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Nike Missile Site SF-88 (near San Franciso)


viking73
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On my trip out to the west coast last week, I was able to visit Nike Missile site SF-88 at the Marin Headlands near San Francisco, on the grounds of the old Fort Barry. The launch site is in great shape. The elevator down to the underground missile magazine works (you stand on this to take a ride down into the magazine) as does the mechanism to rotate the missile up to it's 88 degree firing stance.

 

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Here's an overall shot I took later on that day from up on the hillside.

 

 

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The site is well worth the visit if you are in the area.

 

-Derek

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It's great to see one of these sites so well preserved.

 

These were a part of the landscape when I was growing up. Often you could only get a glimpse of them through the trees, and rarely did you see the missiles deployed. (I actually saw more of these raised and in battery in Germany than I did in the States.)

 

It's odd to think we had these things literally in our neighborhoods. I suppose it wasn't until I was older that I realized their meaning.

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Misanthropic_Gods

OUTSTANDING! I WISH we had a site like that here in the midwest, especially in the Chicago defensive area most of the battery and IFC sites were just left to rot, then bought and built over. Its a real shame, we had a near virgin site less than 1/2 mile away from me until 2002 when the land was bought and a HUGE building plunked down right on top of it.

 

Just gotta love those B-E-A-utiful Hercs! Did they have any of the Ajax series on display at all, or just the Hercules?

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Nice photographs, I visited the exterior of the site years ago before its restoration. :thumbsup:

 

 

Very cool - did you take any photos at that time that you can post here? I'd love to see them if you have any.

 

-Derek

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Just gotta love those B-E-A-utiful Hercs! Did they have any of the Ajax series on display at all, or just the Hercules?

 

 

I think they just had the Hercules series there on display, I didn't notice any Ajax series.

 

-Derek

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That entire headlands area is a heaven for military adventurers... spent many a happy hour in, on and around the hills, emplacements and buildings there.

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Amazing Pictures you have got there i like them a lot,

 

Thanks for sharing Very Nice indeed well done :thumbsup: ..

 

Very Cool..

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OUTSTANDING! I WISH we had a site like that here in the midwest, especially in the Chicago defensive area most of the battery and IFC sites were just left to rot, then bought and built over.

 

I grew up in northwest Indiana. There was a site in rural Portage to protect the steel mills (unfortunately, they couldn't protect them from the invasion of Japanese steel :)). Also, lots of flat, concrete roads to allow planes to land. At one time, the school system used the large concrete pad of the site for a drivers education site.

 

Tim

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Misanthropic_Gods
I grew up in northwest Indiana. There was a site in rural Portage to protect the steel mills (unfortunately, they couldn't protect them from the invasion of Japanese steel :)). Also, lots of flat, concrete roads to allow planes to land. At one time, the school system used the large concrete pad of the site for a drivers education site.

 

Tim

 

 

 

Yep, that concrete pad you speak of is the Hobart/Wheeler C-47 launch site, it was used as the driving course for the local high schools for years, but the owner put a stop to that I guess. it is private property and has been for some time. I have been trying to get a name from the county land ownership archives, but im having a hell of a time pinning down the actual street address for it.

 

I have had that one scoped for a while...it is one of the most intact launch sites in the area. It's a bit of a drive so I havent made it down that way yet...but its on my list! There are a few building husks on site, but the area has been pretty overgrown with grasses.

 

A funny little tidbit, the C-47 IFC site has been bought and made into a paintball/airsoft field.

 

Thanks for mentioning this one!

 

 

Here is a sat image of the site as it is today

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the other day above nike base sf88 was showen on the local pbs station ..it was on for a hour and it was pretty good show about the whole system and showedhow it worked..

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Manchu Warrior

Since I read this thread the first time I have been curious about the base that was outside of Baltimore when I was a kid. The base was known as Nike Missile Base BA-79 and it was located in Granite, MD. I looked into it and the base has been closed since 1974 but the US Army still owns the property and the Maryland State police now use it for some kind of training. And supposedly most of the original buildings are still in place. And my brother-in-law just happens to be a State Trooper so I thought just maybe he can get me on the base to look around. I also found an interesting article online about a restored missile base on the East coast. The base was known as Nike Missile Base HM-69 and it is located within the Everglades National Park in Florida and it is open to the public. So, anyone who is interested in this type of base does not have to travel to California to visit one.

http://jasonjeffrey.wordpress.com/2009/03/...h-the-cold-war/

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Manchu Warrior

I just realized that the photo they used in the article about the base in the Florida was actually an old photo that was taken at the base I was referring to in Maryland. I had assumed that the photo was taken at the base in Florida so I am not so sure how restored the site happens to be :think: .

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