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UER Forum > Archived US: Pacific Southwest > Former Almaden Air Force Station Bomb Shelter (Viewed 693 times)
/-/ooligan 


Location: Las Vegas area
Gender: Male


When in danger, when in doubt, RUN IN CIRCLES, SCREAM AND SHOUT!

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Former Almaden Air Force Station Bomb Shelter
< on 9/20/2006 8:44 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I know lots of people have been up to the former AFS, atop Mt Umunhum near San Jose.

I was extremely lucky to be a member of a very small group that was asked by a USAF museum to explore the site & try to locate any remains suitable for display in the out-of-state museum a couple years ago. Therefore, we were given carte-blanche access by the Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District managers & Rangers, who opened the various gates along the access road, and opened some secured structures for us at the site.

I am not advocating trespassing there, but I WILL say that those of you who have hiked up there to sneak a peek are highly motivated!

The Almaden AFS Alumni group just recently had a reunion in San Jose, and were able to spend some time at the site. Here's the web page URL with their photos:

http://www.jaber.net/AAFS-Reunion-2006/

And now here are some of my photos. We got inside all of the "important" structures, but unfortunately, due to scrappers, vandals, & nature, we didn't really locate anything of particular significance, other than some of the artwork on the walls.

The MROSD would LOVE to be able to open that property up for public use, but right now, it's just way too dangerous with the asbestos-laden decaying structures, and they don't have enough $$$ to properly remove them.

I can't elaborate in an open forum, but um...yes, as some of you who have talked about or heard the rumors, a few of the people who live on the mountain are well beyond just eccentric, and downright scary/potentially dangerous.


Here are a couple of the 350 images I took at the site.

I'm specifically including images of the interior of the bomb shelter in the hopes it'll satisfy everyone's curiosity about it & remove any temptation to break something in order to t6ry to see the inside. It's like a little Quonset hut buried underground, with a stairway entrance that has a decon shower & a dogleg hallway. Once inside, there's the air filtration stuff, then a small kitchen area, primitive toilet, & then an open space that was probably for personnel to work/hang out in, followed by two doors opening up to a larger, open room where they probably would have had cots, with an emergency escape hatch at the end.

Seems like most AFSs did have some sort of bomb shelter similar to this in the Technical area, near the Ops Blockhouse. Certainly not large enough for all the staff or any families, I think it was for key operations staff, and I've been told that when operational, the sites did have a few emergency radar consoles & communication gear inside the shelter, but I've never seen ANY evidence (heavy-duty power circuits), just some extra phone lines inside.

Damn, I shouldajust lied & said I jogged up the access road to the old AFS, & picked the lock(s) to get into the Bomb Shleter, etc. Then you all would have thought I was super elite & all the women would want me. Oh well...



The Operations Blockhouse, with the FPS-24 Radar Tower (aka 'The Monolith') in background
69280.jpg (74 kb, 1280x960)
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Old Frame Room (phone/data lines) inside Ops Blockhouse
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Room inside Ops Blockhouse
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Radar Room (aka 'Scope Dope' or 'Black' Room) inside Ops Blockhouse
69283.jpg (58 kb, 1280x960)
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Double Doors separating wake/sleep sections of Bomb shelter
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Wonderful toilet inside Bomb Shelter
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Far end, looking forward in Bomb Shelter. Escape Hatch cover on left border.
69286.jpg (55 kb, 1280x960)
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From the double doors, looking back in Bomb Shelter. Escape Hatch near end on right.
69287.jpg (46 kb, 1280x960)
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Bomb shelter inside escape hatch. Yes, I shut/locked it after the photo!
69288.jpg (61 kb, 1280x960)
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NOT a view you want to see if you're trespassing on the roof of the big FPS-24 Radar Tower!
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Looking at the Ops Blockhoue, from the roof of the FPS-24 Radar Tower.
69291.jpg (66 kb, 1280x960)
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Cool artwork of AFS (depicting the AFS watching a bomber bomb San Jose!) in elevator of big old FPS-24 tower/building.
69292.jpg (59 kb, 960x1280)
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There are no stupid questions, just stupid people.
big dave 


Location: SoCal
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Re: Former Almaden Air Force Station Bomb Shelter
<Reply # 1 on 9/20/2006 9:00 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I like the trucks below the tower, it gives a feeling of the height of the thing. Cool story too, thanks!
[last edit 9/20/2006 9:00 AM by big dave - edited 1 times]

An armed society, is a polite society. So lets get to it!
cambrianguy 






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Re: Former Almaden Air Force Station Bomb Shelter
<Reply # 2 on 9/20/2006 1:32 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Very impressive! Would love to see more of your photos.

mattsb2000 

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Re: Former Almaden Air Force Station Bomb Shelter
<Reply # 3 on 9/20/2006 4:19 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Awesome!


I'd like to see some pictures from inside the tombstone.



I really like the last picture. That's pretty funny.

Ghettotech

<Opheliaism> you are officially more of a sick fuck than ghost killa
cambrianguy 






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Re: Former Almaden Air Force Station Bomb Shelter
<Reply # 4 on 9/20/2006 5:20 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 

I like the trucks below the tower, it gives a feeling of the height of the thing. Cool story too, thanks!


Concrete base towers used for AN/FPS-24 and AN/FPS35 long range search radars are 80 feet tall and 5 and 1/2 stories. The foundation of base is a pit filled with concrete that took a month or so fill in (cure, fill, cure, etc) with concrete.

As "moonman" stated in the main Almaden AFS thread, there was an issue with pouring the concrete where it poured out the side of the mountain unbeknownst to them half way through the pouring. I haven't seen that concrete overspill (not sure if they cleaned it up), but if it is there, it would be interesting to photograph it nonetheless.

tunnelbug 


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Re: Former Almaden Air Force Station Bomb Shelter
<Reply # 5 on 9/20/2006 5:37 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Ooligan, you have really seen some of the most coveted sites in California military history. I'm still in awe of your Titan 1 knowledge.

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HaudAccess 


Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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Re: Former Almaden Air Force Station Bomb Shelter
<Reply # 6 on 9/20/2006 5:53 PM >
Posted on Forum: Infiltration Forums
 
Nice shots! oh and thank you for saving me from the federal prison term necessary to see the inside. Have you been able to check out the ammo dumps at Fort Ord? I have heard stories from people that did their basic training there; might be interesting things still locked away.

Curiosity is natural to the soul of man and interesting objects have a powerful influence on our affections.
darkstuff 


Location: NorCal




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Re: Former Almaden Air Force Station Bomb Shelter
<Reply # 7 on 9/20/2006 6:20 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Very interesting--didn't realize there was a bomb shelter under the operations building. And a toilet can always come in handy when exploring abandonments!

Zorak 


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Re: Former Almaden Air Force Station Bomb Shelter
<Reply # 8 on 9/20/2006 6:31 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
The bomb shelter was locked up tight when I went. You can always take a crap on the roof!

www.flickr.com/photos/brokenobelisk
cambrianguy 






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Re: Former Almaden Air Force Station Bomb Shelter
<Reply # 9 on 9/20/2006 6:51 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by Zorak
The bomb shelter was locked up tight when I went. You can always take a crap on the roof!


LOL...that would be right next to the helipad where the rear air vent shaft is located. Tall weeds would get in your arse!

cambrianguy 






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Re: Former Almaden Air Force Station Bomb Shelter
<Reply # 10 on 9/22/2006 4:46 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Hooligan,

Will you be posting more pics? Would love to see more of the 350 or so you took that day. Keep 'em coming!

/-/ooligan 


Location: Las Vegas area
Gender: Male


When in danger, when in doubt, RUN IN CIRCLES, SCREAM AND SHOUT!

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Re: Former Almaden Air Force Station Bomb Shelter
<Reply # 11 on 9/22/2006 5:52 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
OK, I'll try to post more tomorrow or this weekend. I hate to be a whiner, but it is a nuisance to have to choose a pic (usually about 250 - 400KB in size), then re-save it in a lower resolution, then take a look to make sure it doesn't look too crappy, and then to try to upload it here, with at least several of the images not uploading because they're still too big.

I wish there was a setting for "Re-do this image in the best resolution you can for ###KB."

Waa waa waa...

I'll post more of the inside of the FPS-24 tower & then try to find others that are somewhat unique. Oh yeah, some of the inside of their little commissary (grocery store), with the price tags for various items still listed on the shelves & refrigerator doors.

One thing I'm curious about. The top of the FPS-24 tower had a small, rusty little tower added onto it, maybe another 30 or 40 feet tall. It was either added after the actual FPS-24 antenna (usually called a 'sail') was removed, or at least locked or frozen in place, and probably wasn't a military antenna. I'm wondering who it was for. It wasn't looking to be in great shape, so I'm assuming it's been abandoned for at least a decade. Anyone know?



There are no stupid questions, just stupid people.
cambrianguy 






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Re: Former Almaden Air Force Station Bomb Shelter
<Reply # 12 on 9/22/2006 6:50 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I use a small freeware utility called EasyThumbnails (http://www.fookes.com/ezthumbs/) to rapidly resize my photos. It's fast and works great.

I know the antenna tower mast you speak of...I can see it every day when I look at the tower when driving around town. There are no actual communications antennas up there on it. My guess is that it was erected by MidPen for their communications (since they own the land up there) but abandoned possibly to due security issues with trespassers and such.

I've seen your posts on Google Earth...can't wait to see your pics of the site. If you want, I can host them for you for free where size and resolution is of no concern.

Let me know.
[last edit 9/22/2006 6:52 AM by cambrianguy - edited 2 times]

cambrianguy 






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Re: Former Almaden Air Force Station Bomb Shelter
<Reply # 13 on 9/29/2006 3:11 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Hooligan,

Any more pics? If you don't want to resize them, send the to me and I'll do it for you. I'd be glad to. PM me.

UER Forum > Archived US: Pacific Southwest > Former Almaden Air Force Station Bomb Shelter (Viewed 693 times)



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