Are There Still Functioning Missiles Left From the Cold War?
Published by lindalulu on April 21, 2009 in International Relations-
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Arizona had been on my list of places to visit for a very long time. In our travels we found a brochure that read come see the Titan II missile. We were intrigued and decided to go.
Image via Wikipedia
A couple of days ago I published an article called World War What. The article if you have not read it is about North Korea launching a missile and the maybe consequences of this action. It made me do a lot of thinking and made me remember a trip we took a couple years ago to Arizona.
It was a wonderful vacation and we saw from one end of the state to the other. Arizona had been on my list of places to visit for a very long time. In our travels we found a brochure that read come see the Titan II missile. We were intrigued and decided to go.
The museum site sits some twelve miles south of Tucson Arizona in the town of Sahuarita.If you did not know it was there it would not be obvious except for a sign that says Titan Museum. Once we arrived we was not sure what to expect. It looked a little official with signs and a fence, but it didn’t look like I would imagine a missile silo would look and to be honest maybe my mind had planted a seed as to what I would see on arrival. Once we walked into the museum there was memorabilia all around the room. We looked around and bought our tickets to take the tour down into the silo and watched a short video explaining what we was about to see.
Image via Wikipedia
Once the film was over we were led by one of the tour guides out the back door and across a gravel looking field to a huge glass cover. When we looked down inside there sat a full sized intercontinental ballistics missile. The feeling that over came me was surreal to say the least. Our guide informed us that the door under the glass must remain half way open so Russia can see it from their satellite and know that the missile is still in the silo. This door has not been closed since before 1982. To do so may start the cold war all over again or so our guide told us.
Once we finished staring down through the glass at this monster of a missile we were led to a set of stairs that led to a door which had a small elevator inside. Once the doors closed off we went down some 140 feet to the bottom of the silo. All of the original equipment is still in tact and has full facilities from a kitchen to bunk areas except everything is under ground.
As you walk through this tunnel of fear you are not allowed to touch anything due to the sweat on your hands corroding the metals down there. There are four feet thick doors to close this mole hole off from the rest of the world if necessary.
The missile that sits in the silo now was only used as a training missile and fuel never entered into it. This missile replaced the fully armed Titan II after the cold war ended in 1982 when this facility was turned into a museum.
This Silo became operational in 1963 but all silos throughout the west were destroyed in 1982 when President Regan’s policy was to disarm and destroy all Titan II missiles. This site is supposed to be the only one left in existence and the only reason it stands today is because of it’s history and became a museum.
Titan II missiles were the most powerful of all nuclear warheads used by the United States. These missiles had one war head with a 9 megatons yield. They also could burst on the ground or in the air.
When a crew had orders to be down inside this place they were not allowed to be alone except in their bunk area. There are signs every place reminding you of this. The signs read No Alone Zone. Under no circumstances was anyone able to be left alone inside the rest of the silo. The reason for this was security of the missile and the world.
Image via Wikipedia
At the end of the tour you will arrive inside the control room . This is the place where the crew would get their orders as to whether the missile would fly. There were also three targets not just one location and to this day no one inside this area knows those targets. If the orders came then the two key people would get the code to put in and with synchronize both keys would be turned.
Our guide actually sat two of us down and took us through what would have happened if the orders had come down. Red lights flashing and sirens going off, the simulation seemed to be the exact one the ones who cared for this evil bird had back in the day. It was a strange seat to sit in and made us both wonder if we had this power and been ordered to turn the keys, would we have complied.
With everything going on in the world today it brought me back to this place. Is all of this behind us or could it be brought back to life with Presidential orders? Only the Government knows the answer to that, but with what I witnessed on my visit to this incredibly powerful place my thoughts are this silo could be up and running in no time at all.
The consequences if this were to occur would be complete devastation I do believe and once that button was pushed there would be no going back to the world as we know it.
This is the scary reality of what is out there to this day, and if they allow visitors to this facility it makes me wonder what else they really have that we have no clue about. How far are they willing to take things if they need to? Makes you think doesn’t it?
that was a very nice research. quiet useful.
Who said that the cold war finished?
I think it’s more alive than ever..
That’s my opinion. Great work.
Yours, Gonzalo
Lindalulul, I almost wish I hadn’t read this. I did not know any of this. I guess I didn’t want too. Why in the world are they allowing visitors in there. I would have it so closely guarded that nobody could get within a hundred miles of it.Scary stuff.
a brilliant article, amazing photos and content, great job
I don’t believe it for one second.I’ve seen those states Arizona Nevada and New Mexico.Guess what they are conviently close to? Mines for silver are some mineral. any one who’s seen an underground boring machine Knows it would be considered “Normal” think about this,Bunkers and concrete have been around for a very very long time.Hitler had bunkers we didn’t know about do you really think we don’t have ones they dont know about.The people collecting uranium for Fat Man and Little Boy didn’t even know what they were doing.I never believed it and I never will.besides it doesn’t matter anyway, we have nuclear subs with 24 missiles each, all over the world at any given moment, don’t fool your selves if you think we’re alone.I believe we are close, very close in fact to WWIII.The Chinese Surplus money will be vaporized.The Bailout money does not even exist.Think about it,no money will ever change hands,just electronically generated fantasy money.The FDIC broke every trading law there is when the took over and flipped Wamu.They’re LYING.All that money is going to THE GOVERNMENT.WHY did every thing fall apart in perfect order of the most unimaginable way possible,unthinkable fashion.Anybody seeing a pattern here?95% of the wealth is owned by less than 5% of the population.That was BEFORE!! Russia Comunist,China Comunist South Korea Comunist,Iran,would ally against us in a heartbeat.Most others on planet earth HATE US!! Starting to get the picture????!!! I’m the only one noticing?Be afraid be very afraid.It’s bad enough that in this day and age the President gives his speech behind 12 foot hihg bullet proof glass?Wake up!!
BoJack Cutting through the BS,No substitute and all that crap.
Hope I didn’t crap on your article,You know you can delete it I just hate the false sense of importance we THINK we have
Interesting article.
Great article except in the 3rd paragraph you state “The museum site sits some twelve miles south of Tuscan Arizona”. As a long time resident of “Tucson, Arizona” I find it a bit insulting you can’t spell the name correctly.
Great articule.
But don’t forget, the Soviets had exactly the same. Now where are all THEIR missiles?? Has Russia now accounted for them all or are they still scattered all over the old Soviet Union in now very poor ex-Soviet tinpot countries! Now THAT’S scary.
Sorry about the misspelling of Tucson, but word check did not bring it up as misspelled and because it is a word. I put in a fix so it will be all better when it is resubmitted. Sorry again!
No need to wonder if there are still silos with ICBM’s here in the U.S. Of course we still have them, this is just an older one they’ve turned into a museum. There are still more than 1000 active warheads, strapped to ICBMs and hidden in silos all over the midwest and southwest. There are twice as many ready to be fired from 18 Ohio class submarines, each of which cost hundreds of billions of dollars to build. The sad realities of post-modern life…
Good Job writing!
Nice article except its TUCSON not tuscan….
Thank you for bringing important issues like this to the attention of others. When we forget what threatens us as a species, we become more susceptible to their dangers.
Excellent article, well researched, it’s important we are aware of these situations.
You hit on some very important facts. Well researched, the public is totoally unaware of what is happening not only in this country, but around the world. Keeping us informed and spreading the information is very important, Thank You for writing this piece
very informative news
Very interesting, and what an adventure! It is awesome and terrifying the amount of power that just one of these warheads has; and to know that there are so many of them all over the globe really makes you pause and think for a moment.
Very interesting and informative article. Thank you for sharing
you made me aware to this! thanks!
Its a scary thought…
Your grammar is terrible! Who in their right mind would pay you to write a book or even a blog!! Your writing is so bad it’s difficult to read.
“…what we was about to see”. I was waiting for you to tell the reader that “you was learned something new”. Do you have all of your teeth? Are you married to your brother?
I really hope English isn’t your first language. You need to study past and present tense and the proper use of the words was and were. Please, stop writing until you learn how to do it properly.
Just a quick fact-check: The Cold War did not end in 1982. It persisted until the fall of the Soviet Union a full nine years later.
Otherwise, I really wouldn’t worry about it. Unless we elect Lex Luthor, or some similarly nefarious scoundrel, I can’t really see anyone in America launching any nuclear missiles anytime soon, and anyone with a basic understanding of the Cold War or the the concept of mutually assured destruction can see why. I mean, yeah, sure, we have enough nuclear missiles to pretty much guarantee the downfall of humanity…but who would have the desire to use them? A Bond villain maybe, but I’m reasonably confident that we aren’t about to elect Dr. No anytime soon. But, despite what some people would have you believe, the U.S. nucelar arsenal isn’t exactly a secret:
http://thebulletin.metapress.com/content/j8v4421j728q2v76/fulltext.pdf
I mean, you can google it for chrissake.
So, everyone, you can put away the tin foil—you don’t need those fancy hats as much as you think you do. No one is going to nuke anybody else (at least until some wingnut like Kim Jong Il gets one…then all bets are off).
Besides, on a less realistic note and a more philosophical one, why worry? The vast majority of the population will never be involved in nuclear affairs (and thank God) and none of us really have any control over what happens to/with them. Might as well forget about it and go on living your life without the constant fear of global eradication looming over your everyday actions.
P.S. To the above comment, Frank – to be fair to lindalulu, she obviously wasn’t aware that the Commissioner of the Grammar Police would be passing through this way. If I have made any grammar mistakes in my comment, I would certainly appreciate it if you would lend your obvious expertise and counsel me in my poor, misguided usage of the English language. You, sir, are truly a credit to your kind. The sheer nobility of your quest, selflessly traveling from blog to blog, correcting grammar mistakes for the betterment of mankind. It must be hard when you get fanmail from the adoring followers you undoubtedly have…you know, having to correct each and every one. Your devotion to this, your dignified deputation of dialect, your valiant venture of the vernacular, has truly and deeply touched and inspired me.
I wish you luck on your mission, Frank. God bless.