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imprezawrxsti
     
location:
Portland, OR
Gender: Male
nothing is true; everything is permitted
 |  |  | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 20 on 9/2/2008 7:11 AM >
|  | | | Posted by freeside
This was down at the antenna silo end of the site, but I'm not sure what these were used for...
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i'm pretty sure those are calibration targets for the guidance radars. they'd lock on to those targets which were at a known bearing and azimuth, and then use that data to plot the trajectory of the missiles.
do you know how to waltz? |
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freeside
location:
Northern California
Gender: Male
eh vigo!
| | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 21 on 9/2/2008 7:15 AM >
| | | | Posted by imprezawrxsti
i'm pretty sure those are calibration targets for the guidance radars. they'd lock on to those targets which were at a known bearing and azimuth, and then use that data to plot the trajectory of the missiles.
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prez: Cool. Thanks for confirmation. That's what I figured. For some reason I thought they were much farther away from the silos themselves so I got confused.
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/-/ooligan
location:
Las Vegas area
Gender: Male
When in danger, when in doubt, RUN IN CIRCLES, SCREAM AND SHOUT!
| | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 22 on 9/3/2008 8:48 AM >
| | | | Here's what one at a former Schilling AFB Atlas-F site looks like.
The poor guys that did the calibration would often be standing at these things for hours at all hours of the day & night, & regardless of the weather, to align the ICBM's guidance system.
A couple recent issues of the Association of Air Force Missileers newsletters go into great technical detail about these.
You can also still find such things around Nike IFCs.
/-/oolie
There are no stupid questions, just stupid people. |
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IDChris
location:
Southern Idaho Wasteland
Gender: Male
| | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 23 on 9/3/2008 6:11 PM >
| | | | Posted by Dutch3
The Chico site is pretty much verboten. It seems like there is a college student being rescued there every year. It is high on the radar of local law enforcement.
I have been near the Buttes site, but those rice farmers and duck hunters all pack shotguns...'nuff said.
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The Chico site was an easy exploration some 17 years ago, you could walk up to the stairs and walk right down, until a college student fell through an elevator opening. Since then, it's been tightened up, maybe sealed. After that incident, the only entry was repel down the open silos or intake shaft or hotwire the CAT to lift the hatch.
This site is pretty stripped, trashed, and blackened. Silos and equipment rooms partially flooded.
EDIT: Pulled up a Live Maps of the Chico site. Guess a lot has changed. Didn't know about the house, but they sure cleaned it up, closed the silo doors, and filled in the holes and trenches. The house looks to be over the control dome.
[last edit 9/3/2008 6:26 PM by IDChris - edited 1 times]
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kbower
location:
Whittier, Ca
Gender: Male
| |  | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 24 on 9/9/2008 7:51 PM >
| | | | Posted by freeside
I visited the Lincoln, CA site on Sunday. The rumors are true, it's full of water. No one I know had physically verified they were flooded, so I had to go take a look.
Water was about 15 - 20ft from the surface of all the ventilation shafts. I check the powerhouse exhaust and intake shafts, and the LOx fill and vent shafts. All the same.
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When you saw the water, could you see through it? Was it really murky, or had the debris settled to the bottom? If so, I am a SCUBA diver..... could be interesting to see what is down there.
I haven't seen one of these sites yet, but would love to. How deep are the shafts?
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freeside
location:
Northern California
Gender: Male
eh vigo!
| | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 25 on 9/9/2008 8:23 PM >
| | | | Posted by kbower
When you saw the water, could you see through it? Was it really murky, or had the debris settled to the bottom? If so, I am a SCUBA diver..... could be interesting to see what is down there.
I haven't seen one of these sites yet, but would love to. How deep are the shafts?
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When I was at the other site, the water had settled out and was fairly clear for about 10-15 feet in some areas. The main silos are around 160' deep. The ventilation shafts I inspected at the Lincoln site are around 40' - 50' deep, but I can't tell you if it was clear water there. It was just about dark and I was peering through grating without a flashlight! Just enough to verify that it was totally flooded.
Most of the tunnels are at a level of 40' - 60' below ground.
High risk combined with low reward IMHO make the attraction of SCUBA next to zero for me. I dive up in the murky Norcal waters spearfishing but have never done any wreck diving. From my experience at the other site, the best you would see is rusty tunnels and empty rooms.
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imprezawrxsti
location:
Portland, OR
Gender: Male
nothing is true; everything is permitted
| | | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 26 on 9/9/2008 8:47 PM >
| | | | Posted by kbower
When you saw the water, could you see through it? Was it really murky, or had the debris settled to the bottom? If so, I am a SCUBA diver..... could be interesting to see what is down there.
I haven't seen one of these sites yet, but would love to. How deep are the shafts?
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I heard someone turned a Titan I in Washington state into an indoor SCUBA tank. 160' is a loooot of water.
do you know how to waltz? |
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ToddyToddTodd
location:
Sacramento Valley
Gender: Male
Sutter Buttes Titan Site
| | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 27 on 9/10/2008 1:33 AM >
|  | | |
| When you saw the water, could you see through it? Was it really murky, or had the debris settled to the bottom? If so, I am a SCUBA diver..... could be interesting to see what is down there. |
This is a picture inside an antenna terminal at Sutter Buttes site. That dark line near the top rung of the ladder is the water line. I'd say that the water is clear enough to dive in, if you've got light.
ToddyTT |
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IDChris
location:
Southern Idaho Wasteland
Gender: Male
| | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 28 on 9/10/2008 10:38 PM >
| | | | Posted by kbower
When you saw the water, could you see through it? Was it really murky, or had the debris settled to the bottom? If so, I am a SCUBA diver..... could be interesting to see what is down there.
I haven't seen one of these sites yet, but would love to. How deep are the shafts?
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The Chico site is also flooded, but not completely. The silo bottoms and the lower level of all the equipment terminals were inaccessible. The water level varied seasonally. The water was clear, but diving in there with all the jagged junk would be insane.
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/-/ooligan
location:
Las Vegas area
Gender: Male
When in danger, when in doubt, RUN IN CIRCLES, SCREAM AND SHOUT!
| | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 29 on 9/11/2008 6:58 AM >
| | | | Posted by ToddyToddTodd
This is a picture inside an antenna terminal at Sutter Buttes site. That dark line near the top rung of the ladder is the water line. I'd say that the water is clear enough to dive in, if you've got light.
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I don't want to sound like an old geezer trying to lecture people here, but any of us would be INSANE to seriously think we could show up there with some dive gear & explore away...
'Clear' water isn't helpful. It could still be highly contaminated with TCEs, etc. that could directly harm you, or indirectly harm you by negatively affecting your dive gear (eating thru the thin rubber membrane of your regulator's diaphramn, etc.). There's enough metal inside a missile site that even if things look clear because sediment has settled to the bottom, your air bubble exhaust is going to hit the steel above you & cause rust/sediment to fall, silting-out the liquid. Running a penetration line would be extremely difficult due to the sharp metal. I cold go on, but anyone who is a certified diver & has some basic familiarity with underground missile sites should already understand.
I'm not going to ramble on, but it's a closed-environment in a HAZMAT, so unless you've got extensive technical diving training, experience & equipment (including a dry-suit & rebreather) let's please not get carried away (pun intended...).
Here's an article about the old Larson AFB Titan annex (site 568-3) Titan site in Washington that was a dive operation. Doesn't seem like it still is, based on my Google searches.
/-/oolie
Certified SCUBA diver since 1978
PADI Divemaster / Master Diver
IANTD Nitrox & Technical Nitrox
TDI Extended Range & Deep Wreck
NACD Cave Diver
etc.
http://web.archive...es/2003/0120-1.php
There are no stupid questions, just stupid people. |
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/-/ooligan
location:
Las Vegas area
Gender: Male
When in danger, when in doubt, RUN IN CIRCLES, SCREAM AND SHOUT!
| | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 30 on 9/11/2008 7:19 AM >
| | | | Posted by /-/ooligan
/-/oolie
Certified SCUBA diver since 1978
PADI Divemaster / Master Diver
IANTD Nitrox & Technical Nitrox
TDI Extended Range & Deep Wreck
NACD Cave Diver
etc.
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I suppose most importantly, I should add that I've recovered the remains of a SCUBA diver who died attempting something beyond their training/experience/equipment/conditions. Ascending while holding on to a dead body (no body-bag on me, sorry...) with open eyes, and then having bubbles coming out of it's mouth (gas expansion during ascent) is not a fun memory, so I'm a wee bit hyper-sensitive about such things.
There are no stupid questions, just stupid people. |
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ToddyToddTodd
location:
Sacramento Valley
Gender: Male
Sutter Buttes Titan Site
| | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 31 on 9/11/2008 5:03 PM >
| | | |
| I suppose most importantly, I should add that I've recovered the remains of a SCUBA diver who died attempting something beyond their training/experience/equipment/conditions. Ascending while holding on to a dead body (no body-bag on me, sorry...) with open eyes, and then having bubbles coming out of it's mouth (gas expansion during ascent) is not a fun memory, so I'm a wee bit hyper-sensitive about such things. |
There is no way you could get me to dive in there. You asked about water clarity, so I posted a picture of the water. Only a fool will dive in there. It's good that you posted that info because I wouldn't want to give someone the idea that it would be safe to do. We all know that some fools check out our forums
ToddyTT |
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kbower
location:
Whittier, Ca
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 32 on 9/12/2008 6:52 PM >
| | | | I haven't been to a Titan site yet, was just asking about the SCUBA part because I have done a couple wreck dives, and they are awesome. There is a really eerie feeling being in a place that once housed so much activity, and to be underwater.
A small water sample could show toxicity levels of the water. And after doing some wreck dives myself, I would be confident in my ability to maneuver around.
The fact that it is underwater means it has been relatively undisturbed for quite some time. That intrigues me in itself.
I know the proper planning for such high risk adventures. I am not saying that I am going to, being 160 feet deep presents many challenges. I only do non decompression dives, and my charts only go to 130 ft, and says only 5 min at that depth.
Obviously the depth alone makes it not feasible.
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junkyard
location:
LaCrosse, WI
Gender: Male
Strategic Beer Command where the metal hits the meat.
| | | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 33 on 9/13/2008 4:56 PM >
| | | | I've got a plan then. Run a pipe to the bottom, get a tanker truck full of beer and run the beer to the bottom of the silo under pressure. Huh Huh.....beer pressure... That will force all the nasty water out and leave a silo full of beer.....sweet beer....Then it would not be such a hazardous environment at all. I know plenty of guys who would dive in there. And a few who would suck it back out of that pipe and then you could rap down in a dry silo. Or I suppose one could go to a less flooded and more accessable site.......
I drink gasoline for breakfeast and beer for dinner!
Any problem can be licked with a case of beer and a few sticks of dynamite.
Strategic Beer Command ruling the desert since 1995 http://www.strategic-beer-command.com |
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imprezawrxsti
location:
Portland, OR
Gender: Male
nothing is true; everything is permitted
| | | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 34 on 9/13/2008 6:16 PM >
| | | | Posted by junkyard
I've got a plan then. Run a pipe to the bottom, get a tanker truck full of beer and run the beer to the bottom of the silo under pressure. Huh Huh.....beer pressure... That will force all the nasty water out and leave a silo full of beer.....sweet beer....Then it would not be such a hazardous environment at all. I know plenty of guys who would dive in there. And a few who would suck it back out of that pipe and then you could rap down in a dry silo. Or I suppose one could go to a less flooded and more accessable site.......
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i, for one, vote beer.
do you know how to waltz? |
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RailGuy88
This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
location:
Where you're not...
Gender: Male
| | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 35 on 9/14/2008 4:59 AM >
| | | | Posted by junkyard
I've got a plan then...
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only junkyard... 
Going where others can't... |
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Swiffer
location:
Smithfield, VA
High Priest, First National Church of Bacon
| | | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 36 on 11/4/2008 7:52 AM >
| | | | I'm actually planning on taking a tour of the facility outside Live Oak (851-2) in six months. It's just a matter of timing and resources. Still trying to find transportation to get there, even though it's relatively local. Todd, do you've any recommendations of a proper method of approach to the complex? We're not sure if we're going to take a rapid 'in & out' tour, or an extended stay. Preferably the latter so we can use the cover of darkness to mask our presence.
[last edit 11/4/2008 7:53 AM by Swiffer - edited 1 times]
We avoid risks in life so we can make it safely to death.
Don't fuck with Uncle Bob when he's been drinking.
BUTTHURT! BUTTHURT EVERYWHERE! |
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ToddyToddTodd
location:
Sacramento Valley
Gender: Male
Sutter Buttes Titan Site
| | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 37 on 11/4/2008 5:13 PM >
| | | |
| Todd, do you've any recommendations of a proper method of approach to the complex? We're not sure if we're going to take a rapid 'in & out' tour, or an extended stay. Preferably the latter so we can use the cover of darkness to mask our presence. |
Shoot me a message and I'll give detailed directions, including where to park
ToddyTT |
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Swiffer
location:
Smithfield, VA
High Priest, First National Church of Bacon
| | | Re: Titan Missile Site
<Reply # 39 on 11/6/2008 5:08 AM >
| | | | I've seen what you've seen from above. Unfortunately, my friend and I weren't equipped at the time to make a successful entry. This time is a whole other matter. My friend isn't overweight and is actually genuine intrigued in exploring (NOT VANDALIZING!) the complex.
We avoid risks in life so we can make it safely to death.
Don't fuck with Uncle Bob when he's been drinking.
BUTTHURT! BUTTHURT EVERYWHERE! |
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