Major Locales of the Titan I Complex

| Portal | Main Tunnel Junction | Control Center | Power House | Antenna Terminal |

| Fuel Terminal | Blast Locks | Launcher Air Filtration | Propellant Terminals |

| Equipment Terminals | Missile Silos |


| Home | Map | Site Updates | 3D Model |

.


Blast Locks

When all the doors and access to the Titan I complex are closed and locked, the site is considered to be "Hard" indicating that it is safeguarded to the highest degree possible against attack.

 

When a silo, antenna silo, portal elevator or any other access to the interior of the complex is open, the site is considered vulnerable to attack and is "Soft".

 

The complex is basically a series of inter-connecting tubes, and if a nuclear explosion were to occur near the site while soft without any safeguards, the enormous pressure from the blast could potentially travel down through any openings wreaking destruction on the complex.

 

Similarly, liquid-fueled rockets are extremely dangerous.  Liquid oxygen in particular, is highly reactive and quite touchy about how it is stored and handled.  There is every reason to believe that through accident or extreme misfortune that a deeply disconcerting explosion (with loud report) could result from inside the complex owing to the cantankerous nature of the propellants or other volatile substances in abundance throughout.

 

The gravity these realities were not lost on the designers who were charged with keeping the site operational and the crew alive under the extremely adverse conditions of a nuclear war.

 

Enter the blast locks-- their job is to contain or minimize damage to the complex.  They work by simply isolating the missile launchers from each other and the rest of the complex from the launchers using a set of 2 interlocking blast doors in a corridor.  Electronically the blast doors are controlled so that only one door can be open at once ensuring that there is never an open passage connecting the tunnels on both sides of the blast lock.

 

With the blast locks an explosion at launcher #1 should be contained instead of sending a wave of devastation down the tunnels to the other 2 launchers and the rest of the complex.  Launch capability would be maintained despite the loss of 1 or even 2 missiles.

Fig. 5 Blast Locks #1 and #2

Blast lock #1 is shown at left above and actually comprises 2 locks leading to launchers #2 and #3.  The blast doors are at either end of the narrow corridors.  Blast lock #2 leads to launcher #1 and for some odd reason is the first of the 2 along the launcher tunnel.

Looking through a time portal towards blast lock #2.

 

Another poorly-lit look back in time showing blast lock #2.  The piping here is routed around the emergency escape hatch.  The tunnel to the surface was filled with sand to protect it from a blast.  A winch lowered the hatch safely as the sand poured in and the tunnel cleared.  It is about 5 stories of ladder climbing to the surface from here.

Blast lock #2 today.  The escape hatch hangs opens allowing 40 years of rain into the complex.  The opening at the surface is covered by a multi-ton block of reinforced concrete.

 

The escape tunnel claims a fair number of unfortunate rabbits who undoubtedly dive for cover under the concrete blocking the opening and fall to their doom in blast lock #2.  A small pile of corpses in various stages of liquefaction rests directly underneath the open hatch.  Yuck.

 

The blast doors are to the left in the above picture.  Straight ahead leads to blast lock #1 and launchers #2 and #3.

 

A better view of the escape hatch.  To the left is blast lock #1 and to the right is the fuel terminal and the main tunnel junction.

 

One more shot of the escape hatch.  Last one, I promise.  Curiously enough, the electrical cable in the right foreground snakes through the complex and up to the surface.  Not sure what it was for specifically, or why it was circuitously routed as it was through the tunnels and not down the entry portal.  Curiouser and curiouser...

The opening to the first blast door is shown here along with the devastated blast lock.  I had to tiptoe carefully along support beams in most of this area though a few bits of flooring remained as demonstrated by the apparition standing right of center.

Above the door is a painted sign that reads "Launcher Area No. 1", which would seem unnecessary but I must admit that the complex can be very very disorienting to traverse.  Many times I have taken a wrong turn and found myself pushing deeper into the tunnels instead of moving towards the exit as intended.  

A view of the first blast door heavily exfoliating lead-based paint to mingle with the asbestos and other lovely contaminants found all around.  The door still swings smoothly on its hinges-- they just don't make blast doors like they used to.

 

Here a friendly silo gnome leads the way through the second blast door and onward to launcher #1

From here you can move on to the launcher area, head to blast lock #1, or select another location below.

 


Current Location: Blast Lock #2

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

Where would you like to go next?

                                        


| Contact | Site Map | Links |

Hosted by InfoBunker