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Location DB >
United States >
Georgia >
Byron >
Nike Site R88
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Publically Viewable |
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This location has been labeled as Demolished, and therefore can be viewed by anyone.
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Radar towers, old buildings, and remains of bunkers.
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Type: Building
Status: Demolished
Accessibility: Moderate
Recommendation: forget it
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rust
unsafe flooring
water
air quality
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Radar towers, bunkers, guard shacks, other misc buildings.
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fences
barbed wire
part-time guard
locked gates
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The R-88 base (R is the military designation for the area missiles were protecting) was where Nike Hercules air defense missiles were stationed along with 160 or so Army personnel from 1960-1966. It was the first above-ground Nike Hercules base constructed by ARADCOM (Army Air Defense Command) in the United States.
The Nike Hercules was a more reliable version of the older Nike Ajax. It resembled a cone with four cylinders behind it.
The Nike Hercules had a 75 mile range according to the Redstone Arsenal. Thus at the Byron base it could defend an area from Athens to Albany to Vidalia GA. Targets as high as 25 miles could be downed. Its altitude was 150,000 feet. The speed was Mach 3.65. The Improved Hercules added measures against jamming. An anti-missile variant, Nike Zeus, was tested but not fielded. Fortunately the only firings of the Nike Hercules were practice rounds against remotely controlled drones at SNAP (Short Notice Annual Practice) sessions in Texas.
The missile was powered by solid propellants. It was manufactured by Douglas (now Boeing) Aircraft Company in Santa Monica, CA. Booster propulsion came from Hercules Powder Company and the sustainer was from Thiokol Chemical Company. Guidance came from Western Electric Company.
Either conventional fragmentation or nuclear warheads were carried. Nuclear warheads were designed to obliterate entire formations of bombers. 33 missiles were stockpiled on the site with 12 readied to launch
Dimensions were 41 feet in length and 31.5 inches in diameter. Wingspan was 6 feet, 2 inches. Guidance was command-based; that is, the radars tracked the missile and the target and by using computers arranged a bumpy relationship with missile and target by vectoring in the missile.
(information from website listed)
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Unfortunately, the site has now been taken over by some sort of restaraunt salvage/storage company. They have stuffed most of the buildings full of old scrap and junk. The only buildings still worth seeing are the old radar towers and maybe a building or two.
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The moderator rating is a neutral rating of the content quality, photography, and coolness of this location.
This location has not yet been rated by a moderator.
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This location's validation is current. It was last validated by
Emperor Wang on 5/26/2013 10:58 PM.
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on May 26 13 at 22:58, Emperor Wang validated this location
on May 7 13 at 2:46, dammband changed the following: Status, Recommendation
on Jan 12 07 at 4:39, Emperor Wang validated this location
on Jan 12 07 at 4:15, westover18 changed the following: History
on Mar 27 06 at 23:21, Mutt validated this location
on Jan 13 06 at 6:32, westover18 changed the following: Display Name
on Jan 12 06 at 22:44, westover18 made this location available
on Jan 12 06 at 22:44, westover18 updated gallery picture DSC01254.JPG
on Jan 12 06 at 22:43, westover18 updated gallery picture DSC01241.JPG
on Jan 12 06 at 22:43, westover18 updated gallery picture DSC01237.JPG
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