Atlas Sites

Atlas Sites, 1961, a 12-missile Atlas F ICBM squadron (the 556th Strategic Missile Squadron) became operational 1 October 1961 at Plattsburgh AFB, NY,. The Atlas Fs were removed from alert on 25 June 1965. Ten of these 12 sites are in New York State, the other two in Vermont. The New York sites were at (1) Champlain, (4) Willsboro, (5) Lewis, (6) Au Sable Forks, (7) Riverview, (8) Redford, (9) Dannemora, (10) Brainardsville, (11) Ellenburg Depot, and (12) Mooers. The first Atlas F missile system was built in 1960, after a short operational period, was decommissioned in 1965. These sites were the first of the "super hardened"; missile silos, built to withstand a 200 pound per square inch blast. There is one reported in Saranac Lake area not listed in official records.
General Layout: These sites consist of several general elements: Command Building: Two stories 40 feet in diameter. Access was by stairs and through two blast proof doors. Approximately 2,363 square feet of floor space not including stairway or vestibule. Due to the insulation of the earth, heating and cooling needs were minimal.
Missile Silo: The missile silo was a huge structure 50 feet in diameter and approximately 185 feet deep. Access was from a 40 foot tunnel leading from the command building stairway. Missile silo had an approximate volume of 363,062 cubic feet.
Land: Land typically was 19-21 acres. Originally, the inner 5 acres of these sites were surrounded by a barbed wire topped chain link fence.
Status: All sites are now in private ownership, all materials were salavaged before they were sold but the structures remain intact as last reported in 1996.
For more Infomation go to www.siloworld.com (Link will open new window.)

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