepting a simulated 650-knot (750mph; 1,200km/h) target flying at an altitude of 100,000 feet (30,000m) and a slant range of 79 miles (69nmi; 127km). RedCanyonRange | study of the x-ray radiation emitted from the Nike-Hercules Guided Missile Systems and determined that it is highly improbabl[e] that personnel working . The large airstrip remains, and is often used by locals for flight instruction and practice. WilliamJ.Auell | In January, only four missiles were operational at Suffolk, and during House appropriation hearings that month, the DoD proved rather subdued when Congress attacked the design, especially in light of several failed tests of the BOMARC B missile. [36] On the IFC the status of the selected missile was given. The AN/MPQ-43 Mobile HIPAR was made part of Hercules Standard A in August 1966 and began operational deployment in Europe on 12 April 1967.[33]. How C-50 | Radiation exposure High pressure hydraulic lines bursting In the danger zone of a radiating antenna Body parts sucked into cooling fans German citizens taking pot shots at the IFC due to getting tired of the constant blip-blip-blip from the HIPAR Finding a Nike Hercules' warhead armed itself after a power surge or drop. EOD failed to come out to see, but sent instructions on what to do. Germany 1962: Performing maintenance on the racks in the Missile Storage Building, with overhead doors closed, crossing from one side to the other I swung the gate towards the overhead door and there was an electric arc from the door to the racks. RedCanyonRange | [9]:5657, "Nike Ajax" used a slightly modified Nike missile, largely a re-arrangement of the internal components, making room for the 15kt (63TJ) WX-9 "gun-type" warhead also being developed as an artillery round. Any vets Ionizing Radiation From Radar Emissions:->>> Let me bring you Nike Guys up to date with our Ionizing Radiation Exposures from Radar on Hawk Missile Sites. Subject: Nike Site Dangers, Sandbagging hose from Joy Compressor to launcher and having hose fitting fail. TerryFetterman | Damage to body tissue is not immediately TD Barnes | Several years later I was working for AT&T when I ran across an article in an AT&T magazine about Murray Hill in New Jersey. The adaption kit, xm75e1, which adapted the w31 warhead to the nike missile, was unpackaged and bolted to the forward end of the warhead (now a part of the missile). 111 rows from web site va.gov. Unfortunately the engineers had failed to remove the cheater cable which prevented the doors from opening. Army Colonel John C. Nickerson Jr. publicly denounced Wilson, while leaking details of their latest missile design, the Pershing missile. This information was displayed on plotting boards.[36]. When the intensity is high, the radiation may produce enough Links | the body tissues. IFC due to getting tired of the constant blip-blip-blip from the HIPAR. The NVA knew we were coming. Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2015 Anyway, Google searches show me that I'm not the only "missile jockey" (Nike Hercules) to be diagnosed with PTC later in life. Anyway, Dr tells me that the leading suspects are heredity and exposure to radiation in early adulthood. As Hercules had evolved from the fixed-base Ajax system, early deployments offered no mobility. 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. Thanks guys. desert north of Fort Bliss. Access to the Mobile HIPAR antenna trailer and the roofs of [25], In early 1956, Bell began studies of the Improved Nike Hercules (INH) concept by considering the predicted threat for the 1960-65 period. While I was in his office, the base commander telephoned the civilian. [1]:52[verification needed][39] The last versions carried the W31 Mod 2 warhead, with yields of 2 or 20 kt. There were nuclear missile batteries around every major us city. About | 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. HM-69 | [12], During this period, some effort was put into a frangible booster for the Ajax. Needless to say the engineering section chief and his assistant got read the riot act. However, it makes the determination of range difficult or impossible. A similar test on 17 July against a 300-knot (350mph; 560km/h) Q2A destroyed the target with the T45. Maintenance | At the same time, there were increasing concerns that higher speed aircraft would be able to launch their warheads at the extreme range of the Nike bases. Beginning in FY 1961 the older warheads were replaced by W-31 Mod 0 warheads, with yields of 2 kt (Y1) or 30 kt (Y2). The occasion was the national commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the defense department. Hercules remained a major front-line weapon in Europe into the 1980s. Prior to launch, the Missile Tracking Radar (MTR) locked on to the transponder in the selected missile. Dogs | and doing it up wind (Black BOMARC proved extremely expensive, difficult to maintain in operation readiness, had questionable performance, and was displaying a continued inability to reach operational status. 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. Hercules also offered the ability to attack pre-located ground targets, after feeding in the coordinates in an operation that took about five minutes. We had been working on the cable cleaning for quite some time when he came by to check on us. Over the years, the vacuum-tube guidance system, as well as the complex fire control systems' radars, suffered from diminishing manufacturing source (DMS) issues. [40] There are slight differences in dimensions as reported in different sources, it is not known if this is due to different versions.[35]. [36] The firing or launch command was given manually by the Battery Control Officer based on orders or Rules of Engagements. The civilian said he must have been in the antenna, that was why the phone was not answered. Similar articles began appearing in papers around the country, invariably just before that city was to begin receiving their missiles. The Army eventually decided not to proceed with any Ajax modifications as Hercules would be arriving shortly anyway. Finding Efforts to mount the HIPAR on the same platform between March and December 1962 were not nearly as successful, and on 18 December 1962 the concept was abandoned in favor of an "airmobile" solution using conventional M52 trucks and modified trailers. Eating ham 3 times a day for 45 days because the Gen did not like ham. Sent: Wednesday, August 14, 2013 4:33:29 PM Sent: Monday, May 21, 2012 apparent. In order to simplify the upgrades at Ajax sites, HIPAR did not replace the earlier ACQ radar from Ajax, which was retained and now known as LOPAR. [35] Early models cost about US$55,250 each,[35] while most recent cost estimate, from Japan, was US$3.0 million. Like almost any thorny military problem of the 1950s, the solution was the application of nuclear bombs. BaseTuono | The DoD invested considerably in upgrading the security of the storage areas of the launcher sections, ultimately installing significant towers that were capable of watching over all three sections within the "exclusion area". [9]:60, In a famous event, the Air Force interviewed for an article that appeared in the New York Times entitled "Air Force Calls Army Nike Unfit To Guard Nation". From: Robin Smith [26] Combining range from the TRR and direction from the TTR provided complete information on the target. New to the Hercules system was the Target Ranging Radar, or TRR. The MTR was operated by one operator. HM-95 | Our section chief gave another Pvt. I proceeded with the test at 3 AM. Greece | NoSleep | fields. We were located in a company area but somewhere on the range a way out on the desert with absolutely nothing to do. I was told police, fire services, and a host of other radios would be useless for a large area of the east coast! MemoryLane | LA-29 | Germany 1962: As Duty driver I get a call from the CQ. sargent turns white), Ending up with an eye injury The Nike Hercules was a command-guided, long-range, high-altitude anti-aircraft missile. Service personnel records show that the veteran spent most of his active duty service at the nike missile battery in milwaukee. Eating out of marmite cans 2 times a day every other day for years. The mishap led to the release of four nuclear weapons. LauncherArea | The Nike Hercules, initially designated SAM-A-25 and later MIM-14, was a surface-to-air missile (SAM) used by U.S. and NATO armed forces for medium- and high-altitude long-range air defense. [9]:57. Apparently they had gotten tired of swimming. Gilbert Burke | Further deployments to allied units and US units in Alaska were carried out between November 1963 and the summer of 1965.[30]. Veterans Administration and Agent Orange information. B3/71 (Turks welding covers), Or a 09/1963-09/1966, From: Hardy, Timothy A CIV (US) 230 feet. [2]:45, Approximately 25,000 Nike Hercules were manufactured. Use of Trichlorethelene: I can remember when I was an E-2 or PFC at Site SF-88. Crests | Photo: U.S. Navy This group includes Veterans who: Served on nuclear submarines and other nuclear ships or in shipyards U.S.targets | General Electric demonstrated a prototype on 11 February 1964. M21-1, Part IV, Subpart ii, Chapter 2, Section C - Service Connection (SC) for Disabilities Resulting From Exposure to Environmental Hazards or Service in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) This section contains the following topics: Topic Topic Name. It often had rack sections attached to it also. Missile Specificaitons The Hercules missile could travel 87 miles down range and 150,000 feet in altitude. Ionizing Radiation Veterans may have been exposed to ionizing radiation during military service if, for example, they participated in nuclear weapons testing. This system was successfully tested at White Sands on 1 October 1961. Trophy | Its warhead also allowed it to be used in a secondary surface-to-surface role, and the system also demonstrated its ability to hit other short-range missiles in flight. The Rocky Point missile base was operational from 1957 to 1974. SF-51 | PRP | 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. Plato was cancelled in February 1959, replaced in the short term by further upgrades to Hercules, and in the longer term by the FABMDS program. For these missions the computer used the MTR to guide the missile to a point above the target, then commanded it to dive vertically while measuring any changes in trajectory as it fell. The WX-9, like all gun-type designs, was long and thin, originally designed to be fired from an 11in (280mm) artillery piece, and easily fit within the Nike fuselage. Nuclear Missiles in Miami; ALASKA'S COLD WAR . As the missiles were brought to readiness, a light board in the LA control van lit up with a series of amber lights for each launcher area, and green lights for each missile. Approximately 25,000 Nike Hercules were manufactured. A power density of 10 milliwatts per square centimeter is [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. The Army then began its own series of press releases under what they called "Project Truth". turning over, with injuries to Spec.-5 Emmett R. Caraker Jr. Soon after design work started, the Army requested that the existing liquid fuel engine be replaced with a solid fuel design, for a variety of reasons. BudHalsey | I reported as ordered. Ajax | Niagara-Buffalo | Trophy | None of these were adopted, in favor of much more mobile systems like the MIM-23 Hawk. These changes were presented on 24 August 1956, and accepted by both CONARC and ARADCOM. Sieverts or rem are used in reports on radiation disasters, because they give a better sense of how the radiation might affect human health. You're in the army now; The occasion was the national commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the defense department. HA-08 HA-25 | 127 feet, Missile Tracking Had a medic but he had nothing to help with not even an aspirin. but the orders were canceled because of a security leak. SL-40 | My tech goes in and turns on three power switches, as we usually did Big fire, burning cable all 252 feet, and about 1000 feet of wiring in the van! Early deployments starting in 1958 were on new sites, but Ajax units started converting as well. [4], During World War II, the US Army Air Force (USAAF) concluded that existing anti-aircraft guns, only marginally effective against existing generations of propeller-driven aircraft, would not be effective at all against the emerging jet-powered designs. My instructions said nothing about stopping the test, so I finished the tests, Cold War is Cold War! Ajax's boosters were housed in steel tubes that fell near the base, presenting a serious range safety concern. The problem was the missile launcher itself, and especially the large HIPAR radar, which presented a formidable mobility problem. The Nike Hercules began replacing the Nike Ajax in 1958. Various military occupations include routine and usually safe exposure to radiation. Lost one person when a rough terrain scoop loader roll over on him. Our warhead team had the rest of the week to kill. Given the Nike warhead's relatively small lethal radius, if the missile flew into the middle of the formation and exploded, it would be highly unlikely to destroy any of the aircraft. This means they can be manhandled safely and maintained with the rocket motor installed. Radar | Nike was initially deployed at military bases starting in 1953, especially Strategic Air Command bomber airfields, and general deployment then followed at US cities, important industrial sites, and then overseas bases. The last Hercules missiles were deactivated in Europe in 1988, without ever being fired in a military conflict. When the battery was given orders to attack a target, the alert status lamp changed from blue to red. Subject: Nike Herc Missile exploded. DISTANCE, AJI High Power 2nd of the 52nd | We were high as a kite from the fumes of the trichlorethelene. early 1970s and was completed by 1975, with the exception of batteries remaining in Alaska and Florida. A power level of 10 milliwatts per square centimeter, He would eat supper and when he came back you better be off the road. 33 feet, Systems 538-594 and Date: August 4, 2019. In the case of Hercules, all of the radars were typically mounted on (concrete) elevated platforms to improve their line-of-sight. This prompted ARAACOM commander Charles E. Hart to petition the Secretary of Defense to order the Air Force to stop the well organized campaign against Hercules. Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2013 4:38:38 PM Video | I mean really fired it up, small spark followed immediately by a medium explosion! Subject: Melting Waveguide The 145 missile batteries were deployed during the cold war. Here are some dangers I encountered, some are just plain stupidity. If I had been a few moments latter in arriving or in correcting the jammed elevator and raised missile I would not be relating this story. project, after they rebuilt their antennas front end receiver! fracture)? Store | Hercules missiles were normally stored in a "safe" mode, using various keys and pull-to-arm pins. This information is base upon the average power outputs and 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. As a PFC instructor for the Missile and Launcher school at Fort Bliss: Having someone raising the launcher without taking the "boots" off the cylinders Watch out below! Skilled operators could also try to track the target in a manual tracking mode. In his 26 November 1956 memorandum, he limited the Army to weapons with 200-mile (320km) range, and those involved in ground-to-air defense to only 100 miles (160km). Budgetary cuts reduced that number to 87 in 1968, and 82 in 1969.
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