Major Locales of the Titan I Complex

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Utilities Tunnels

Top down view of the utilities tunnel showing its basic structure and 2 corners: one of 33 degrees just beyond level II of the equipment terminal on the right, and one of 22 degrees as it enters the missile silo.


T
he utilities tunnels are simple interconnecting tunnel structures consisting of a standard 9'6" diameter type "A"  personnel tunnel made of corrugated steel sections with 6 inches of concrete in the bottom to make a level floor.

 

Each of the missile silos and equipment terminals were connected by these tunnels from level II on the equipment terminal to about 60 feet down on the inside of the missile silo where it emerged next to the fuel crib.

 

As the name suggests these tunnels carried various utilities and services from the equipment terminal into the missile silo and in some cases, directly to the missile itself.

 

Tunnel section of the utilities tunnel at the firewall located 10 feet before the missile silo which shows openings and penetrations for power, AC, guidance, hydraulic lines and other plumbing and services.

Services running through these tunnels included air conditioning, power, water, guidance signals, hydraulic lines, utility air for powering pneumatically controlled dampers and actuators and other cabling and plumbing.

These pictures are of 724-C from launchers #1 and #2.  Launcher #3 was flooded such that the entire utilities tunnel and in fact the bottom 2 levels of the equipment terminal were flooded.  Launcher #2 was also very wet and the lowest level (level I) of the equipment terminal was completely flooded.

Looking into Equipment Terminal Level III from inside the Utilities Tunnel

As you can see, even after salvage that the tunnels were pretty crowded with cable trays, conduit and ductwork.  The above photo shows insulated heating and cooling air ductwork for the missile at the upper left and cable trays below.  Top middle you see what are most likely supply ducting to the missile silo itself and hydraulic lines and more cable tray on the right.

Cable trays and ductwork inside the Utilities Tunnel.  This view looks back toward the equipment terminal.

Further along the tunnel moving toward the missile silo the ceiling is rather low in this area and the floor immediately becomes a muddy mess of mineral salts and rusty water leaking in from somewhere near the silo.

Looking toward the missile silo, more cable tray and ductwork.  You can also see the "Rust Slush" on the floor here.  This was a mixture of accumulated mineral salts from infiltrating ground water and rust  mingled into a crimson rime on the floor that looked like rusty shaved ice.

Closer to the missile silo the rusty mud becomes deeper and running water can be heard.  These pictures were taken in the Spring so melting snow was dripping in from all around the silo doors through many other leaks.  At this time, the water level in the facility was up significantly from my mid-Winter visits.

The steel firewall with its very, very narrow and short doorway, about 18" wide and 4' tall.  Beyond the doorway to the Lolipop Guild is the missile silo.

About 7/8ths of the way along the tunnel there is a steel firewall to protect the equipment terminal.  This firewall is riddled with penetrations for all the cables, ducts and conduit to pass through to the missile silo.  Here you can see the very narrow access door in the firewall.  No 300lb. man is going to get through that opening!  The tiny door was removed during scrapping and is visible on the right in the above photo.

A severed wave guide on the missile silo side of the utilities tunnel firewall.  A wave guide is a conduit that carries a microwave signal-- a hollow tube that maintains the waveform of the wave's frequency and amplitude.  In this case it carried the guidance data that was transmitted to the missile's guidance package, including the trajectory and target.

Once there were a lot of cables passing through here-- valuable copper long since salvaged, leaving these vacant holes through the firewall.

Warning tag on a wave guide just past the firewall on the silo side.  This wave guide carried a microwave signal from the AGE (Aerospace Ground Equipment) in the Equipment Terminal to the missile guidance package.


Looking into the utilities tunnel from the silo side of the firewall.  You can see a lot more "Rust Slush" on the floor here closer to where the ground water was leaking into the site from the junction between the tunnel and the missile silo.

This is where the water was entering the tunnel and the silo, right where the tunnel and the silo met.  The heavy neoprene water stop seal which is designed to keep water out and allow for slight settling and movement of the 2 structures relative to each other had failed and water poured in through the tear.  The water pooled on the floor and ran over the nearby ledge into the silo which was deeply flooded and collecting numerous leaks from the doors 60 feet above.

Looking into the missile silo from the utilities tunnel.  A flexible air conditioning conduit hangs at center.  This insulated conduit carried a supply of climate-controlled air for the missile that would disconnect at launch time.

Here, the end of the tunnel abruptly drops into the open silo.  There may have once been a guardrail or safety chain back in the operational days of the site, but now there is only open space with wet slippery footing with a terrible drop to the water below.  Above and to the sides of the tunnel opening the ductwork branches off in all directions and the fuel cribwork extends down into the dark water on the right.

Looking from inside the utilities tunnel onto the fuel crib's topmost platform.  An RP-1 line used to connect the to vessel at right by a stainless steel braided flexible connection.


Looking at the opening of the utilities tunnel from the fuel crib platform.  You can see 4 rows of cable trays with AC ductwork above in this picture.


Looking at the opening of the utilities tunnel from the fuel crib.  You can see how the infiltrating water has been running over the edge of the tunnel entrance and into the silo.  This is just one of many routes by which water enters the missile silo and has been doing so for decades.

This is where all the water runs over the edge into the silo--officially the end of the line for the utilities tunnel.

 

From here you can click on the map below to explore other nearby areas or go to the main map to check out other regions of the Titan I complex:


Current Location: Utilities Tunnels

Blast Lock #1 Blast Lock #2 Main Map Launcher Area Air Filtration Launcher Area Air Filtration Fuel Terminal Power House Air Intake Power House LOX Bay #1 LOX Bay #3 Equipment Terminal #1 Missile Silo #1 Propellant Terminal #1 LOX Tunnel #1 Propellant Terminal #3 Missile Silo #3 Equipment Terminal #3 LOX Tunnel #3 Utilities Tunnel #1 Utilities Tunnel #3 Launcher Tunnels Launcher Tunnels Launcher Tunnels Launcher Tunnels Launcher Tunnels

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