|
- History
of
the
North
Key
Largo
Missile
Site
I
am
of
the
opinion
that
the
Cold
War
began
at
the
Yalta
Conference
in
1945.
Much
has
been
written
about
this;
therefore,
one
can
come
to
their
own
conclusions.
In
summary,
mine
are
that
President
Roosevelt
and
Prime
Minister
Churchill
realized
the
powerful
position
that
Premier
Stalin
was
in
and
did
the
best
that
they
could
under
the
circumstances.
As
in
most
wars,
WW-II
had
generated
a
huge
increase
in
military
technology
of
air
defense
fighters,
strategic
bombers,
jet
powered
aircraft
and
atomic
bombs
--
weapon
systems.
Germany
lead
the
way
in
ballistic
missiles
such
as
the
V-1
and
V-2.
These
developments
plus
the
Soviet
apparent
threat
of
world
domination
was
countered
by
the
U.S.
developing
counter
forces
to
prevent
another
world
war.
Another
consideration
was
to
limit
the
damage
incurred
in
such
a
conflict
should
occur.
The
Army,
Navy
and
Air
Force
had
their
roles
in
the
defense
of
the
nation.
As
a
personal
note,
in
1950
I
began
my
training
in
radar
for
the
Air
Defense
Command
(ADC)
of
the
Air
Force
(AF),
primarily
in
aircraft
control
and
warning
(AC&W)
using
fighter
aircraft
instead
of
missiles.
The
Army
had
it
counter
part,
the
Army
Air
Defense
Command
(ARADCOM),
primarily
missiles
and
antiaircraft
guns.
Both
were
part
of
the
North
American
Defense
Command
(NORAD).
These
are
defensive
units,
not
strategic
or
tactical.
The
Soviet
Union
dominated
the
decision
making
process
with
its
strategic
bombers
and
ballistic
missiles.
At
home,
the
federal
budget
was
balanced
between
military
and
domestic
needs.
The
Hawk
missile
gradually
replaced
the
antiaircraft
gun
for
short
range
defense
and
the
Nike
Ajax
for
longer
ranges.
-
HAWK
-
One
of
the
first
uses
of
the
HAWK
missile
units
were
in
Key
West
and
the
lower
Keys
for
the
Cuban
Missile
Crisis.
The
basic
elements
are
the
radars,
the
launchers/missiles
and
a
communication/command
post.
The
system
can
be
divided
into
three
sections:
acquisition,
fire
control,
and
firing
sections.
Target
detection
from
acquisition
radar
is
provided
to
the
fire
control
section
radars
for
engagement
evaluation.
The
fire
control
section
locks
onto
the
target
with
a
tracking
radar.
A
missile
or
missiles
can
be
launched
manually
or
in
an
automatic
mode
from
the
firing
section
by
the
fire
control
section.
To
view
a
Hawk
missile
launch
unit
CLICK
HERE.
To
view
miscellaneous
photos
related
to
the
HAWK
missiles
that
used
to
be
located
in
Key
West CLICK
HERE.
-
NIKE
-
The
NIKE-AJAX
was
the
first
ground
based
operational
supersonic
antiaircraft
missile
and
was
operational
in
the
U.S.
in
1955.
When
the
entire
system
was
improved
and
the
missiles
changed
to
solid
fuels
and
the
capability
of
a
nuclear
warhead
it
was
known
as
the
NIKE-HERCULES
including
by
1958.
Solid
fuels
eliminated
the
troublesome
and
dangerous
liquid
rocket
fuels.
It
replaced
the
Nike-Ajax
systems
between
1958
to
1963.
Ideally
the
radar,
control,
command
center
and
administrative
site
is
separated
about
one
mile
from
the
missile
launch
site;
albeit,
the
minimum
separation
is
3600
feet.
Another
problem
to
be
dealt
with
was
the
booster
rocket
drop
zone.
The
Nike
had
a
solid
propellant
booster
that
could
be
dropped
as
near
as
one
mile
from
the
launch
site.
After
release
it
fell
where
ever
the
momentum
and
wind
took
it.
A
totally
above
ground
site
required
about
120
acres.
If
the
launcher
was
below
ground,
40
acres
would
suffice.
There
were
7
batteries
in
the
Miami
and
Homestead
area.
Some
of
the
parameters
of
the
Nike
Hercules
are:
length
=
41
feet;
wingspan
=
6
feet,
2
inches;
diameter
=
31.5
inches,
range
=
75
miles,
altitude
capability
=
150,000
feet,
weight
=
10,710
pounds
and
speed
=
2,707
mph.
As
Soviet
weapons
improved,
the
U.S.
weapons
either
improved
are
became
obsolete.
By
1974
most
of
the
Nike
Hercules
sites
were
closed.
The
final
coup
de
grace
was
the
1974
SALT
treaty
which
prohibited
weapons
of
this
type.
The
shafts
of
the
hydraulic
launchers
were
physically
cut
to
prevent
operation.
To
view
a
Nike
Hercules
missile
CLICK
HERE.
-
CUBAN
MISSILE
CRISIS
-
I
do
not
believe
most
of
the
nation
knew
how
close
we
were
to
a
massive
nuclear
war
in
1962.
I
had
just
returned
from
Spain
where
we
had
three
B-52
bomber
bases.
About
a
year
before
this
and
during
the
Berlin
Wall
crisis,
I
awoke
one
morning
to
the
air
field
jammed
with
nuclear
loaded
B-52s.
As
all
I
did
was
drive
by
on
my
way
to
an
off
base
radar
site,
but
my
guess
would
be
25
to
30
B-52s.
The
story
was
that
there
was
about
60
aircraft
in
the
air
24
hours
a
day.
Russia
was
ringed
with
similar
bases
from
England
to
Turkey.
Albeit
the
Cuban
Missile
Crisis
was
only
two
weeks
long,
it
will
be
remembered
by
many.
One
can
go
back
as
far
as
they
like
to
develop
the
crisis,
but
it
became
obvious
on
October
14,
1962
when
the
photos
from
a
U-2
reconnaissance
aircraft
revealed
Soviet
missiles
in
Cuba.
The
National
Security
Council
was
kicked
into
overdrive.
The
Russians
maintained
that
they
were
for
defensive
purposes,
but
on
the
19th,
new
aerial
photos
showed
much
larger
missiles
than
needed
for
defense
purposes.
Then
on
October
22nd,
President
Kennedy
announced
that
the
Soviet
"quarantine"
ships
would
be
stopped
and
a
blockade
ordered.
The
Strategic
Air
Command
(SAC)
went
on
active
alert
with
nuclear
bombers
around
the
world.
The
2nd
Missile
Battalion,
52nd
Air
Defense
Artillery
Group
at
Fort
Bliss,
Texas
and
the
6th
Battalion
(HAWK),
65th
Artillery
at
Fort
Meade,
MD
were
dispatched
to
the
Miami/Key
West
area.
On
October
24th,
the
Soviet
ships
recognized
the
quarantine
and
stopped
at
sea.
For
the
moment,
all
breathed
a
sigh
of
relief.
But
it
was
only
a
sigh
as
after
three
days
of
tense
cat
and
mouse
games
came
"Black
Saturday"
-
October
27,
1962.
The
Kremlin
sent
the
message
for
the
U.S.
to
remove
its
missiles
from
Turkey.
The
U.S.
ignored
the
request,
but
Rudolph
Anderson,
the
U.S.
U-2
reconnaissance
pilot
was
shot
down
and
killed
over
Cuba.
President
Kennedy
did
not
retaliate
and
for
a
resolution,
Robert
Kennedy
and
Soviet
envoy
Dobrynin
met
.
The
following
day,
October
28th,
Premier
Khrushchev
accepted
the
proposals
and
history
was
made
-
the
immediate
crisis
was
over.
-
MISSILES
IN
SOUTHEAST
FLORIDA
-
-
KEY
WEST
-
It
could
be
asked
why
were
there
not
defenses
already
in
place,
but
there
was
not.
The
first
to
arrive
was
the
more
mobile
and
smaller
ground-to-air
Hawk
missiles
units
at
Key
West.
The
6th
Battalion
(HAWK),
65th
Artillery,
a
unit
of
the
joint
STRIKE
Command
which
had
been
stationed
at
Fort
Meade,
Maryland
since
August
1962.
It
received
orders
for
a
temporary
change
of
station
to
Key
West
on
October
20,
1962,
two
days
before
President
Kennedy's
quarantine
challenge
to
Khrushchev;
but
owing
largely
to
poor
performance
by
the
rail
carrier,
the
movement
(continued
by
road
from
Homestead
AFB
to
Key
West)
was
not
completed
until
October
26,
1962.
Even
then
it
had
to
wait
for
its
missiles
which
arrived
by
October
29,
1962.
The
battalion's
Army
Air
Defense
Command
Post
(AADCP)
and
four
firing
batteries
were
now
fully
operational
and
ready
for
action
in
defense
of
Key
West.
To
view
a
missile
unit
on
Smather's
Beach,
CLICK
HERE.
-
HOMESTEAD
-
The
Army
encountered
further
delays
in
mobilizing
the
physically
larger
Nike
Hercules
missile
units
for
Miami
and
Homestead.
The
2nd
Missile
Battalion,
52nd
Air
Defense
Artillery
Group
received
orders
to
move
out
on
October
22,
1962.
Its
Battery
B
was
at
Johnson
Island
in
a
training
exercise.
Batteries
A,
C
and
D
were
in
the
rapid
deployment
mode
at
Fort
Bliss,
Texas.
Personnel,
radars,
missiles,
tents,
vehicles,
etc.
were
quickly
loaded
on
trains.
Within
two
weeks,
they
were
encamped
on
Army
Corps
of
Engineer
prepared
sites
circling
Miami
and
the
Homestead
Air
Force
Base.
By
November
14,
1962,
all
local
Nike
Hercules
were
operational.
Battery
B
traveled
to
Homestead
from
Johnson
Island
via
its
home
base
at
Fort
Bliss,
arriving
in
early
November,
1962.
The
above
1962
missile
units were
totally
self-contained
above
ground
mobile
units.
A
time
chart
would
clearly
have
shown
that
the
mobile
deployment
speed
was
outdated
for
the
nuclear
age.
Cuban
Crisis
was
history
before
the
missile
units
were
fully
operational.
Few
people
knew
that
at
the
time.
The
Department
of
Defense
brass
decided
to
leave
the
southeast
Florida
Hawk
and
Nike
missile
batteries
in
place
for
the
time
being.
Later,
they
decided
to
convert
these
Nike
and
HAWK
sites
into
permanent
sites.
The
Corps
of
Engineers
was
directed
to
purchase
the
land.
Typically,
Nike
missiles
in
the
launch
area
were
stored
sub-surface,
then
brought
up
on
elevators
and
transported
by
rails
to
the
launcher
as
needed.
This
was
impossible
in
South
Florida
because
the
launch
area
was
too
close
to
sea
level.
The
South
Florida
Nike
units
stored
their
missiles
in
huge
barns
on
rails
that
extended
to
the
outside
firing
pad.
Preservation
efforts
are
being
pursued
to
save
a
representative
Nike
site
in
the
area
of
the
entrance
to
the
Everglades
National
Park
west
of
Homestead.
|
|
-
NORTH
KEY
LARGO
-
Battery
B
remained
at
the
Homestead
until
the
Key
Largo
site
could
be
purchased
and
prepared.
I
am
not
certain
precisely
when
the
Key
Largo
Nike
site
was
built
but
Battery
B
was
relocated
from
Homestead
to
Key
Largo
in
May
and
operational
in
June
of
1965.
All
indications
are
that
the
Nike
equipment
was
an
updated
version.
The
new
missile
site
designation
was
HM-40.
It
appears
that
when
the
Key
Largo
site
was
first
built,
the
old
state
highway
to
Ocean
Reef
was
on
the
east
side
(ocean
side)
of
the
site.
Actually
this
road
was
the
original
1928
State
Road
4A.
In
the
1960s
to
travel
from
Homestead
to
the
Admin
building,
one
would
travel
the
U.S.-1
highway
"18-mile
Stretch"
past
Lake
Surprise
and
double
back,
turn
left,
and
travel
toward
Ocean
Reef
and
the
Angler's
Club
on
then
SR-905.
Both
these
early
highways
preceded
HM-40
by
some
time.
The
launch
and
radar
sites
are
connected
by
underground
cables;
therefore,
where
possible
they
are
usually
on
the
same
side
of
highways,
canals,
etc.
as
they
were
here
when
first
constructed.
The
correct
nomenclature
for
the
radar/administrative
area
is
the
Integrated
Fire
Control
(IFC)
area.
The
missile
site
is
the
Launcher
area.
As
the
community
of
Ocean
Reef
grew,
the
road
from
Key
Largo
was
upgraded.
In
the
process
for
a
more
direct
route,
the
new
roadway
was
rerouted
west
of
the
radar
site
(IFC)
in
the
late
1960s
passing
over
the
buried
cables.
This
additional
road
placed
the
radar
area
in
a
triangle
surrounded
by
roads.
The
northern
leg
of
the
triangle
was
the
old
1928
highway.
Some
time
after
1928,
this
section
was
extended
eastward
to
the
ocean.
The
end
of
this
road
at
the
ocean
was
called
"dynamite
docks."
When
first
built
is
unknown,
but
the
name
comes
from
its
use
for
transporting
explosives
of
the
Atlas
Power
Co.
The
state
has
hence
removed
the
docks.
Click
on
the
color
USGS
map
to
enlarge,
then
the
back
arrow
to
return
here.
It
should
be
mentioned
that
Battery
B
was
barely
operational
when
Hurricane
Betsy
in
September
1965
tested
its
physical
integrity.
The
following
black
and
white
photos
were
scanned
from
the
December
17,
1969
issue
of
the
Upper
Keys
Reporter.
|
|
The
first
black
and
white
photo
in
the
following
series
shows
the
radome
for
the
high
powered
acquisition
radar
(HIPAR)
in
the
IFC
area.
The
actual
radar
antenna
is
inside
to
the
geodesic
fiberglass
protective
dome.
The
radar
had
a
range
of
over
150
miles.
The
three
radars
in
the
above
photo
are
in
the
background
of
the
first
photo.
The
radar
to
the
left
is
a
low
power
acquisition
radar
(LOPAR).
It
was
primarily
for
back-up
but
did
add
some
flexibility
to
the
system.
By
the
1960s,
electronic
jamming
was
becoming
a
concern
and
the
different
frequency
of
the
LOPAR
was
a
decided
advantage.
As
I
recall,
a
Nike
Hercules
had
a
total
of
five
radars.
The
large
HIPAR
was
easily
identified.
The
IFF,
or
Identification,
Friend
or
Foe,
radar
was
so
small
that
it
was
only
seen
by
the
crews.
The
other
three
radars
were:
1)
Target
Tracking,
Target
Ranging
and
Missile
Tracking,
I
am
not
certain
which
of
the
three
the
other
two
in
the
photo
are.
Continuing
below
are
some
human
interest
photos
with
the
original
newspaper
captions.
-
The
visitor
is
in
the
car
and
I
assume
there
is
an
entrance
gate
to
the
left.
-
-
Each
off
base
Battery
had
a
dedicated
chapel.
-
-
Payday
was
always
a
welcomed
day
-
The
"dispensary"
was
usually
well
equipped
and
had
a
well
trained
"Medic."
-
- The
above
photo
was
taken
by
a
former
Battery
B
console
operator
veteran,
Sgt.
Charles
Carter,
of
the
Key
Largo
Nike
Hercules
Launch
Ready
Room
in
2002.
The
Ready
Room
was
just
inside
the
gate
to
the
launch
area.
It
housed
the
troops
that
were
always
available
for
an
emergency
launch
against
incoming
fighters,
bombers
or
missiles
from
Cuba,
or
anywhere
else.
-
EPILOGUE
-
The
Key
Largo
HM-40
Nile
Hercules
site
was
closed
in
June
1979.
The
launch
site
located
on
the
shores
of
Barnes
Sound
was
under
federal
control
and
became
part
of
the
Crocodile
Lake
National
Wildlife
Refuge.
The
radar
site
(IFC)
at
about
mid-island
of
Key
Largo
was
under
state
control
and
is
part
of
the
Key
Largo
Hammock
Botanical
State
Park.
Both
are
environmental
entities
with
plans
to
return
the
areas
to
their
native
vegetative
state.
As
previously
stated
both
government
stewards
have
environmental
missions
of
preserving
our
natural
history.
What
we
see
in
2005
is
that
all
tangible
remains
of
the
HM-40
launch
site
have
been
erased
and
will
soon
appear
as
a
camera
might
have
seen
it
in
1962.
All
that
remains
of
Battery
B
while
at
Key
Largo
is
the
IFC
radar
tower
for
the
HIPAR
radar
equipment
with
its
protective
radome
missing
-
the
Lone
Sentinel.
How
long
will
it
be
before
that
too
vanishes
for
all
except
a
few
memories
and
photographs?
The
*Rings
of
Supersonic
Steel
is
rapidly
evaporating
from
cultural
history.
*
See
book
Rings
of
Supersonic
Steel
by
Mark
A.
Berhow.
|
|
|
|
|
"You
agree with your purchase" - Because we deal with so many businesses in our
network, there might be times when some businesses
change owners, close down for repairs, or go out
of business. PLEASE
READ OUR TERMS. We are constantly updating our
network to give you great customer service and
product. Remember your card never expires, it continues to grow in
value, and your purchase helps our marine environment. If you are not
completely satisfied with your Mile Marker
Discount Card, please contact us for details for a
full refund. Click Here |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
