Titan I - Epitaph ++ Updates ++

Major Locales of the Titan I Complex

| Propellant Terminals | Equipment Terminals | Missile Silos |

Site Updates

This is a log of changes and updates to the web site listed in descending order from newest to oldest. This site is very much a Work in Progress and my work on it is ever on-going though updates may be slow.

If you are looking for what's new, you've come to the right place! Links are provided to updated material when applicable. Check back often, you never know when I'll add something new!

07/021/2010 - That Sudden Damp Feeling

A sudden water theme seems to have descended upon me lately. Last week, just before a planned trip to visit a flooded Titan I site in Washington state, I received a kind letter and this photograph from Larry at Undersea Adventures Dive Shop:

"Call Me!" - Smooth Larry picks up chicks in the most unlikely of places

I was of course delighted to receive this great photo of a diver, some 80 feet down against the monolithic backdrop of the submerged launcher silo cribwork. Only days later, I would find myself braving the dark waters of this same silo in a kayak. Sadly I have no diving experience so I had to remain above the water, but I did of course document the adventure digitally so I may share it with you later. (at the cost of a dear digital camera which sadly took a dip in the decidedly non-therapeutic waters of propellant terminal #2. It will be deeply missed.)

So, if you want to see a Titan I as few have, and have been dying to visit one yourself, then get yourself a dive certification and contact the good folks at Undersea Adventures to schedule a dive. Oh yeah, you'll also have to get yourself to Washington state.

Mange Tusen Takk!

My thanks for the hospitality of the Undersea Adventures crew for showing me around and assisting with the incursion.

Giant special thanks go out to Walter Silva for making the trip possible, for being kind and generous beyond reproach, and for hauling my fat ass around in the kayak while I juggled lights and cameras and other accoutrements. Additional thanks to Walter's girlfriend for her hospitality and boundless charity which saved me from certain starvation. Thank you!

The Work

Work on the site continues amidst myriad tasks and tedious image processing. Expect a brief blogular-style account of the aquatic Adventures of Groundskeeper Pete to whet your appetite for all things Titan in a swiftly (well, maybe) upcoming update. Also included: A scathing indictment of the airline industry whose motto should be "We Suck Now More Than Ever".

06/023/2010 - New Document Added

Yes, it is an update, though not a section update with lots of juicy photos (which is forthcoming I assure you) but an update at any rate.

In the Martin Documents section of the Document Library, a short brochure on the Titan I:

USAF TITAN INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE- This document is simply a short blurb about Martin and the Titan project with an accompaniment of photos showing the Denver Martin facility and test stands, static testing and transport to the Cape for launching. There are no operational base photos as the document predates them. In short, it is a nifty little artifact of the SM-68 program, really just a curiosity, but it does have a few nice photos though some are commonly seen in other sources.

Coming to a silo near YOU!

Still no word on the other brochure (see image below). If anyone has one of them, please contact me, I would really like to acquire a scan of this Titans in the Earth brochure to post here on the web site.

06/02/2010 - Status and a Heartfelt Plea

It has been a few months with no real update to speak of and I feel guilty that people are checking in only to find nothing new on the site. However, this does not indicate that I am just sitting on my ass-- oh no-- I have been busy with a myriad of activities relating to the site: documents and photos and more. I have even found myself distracted from one Titan-related task by one or more other Titan-related tasks. Rest assured, before long, I'll have something ready.

And now The Plea:

Recently I found the following nifty item for sale on eBay. It's a small color brochure about how the Titan I and II missiles are the latest and greatest (at the time) weapons ever made and what an awesome responsibility it is that the US arsenal includes such dread deterrents to war. It has a couple neat cut-away diagrams of the two types of Titan missile sites and other general information about them.

"Missiles and You" - An informative pamphlet on nuclear deterrence and defense

Sadly I was outbid. Them's the breaks-- my tough luck really. Items like this are really an interesting bit of history to me as they are basically part of a PR campaign by the various defense industry contractors and serve as both assurance of US military might and capability as well as a sort of FAQ about the weapon system(s) for the American populace.

My hope was to include it in the library section on the web site along with a couple other similar documents I've run across. So I thought I would see if I could reach the new owner of the brochure/pamphlet and see if I could ask them to send a scan of it so I can share it here.

So please, if you are the new owner, or perhaps know him or her, please pass on this humble request for me please. My email is chromehooves[at]hotmail[dot]com I hope we can get in touch. Thanks!

04/11/2010 - Erroneous information corrected and a new memoir added

I recently received an email from Mike Jackson, SMSgt, USAF (Ret) pointing out a factual error on Entry Portal Section Part III where I stated that the insignia worn by SMSgt. McMillan had been changed during the 1960's from a 1-up, 6-down design to a 2-up, 5-down design.

This change in fact occurred in 1991 and not in the 1960's as I had come to believe.   My thanks to Mike for having a keen eye for details and not only notifying me of my mistake but providing documentation to corroborate his correction.

I would once again like to urge anyone who spots an error on the web site to please, please take the time to let me know. Drop me an email and tell me where I've gone wrong! I know I have made errors that are just waiting to be rooted out. I try to avoid making assumptions and I work to ensure accuracy, but let's face it, I'm just one man. So please, call BS on me, show me the error(s) of my way(s), make an honest man out of me.

New Memoir

After an embarrassing delay, I have finally posted a 2nd memoir by former American Machine and Foundry engineer PNR, who holds the distinction of being the developer of the Titan 1 flame deflector. He expands on his story of design and talks frankly of the project, the company and of his contemporaries in the early missile defense industry.

Naughty Brazilian Site Scrapers

Once again, I've experienced what appears to be a user in Brazil (200.203.xxx.xxx) scraping my site, basically vacuuming all its content using software. While I appreciate that someone wouldn't want to miss anything or might perhaps want to read the site offline, I would prefer not to be scraped please. I don't want to start blocking IP addresses. Thank you.

03/19/2010 - Main Tunnel Junction Part IV and a new document added

The final part: Main Tunnel Junction Part IV, is now online, bringing that section to a close (until further updates arise). Discover Tad and poke about the inner spaces of T.J.#10 accompanied by my usual ramblings!

Good news for lovers of missile minutiae! New, in the Martin Documents section of the Document Library:

TITAN I CAPTIVE AND FLIGHT-TEST FIRING HISTORY - This document compiles data from captive and flight-test firings of missile lots A through VS from the Denver, Atlantic and Pacific Missile Range stands.

Curious what caused the firing-test failure of missile C-2 at Denver test stand #4 on August 20th, 1959?

Want to know the why the troubled history of missile J-2 met a sad end over the Atlantic Missile Range on July 1st, 1960 when it was destroyed by the Range Safety Officer?

Before: Missile J-2 on the launch pad.

Photo courtesy of Art LeBrun

After: Flight-test of missile J-2 ending in a dramatic conflagration.

Photo courtesy of Art LeBrun

Find out in this comprehensive history!

Up and Coming:

What's next for the site you may well ask? Well, it could be a further expansion of existing sections such as the Power House, Mezzanine level, Air Intake and Exhaust, Control Center et cetera, or perhaps cover new ground. I'm still mulling it over. Suggestions? Let me know what you'd like to see.

03/04/2010 - Main Tunnel Junction Part III and 2 new documents added

With all my usual celerity Main Tunnel Junction Part III is now online and 2 new documents are also available:

First, in the Martin Documents section of the Document Library:

MISSILE J-20 (XSM-68) OPERATIONAL SUMMARY REPORT - This summary details the "discrepancies" and problems encountered with the missile prior to its launch from Cape Canaveral and the actions taken to resolve them.

And the second new addition is in the In The News section:

DIVE! DIVE! SWIMMING TO ARMAGEDDON - A short newspaper article on Larson 568-A when one of its silos saw a stint as a deep dive center. Read it here.

There will be one more section to round out the Main Tunnel Junction before moving on to pastures new (or more likely revisiting pastures old).

02/14/2010 - Main Tunnel Junction Part II added, new document added

Happy Valentine's Day missile lovers! Main Tunnel Junction Part II is now up for your viewing pleasure and looks at TJ#10 in old and post-operational photos. Two more updates will follow to finish up the section.

A new document has been added to the Martin Documents section of the Document Library:

TITAN MASTER COUNTDOWN - MISSILE J-16 - This document is a detailed countdown checklist for the launch of Titan missile J-16 from Cape Canaveral and shows the actions to be performed and the person or system responsible for that task or action.

That's all for now but expect more soon.

02/07/2010 - Main Tunnel Junction section completely redone, document added

Better late than never!

I have to stop saying things like "should be up next week". Every time I do, I am horribly late. In lieu of an excuse let me just say honestly that tremendous effort goes into this site in preparing the photos, researching and writing my awkward, badly-edited text. It takes a lot of work to sound sort of like I know what I'm talking about, believe me.

In the first part of a major expansion to the TJ#10 section, the entire section has been re-done and will ultimately consist of at least 4 parts. Main Tunnel Junction Part I covers the nomenclature and construction of this complicated structure.

A new document has been added to the Other Contractor Documents section about a failed water stop seal at Larson 568-C and it's repair.

More section updates to the Main Tunnel Junction coming very soon with many more photos. I'm finishing up on the next sections so they will follow shortly. There will also be a few more documents ready involving the Titan I missile.

01/18/2010 - I'm not dead yet. I'm getting better.

Okay, just to let you know that the site's not dead or anything, I am indeed working on the next update right now and it should be online before month's end. Expect a couple documents and an expansion of a section that is in dire need of more information. Lots more photos coming up.

12/01/2009 - New document added to the "In the News" section

Another great addition from Fred, this article comes straight from the airman featured so prominently in the historical photos on T1E, A1C Brannon. Read it here.

In this article you can see A1C Brannon all over the 724-A complex checking gauges, going over checklists and doing his daily routine and read in his own words about his experience and his impressions of becoming an MMT (Missile Maintenance Tech.) with the 451st SMW.

This is a great little article and it makes me wish I could sit down with Brannon over a drink or a good meal and talk more about his time with the Titans. I imagine he'd have some great stories to tell. Hats off to you A1C Brannon!

Next... I don't know. I'll do something with more pictures. Happy Holidays!

11/21/2009 - Document extravaganza!! New document library section added, etc.

A clutch (5) of new documents have just been added along with a new sub-section to the document library called In The News which will feature news clippings and other articles about the Titan 1. For those of you who find documents dry and boring, there is a ray of hope as these documents are not all just dull technical information or the like, but instead include news articles (with pictures!) covering Titan history.

In the new In the News section you'll find two articles:

Thundering Crashes Close Doors on Prairie's Titan Era - A Denver Post article on the closing of the launcher silo doors graciously contributed by Jim Despres.

This Week Magazine: Inside a Titan Missile Base - An NY Herald Tribune Exclusive that takes a first look at the underground Titan I complex and it's crew. Another fine addition from Fred Epler.

The Operational Histories section is rounded out with:

BASE T-5 - BEALE AREA HISTORY - Army Corps of Engineers construction summary of the Beale AFB Titan sites, covering contracts, materials, labor and a host of other details too numerous for someone lazy like myself to mention. Also contributed by Fred Epler.

In the Other Contractor Documents section:

Titan Program Control Room Charts - Old school charts and graphs showing the Titan I and II programs current status and schedule both completed and planned. Can you believe people used to have to make these charts by hand like an arts and crafts project? Yikes.

TITAN I EXCESS WEAPON SYSTEM MATERIEL - VOLUME I-A - AEROSPACE GROUND EQUIPMENT - Welcome to the Titan I yard sale! This document was part of the effort to re-purpose the expensive excess equipment sitting unused after the sites' closure.

To that end, these fiscally-minded listings were compiled in an effort to get the most bang for the American defense bucks:

"The acquisition cost of these missile system components represents a significant portion of previous defense expenditures and warrants extraordinary actions to insure that wherever possible this property be used or converted to satisfy other programs both within the Department of Defense and Federal agencies."

In this way, it was hoped to "...achieve optimum utilization of excess personal property currently available within the Department of Defense. Prevent concurrent buying and selling of like items within the various departments and agencies of the Federal Government. Assist in insuring prudent usage of funds entrusted to these departments and agencies by the Congress."

Full of photos and detailed illustrations of obscure Titan I aerospace ground equipment, this first of 5 volumes shows details that are not easily found elsewhere so if you ever wondered what the after-market value of a Facilities Console ($1800) or a Rocket Engine Decontaminating Unit ($23,011) were, you'll find out here.

11/07/2009 - Site translation added, corrections and minor section updates

In another unholy alliance with Google, I have opted to provide language translation using their services for the following reasons:

1) Free service

2) Offers the widest selection of languages available

3) Easy to implement

4) Did I mention free service?

5) Quick and on-demand translation - use it or don't

6) Cyrillic looks cool because I can't read it

A much more worldly version of the site

For now, the translation is in a probationary period until I feel that none of Google's world-domination shenanigans are present or any problems arise with its use. If you encounter any problems with different browsers or the entire web site becoming broken, etc., please Contact Me and let me know so I can fix it.

Of course all the translations are done by software and so the accuracy will not be great, but it should offer a somewhat intelligible text for non-English speaking visitors. I know anyone can do this themselves, but it makes the process much more convenient. After all, you shouldn't be suddenly contracted to do such work just because you visit a web site.

I hope this feature, though limited, will expand the use and diplomacy of the site, and since my very limited use of German, Spanish, Japanese, French*, Italian* and Norwegian* is certainly not up to the task, this makes a great alternative, and is long overdue.

    * Very, very limited.

Fred Epler did some looking and identified 3 of the 4 mystery men in Entry Portal Part III, and provided a couple more images which I could not resist adding, including shots of the portal elevator motor in situ in Entry Portal Part V.

Fred also pointed out some corrections to photo captions which were updated and expanded to include other information regarding dates, and locations as well.

Next update? It will be a surprise (mostly because I haven't decided yet). Check back soon, I suspect some more documents will be added to the library very soon.

11/02/2009 - Entry Portal Part V added

The next and final part of the Entry Portal section is complete. Entry Portal Part V completes as it arrives at the bottom of the portal silo and opens into the main tunnel junction. These last two updates were a huge amount of work so I hope they'll be interesting.

Sorry I didn't have the last update ready by Friday AM. I really wanted it to be there for you folks who are looking for some reading on Friday morning, but I tried.

A request if I may:

Please don't just rip my entire site without good reason. It really messes with my stats and makes me worry that someone is attacking my site/server. I'm looking at YOU Brazilian DSL subscriber. I'm pleased you would want to enjoy every last byte of my site, but please-- All things in moderation. Thanks and Alo. =)

10/30/2009 - Entry Portal Parts III and IV added

The next 2 parts of the Entry Portal section are complete. Scads of new pictures and my usual rambling BS lay bare the veritable vestibule of Armageddon's foyer. My apologies for not having anything sooner, but this is a big update with one more part to follow very shortly.

Though it may not look like it, I put a lot of effort into these updates. I hope they will prove interesting. For those of you who don't have time to read my blather, just scroll on down and enjoy the pictures.

Entry Portal Part III looks at the surface and it's history.

Entry Portal Part IV drags you down into the depths of the portal silo and marvels at the audacity of animals a bit while leading you into the site.

Section V will be up in less than a week so keep watch for it.

Great gratitude goes out to Fred Epler whom I consider Chief Consultant and Chief Contributor for his assistance with historical and technical information about the Titan 1 and for providing photos that really bring the history to life and offer great shots I cannot.

Thanks also to Walter, Sean and Jim who also contributed to these sections.

10/12/2009 - Entry Portal Part I updated and new Part II added - link errors fixed

No, I have not just been sitting on my ass! Two more updates have just been added.

First, the Entry Portal section has been updated with completely new content as part of the new expanded multi-part section on the Entry Portal.

Second, a new page, Entry Portal Part II has been added covering the construction of the Entry Portal. All the over-sized images in these new sections can be clicked on to see the full-sized picture. Click away!

I wanted to get the 3rd part completed for this update but didn't want to rush it and just couldn't get it complete, so look for it in about a week if all goes well. I expect that there will likely be at least one more section after that before I move onto the next one. This next update will have scads of new photos and will see the return of the old pictures at higher resolution.

The "Contact", "Site Map" and "Link" links got corrupted through nefarious software shenanigans on some pages. I have corrected this barring any I missed.

09/20/2009 - Results of the "What the Hell is That Challenge" (finally)

After an embarrassing delay, I have updated Part III of the antenna terminal section with the results of the WtHiT Challenge. Find out the who and what of it all at long last. This is a minor update to be sure, but at least it's something.

Work has me very busy and very tired lately, reducing the time spent on updates to weekends only as I seem to be far too tired to get anything done after such grueling work days. I expect this will not continue for too much longer, but please be patient as I continue working on the next update. Check back soon for the updates to the Entry Portal section.

09/06/2009 - Two new documents added

Two more documents are now available in the Document Library section. Only for the hard-core missile history folks.

First in the Operational Histories section:

BASE T-4 - LARSON AREA HISTORICAL SUMMARY - Army Corps of Engineers summary of the Larson Area construction of the 568th SMS. Contracts, construction details, contractors, labor issues, costs, delays and other history are detailed in this document. Over 250 pages rich in detail on the Titan I sites at Larson AFB.

The next new arrival is in the Martin Documents section:

DETAILED TEST PLAN - SILO LAUNCH TEST FACILITY PROPELLANT LOADING AND PRESSURIZATION SYSTEM - Martin Report describing the propellant loading and pressurization system tests of the Silo Launch Test Facility to determine proper operation and performance.

I am working on my next update-- this time on the Entry Portal (aka: Portal Silo) which is going to expand enormously from the existing tiny page to 3 or more full pages with many, many new images and photos accompanied by my usual dry blather and half-assed attempts at humor. Keep yer' eyes peeled.

08/30/2009 - The "What the Hell is That Challenge" winner has been decided!!

I will be sending out an email confirmation to the person with the ultimate answer that was received the earliest, and which positively identified the mysterious item and provided objective proof. I will post the answer and possibly the lucky person's name or initials and evidence provided once I have received a response from them.

Many thanks to all those who participated and spent their time and effort looking into this. Some answers were quite simple and to the point, while others were quite detailed and technical. I regret that there can be only one winner and only one prize (such as it is). Thanks once again to all those who took the "WtHiT" Challenge!

Progress Report

My work on the guidance system has stalled while I research further and better prepare to illustrate the system (I'm learning vector graphics FYI), and so in the interest of not having the site be stagnant for another month or two, I will instead be moving on to updating the Entry Portal section (updates still pending) while I continue my research and preparation for that section. Keep your eyes peeled for an update to the Entry Portal section soon.

07/29/2009 - Antenna Terminal Part III added - and The Challenge!!

Part III of the antenna terminal section is now complete. More photos of the antenna silos than you can shake a stick at.

Take the "What the Hell is That?" Challenge! At last, its here (prepare to be disappointed), oh joy! Details inside.

Coming up:

an illustrated tour of the Titan I guidance system

more documents

new photos and expanded sections

Stay tuned.

07/22/2009 - Antenna Terminal Part II added - still more to come - and a challenge!!

Part II of the antenna terminal section is now complete and peers into the past and present of the operational complex. Part III of the antenna terminal section should follow swiftly on the heels of this update and will dig deeper-- well actually higher-- into the antenna terminal.

Remember to click on photos to view them full-size.

Stay tuned for the next exciting installment where I pose the timeless question: "What the Hell is That?"

Who knows, maybe YOU can answer?

Big Prizes* (small actually, and only one prize really, but still-- A PRIZE!)

Big Fame** (not really, but you can proudly proclaim your achievement to anyone who'll listen! Also, I will post the winner's name on the web site-- if desired. Oh boy!)

Big Deal***-- if you can be the one (and only one, as I mentioned previously, there's only one damn prize!) to tell me: "What the Hell is That?"

* Big Prize is actually quite small. Tough knobs.

** Big Fame, or even ANY FAME whatsoever not provided, defined or guaranteed in any fashion. Too bad.

*** Deal actually not big, and in fact is immeasurably small to the point of non-existence. However, the "What the Hell is That?" Challenge is no foolin' and there really is a prize and I will really award it to the first person who can provide a definitive and meaningful answer.

06/25/2009 - Antenna Terminal section updated - more to come!

The first portion of the newly-expanded Antenna Terminal section is complete and documents the nomenclature and construction of this very critical part of the complex. Just about every image in this section is new to the site so if you've visited before, I urge you to take another look and see what's new.

"Where's the old photos dammit?"

The present-day photos that appeared in this section before will return, enhanced and expanded in the next update, don't fret.

The next update will continue looking at the antenna terminal as it once looked and as it looks now. Expect this update around the 4th of July holiday. Ultimately there will be at least 2 more parts to the antenna terminal section before it is complete.

A long-overdue addition to this update is the ability to Click for Larger Image (where available) on most images. Nearly all images on the site are larger than displayed, but to format the web pages to a reasonable size, they have been compressed. You could view them at full size by saving them and then viewing them outside the page but that's hardly convenient. Well, now you can just click to get a better look. Bout' time I did that!

I hope you will find the new update interesting. Check back soon.

06/15/2009 - Antenna Tunnel section updated

While working on the antenna terminal section, I saw a that the Antenna Tunnel section could use a good updating as well and thought I would complete that first.

In addition to many new photos, I have replaced the existing pictures with better quality images. While a long tunnel may not be the most fascinating area of the Titan I complex, I felt compelled as always to go way overboard documenting this area. I hope it will still prove interesting.

Look for more documents and the antenna terminal section update (which will be at least 2 separate links or more) that will be added soon. Many, many new pictures and lots of overly-detailed information to come!

05/28/2009 - Three new documents added

Three more documents are now available in the Document Library section. Two of these are quite large and detailed. For those who can't get enough information on the Titan I system, this update has lots of interesting details.

First in the Operational Histories section:

BASE T-3 - MT. HOME AREA HISTORICAL SUMMARY - Army Corps of Engineers summary of the Mountain Home Area construction of the 569th SMS. Contracts, construction details, contractors, labor issues, costs, delays, accidents and other history are detailed in this document.

Next there are 2 new new arrivals in the Martin Documents section:

MASTER ACTIVITIES PLAN - WS107A-2 OPERATIONAL BASES - Martin guidebook for the planning, construction, phasing, systems integration, installation and checkout, turnover and activation of the operational Titan I complexes and their support facilities.

TITAN II-A IN TITAN I SILOS - A preliminary feasibility report on the cost-saving concept of retrofitting Titan I bases for in-silo launch of Titan II missiles employing the 200% increased payload capacity of the Titan II-A booster.

I think these are 3 really interesting documents loaded with interesting facts, figures and details as well as photo-plates, (they are photocopies so the quality of the Mt. Home plates is lousy, sorry) diagrams and charts. The files are big but I think you'll find them worth the download times.

Work continues apace on the next update to the Antenna Terminal section, which if you take a look, you'll see is woefully incomplete and, in my opinion, lacking. A big update will be forthcoming soon.

05/21/2009 - Farewell My Friend

I want to take this opportunity to bid farewell to a good friend, Gary Leasia who died of complications of diabetes and cancer the evening of Monday, May 18th. He was 57.

Gary struggled with his illnesses for the past 7 years, losing his sight, his mobility and ultimately his hearing before passing very suddenly this week.

You are finally at peace Gary. Farewell, you will be missed.

Gary Leasia

1951 - 2009

05/09/2009 - Equipment Terminals Part IV complete and 2 new documents added

Part IV of the Equipment Terminals section is now complete thus finishing the equipment terminals section.

Two new documents have also been added: one under the Other Contractors section and the other under the Martin Documents section:

Flight Test Evaluation for Mod II Decoy Subsystem - Titan V-1, Details testing of Ford Aeronutronics' Decoy Ejection Mechanism (DEM) and the decoy pods used to throw off enemy anti-missile installations.

DETAILED FIELD PLAN FOR BASE T-1 covers the integration of SAC personnel with construction contractors to facilitate check out and turnover of baser T-1 operational sites to the Air Force.

Next I'll be expanding and completing the Antenna Terminal section which through my own lack of organization has gone unfinished for the past few years. After that is complete, I will be working on a new section covering the surface of the Titan I complex. You've seen the underground, now find out what was on the surface!

My thanks to those folks out there who have pointed out mistakes, goofs, problems and other issues with the site. Even if you just plain don't like the way something is arranged, set up or if you otherwise find my site confusing or poorly organized in some way, don't hesitate to send me an email and tell me. It is invaluable to me that the visitors to my site find it easy to navigate and explore without broken links, poor organization or (heaven forbid) my obvious lack of an editor for the text on these pages. My advance thanks to those who will show me the errors of my ways now and in the future.

This update brought to you by The Maharaja Imperial India Pale Ale and the Avery Brewing Company in Boulder Colorado (with whom I have absolutely no affiliation whatsoever save for drinking their product). Damn good IPA I must say!

05/01/2009 - Equipment Terminals Part III added

Part III of the Equipment Terminals section is now complete and continues with levels II and III. This is a big section so I hope you'll find the pictures interesting. One more section to go and more documents coming up so keep checking back.

I also corrected a veritable cornucopia of typos and misspellings on a number of pages. My spell-checker was out of commission for a while and I just fixed it today (and not a moment too soon!).

04/19/2009 - Two new documents added

Yes, two new documents have been added to the Document Library. I hope you will find them interesting.

First, under the Operational Histories section: Base T-2 - History of Titan I (850TH SMS), which details the construction history of the Ellsworth AFB Titan I Squadron in excruciating detail. Want to know what the government paid for a Titan I equipment terminal? Want to know how thick the silo walls were? Find out in this document.

In an odd scanning anomaly which I am not qualified to explain, some pages in the Base T-2 document are in muted shades of red, blue and green. The document I scanned was a photo copy and so was only black and white, yet the scanner somehow interpreted them as being in color. This appears in several documents that will be added to the library in the future.

Second, under the Other Contractor Documents section: SLTF Flight Test Report, a feasibility study of the full-scale in-silo test launch of a Titan I missile.

Work continues on the Equipment Terminals section and there should be an update shortly. There will be at least 2 more additions before it is complete so check back soon.

04/09/2009 - Equipment Terminals Part II added. New document added

Better late than never I guess. I had promised this update about 6 days ago, but photo editing and other work pushed it back a bit. I am pleased to present Part II of the Equipment Terminals section which continues with construction and delves into the underground complex.

Also new in this update: another new document is now available in the Martin Documents section of the document library: Titan Destruct System. This short document details how the range safety equipment was put together for both the Titan I and II missiles. Some great photos of the test procedure are included. Unfortunately, one page, Fig. 1, is missing from the original document.

03/25/2009 - Equipment Terminals section updated. New document added

The Equipment Terminals section has been updated. Visit section I to see the first new part of what will be at least 3 or more additions to that section. The second part of the equipment terminals section is well under way and should be available in 7-9 days so stay posted!

A new document and a new section are available in the document library: Base T-1 Lowry Area History is now available under the Operational Histories section. This this document details the construction history of Titan I base T-1 which was comprised of the first two Titan I squadrons, the 724th SMS and 725th SMS.

I will be traveling for a few days so please be patient with any emails. I will get to them as soon as I can.

03/08/2009 - New section added! Site Map page re-worked

A new section is now available: Document Library. This contains scanned Titan missile-related documents of historical and research significance. A wealth of information for the missile-obsessed can now be found there. For now there are 6 documents from the dash-1 to missile testing there. Get some history. Many more additions are forthcoming so keep yer eyes peeled. Enjoy!

Also, I re-did the Site Map because I thought it was looking a bit fugly. Work continues on the Equipment Terminals section. Stay on alert!

02/14/2009 - Links section updated!

At long last I have added some great new sites to the Links page.

I am not one to self-promote, really, but recently I was interviewed by Jonathan Haeber about the Titan I system, my web page and the 3D model of the Titan I site. He put together a great article about his experience visiting Titan I sites and our interview and posted some excellent photographs there and on his Flickr account which I urge you to check out, they are really great!

Jonathan Haeber's site, Bearings can be found here: http://www.terrastories.com/

Also new to the links section:

Titan I Missile Site Coordinates - locations and information about the Titan I sites

Univac Athena Missile Guidance Computer - Devoted to the computer deployed at the Titan I sites

Action Squad - A ripping-good Urban Exploration site-- well photographed, researched and related in great story-telling style by Max Action himself. Update Max! Update I say!!

I Decay's Flickr page - Artistic photos of urban decay: hospitals and other large buildings.

Dan Witham's Deviant Art Page - More artistic photos of the descent of modern civilization, artfully captured for your wonderment. (same author as "I Decay")

I invite you to peruse these sites and enjoy (as I have) their interesting and intriguing offerings.

The links section has also been organized for (hopefully) greater ease of use. Please feel free to criticize my efforts if you see need of improvements/changes.

01/25/2009 - Utilities Tunnels Section Completed!

The utilities tunnels section has been completed and includes newly added photos and illustrations.   I hope folks will find the new content interesting. More to come!

I have also updated the LOX bays section to include one more blueprint image that better shows the structure of the LOX bays.

01/19/2009 - LOX Bays Section Completed!

The LOX bays section has been completed and includes newly added photos and illustrations. This brings me one step closer to finishing the underground areas of the complex and to other areas yet to be addressed.

Still to come:

The utilities tunnels

Equipment terminals

completion of antenna silos section

The Titan I missile

Surface structures

Site location map

revision and expansion of the tunnels, portal and other sections

Site re-org and re-design to improve navigation and menus

Titan I document library - Contractor documents, histories and Tech Order manuals in PDF format.

12/01/2008 - Missile Silo Section I Updated

The Missile Silos section Part I has been updated to include an account by the engineer himself about how the design of the flame deflector came about. It is an interesting bit of history I am proud that he has offered to share on the site. See how the flame deflectors' design influenced that of other major structures in the launchers.

11/24/2008 - LOX Tunnel Section Completed!

At long last I have an update! The LOX Tunnels and Loading Vents section is now complete. My humblest apologies for taking so long. Work has continued to demand more and more of my time. I will continue work on the site no matter how long it may take for updates to be completed. Unless you read that I have abandoned the site, you will continue to see updates here.

I plan to have more updates soon as I should have time over the holidays for more additions. Please keep checking back, and thanks to all the good folks who have written with kind things to say about the site. Please don't hesitate to write if you have questions or comments. I respond to all emails as quickly as I can.

Senseless Ads - A Little Tirade If I May

Some of you may have noticed that back in October that ads appeared on the web site. This was no accident as I finally submitted to the advice of a number of folks that I could perhaps underwrite my costs of operating the site with some simple and hopefully unobtrusive banner ads.

I had resisted this for over a year because I absolutely loathe most advertising. I also loathe Google. If you're not aware of it, Google represents a terrible threat to your privacy every time you use it or one of its services. They collect and aggregate every datum that passes through their servers and store it indefinitely looking for ways to sell it, or use it to market to you or otherwise profit. This is how they have become an unstoppable behemoth that thrives off of you whether you like it or not. They are by no means the only game in town--no, everyone else in the field wants to emulate them because of the crazy amount of money they can make exploiting you.

AdSense is Google's web advertising arm and this was just the service my friends urged me to try. AdSense claims to tailor ads to your website for you and find appropriate content to market there. Also, they tell you that you can easily review and omit ads you don't like etc. etc. Okay, I thought, I will give it a shot and see how it goes.

I set up the service, which was rather unnecessarily confusing I thought, and allowed ads to contaminate my site.

To my extreme displeasure, the ads that appeared had absolutely nothing to do with my web site. I foresaw this, thinking "what the heck could anyone sell that's really related to Cold War missiles?" But after some thinking, I figured maybe military surplus and collectibles or something of that sort. I didn't think that would be so bad.

However, I saw nothing of the sort and to my horror even found ads for tombstones appearing, no doubt Ad Sense in its infinite wisdom had seized on the word "Epitaph" from my site as contextually appropriate and pegged me for a marketing niche for the death care industry.

I found that I was completely unable to review ads at all and that despite reassurances from AdSense that the "context" of the ads would improve after being up for a week or so, that not one damn thing changed and nothing improved at all. An appeal to customer service was given a useless automated reply. I did what I could to fix the problem but nothing seemed to change anything at all. It was like they just ignored any attempt by me to have a hand in what was advertised so I pulled the plug completely. The hell with them.

Even worse, and what was in large part the final straw, was a banner with huge letters shouting:

WWW.SEMENTANKS.COM

at the top of the propellant terminals section, no doubt clueing in on the stainless steel tanks described there. Now I'm sure that SEMENTANKS serves a real need to agricultural clients in the livestock industry, but that is no consolation. That crap had to go, so after a few weeks of trial I pulled every last one. I received no payment for placing the ads on my site whatsoever.

Now I am placing ads again, but this time I know what they are for and who they represent. The ads have nothing to do with missiles but they do support a service I use and endorse: secure hosting, aka co-location. For years I have used InfoBunker to host my site ever since it first went online and never once have I lost service. Not for a second.

If you are an IT professional seeking highly secure and reliable co-location with a track record of 100% uptime, excellent customer service and competitive rates, I recommend InfoBunker highly. They have my endorsement along with that of associates of mine who also use their services.

For now, these are the only ads you will see on my site because it is a service I trust and know. I am never going to allow some uncaring entity to slap random ads all over my site ever again.

05/29/2008 - Propellant Terminals Section Completed! Egad!

After a horrifically long delay, I finally have an update! The Propellant Terminals section is now complete. My apologies to all you kind folks who have been checking for new content here over the last 4 months only to find bumpkiss.

Thanks go out to all the people who have written to say they enjoyed the site. I hope you will find this new section interesting and sorry it took so long. I hope to be quicker with the next update which will be the LOX tunnels.

01/27/2008 - Missile Silo Section Part IX Completed

Missile Silos section Part IX is now complete. The Missile Silos section is now officially complete and I will be moving on to new areas in the next update. Up next will be either the propellant terminals or the equipment terminals.

Once all sections are complete, I will be expanding the existing sections to include more pictures and information as some sections are rather sparse. This will include an additional section covering the surface of the Titan I complex which has been a serious omission to be resolved as part of this site.

Check back soon for further updates!

01/22/2008 - Missile Silo Section Part VIII Completed

Missile Silos section Part VIII is now complete. Part IX, the final section, is just a placeholder for now but will be added shortly to complete the Missile Silos section.

12/14/2007 - Missile Silo Section Part VII Completed

Missile Silos section Part VII is complete and Part VIII will soon follow with more cribwork photos. Good news for those of you who find the cribwork interesting. Bad news for those who do not. :P

Enjoy!

12/06/2007 - Missile Silo Section Part VI Completed

Missile Silos section Part VI is complete and Part VII will continue exploring the silo cribwork. Part VI is the largest section in the entire web site in terms of file size. I hope that this will not prove to be too much of a detraction as the images may take a while to load.

Please stand by for future updates.

11/16/2007 - Correction to Missile Silo Section Parts IV and V

There I go screwing up again. I have corrected errors in Missile Silo sections Part IV and Part V. I will have to stop drinking so much while I author these pages!

Seems I trusted my memory to recall what a piece of hardware in the silo was and it was completely wrong! I was saying that the mounting points for the launcher elevator motor platform spring assemblies were instead for the massive wire ropes to the launcher elevator system. That'll learn me to trust my mind. You see, when you get to be my age, the mind starts to fail in little ways like this...

11/11/2007 - Missile Silo Section Part V Completed

Missile Silos section Part V completed. Stand by for the inevitable section VI where we take a rare look at the silo cribwork.

11/07/2007 - Missile Silo Section Part IV Completed (finally)

Completed Missile Silos section Part IV at long last. My apologies for the long wait. My apologies in advance for the long time it will undoubtedly take me to complete sections V, IV and VII (yes there will be at least 7 sections).

I will begin work on section V shortly, though I may take a break from the missile silos to work on some of the many other sections awaiting completion just to break up the monotony. :)

10/05/2007 - Correction to Missile Silo Section Part I

Corrected the caption to the 6th image in the Missile Silos section Part I that erroneously designated a LOX vent and relief line as a LOX fill line-- quite different animals.

My bad. Well, I guess they are all my bads really. Thanks to a helpful visitor for setting the record straight! In fact, he has noted a few other items that need addressing as well.

As always, if you see something wrong and feel confident that an error, boo boo or even outright B.S. may be present, please don't hesitate to contact me.

10/03/2007 - Section Updates!

I noticed that I had uploaded Missile Silos section Part IV and forget to include most of the images. Sorry about that. They are now up and the section is still in the works though it has expanded. Look for its completion in the next week. Missile Silos section Part V will follow shortly and if you can believe it, there will be more after that as well.

Hey, just be glad you can skip over stuff that doesn't interest you. I am including section IV and V for completeness and because I risked by life to get those lousy pictures!

09/26/2007 - Section Updates!

Finally, an actual update! After months of jack, I am pleased to have some new content for you good folks who have been waiting for me to get something done around here.

The Missile Silos sections Part I and Part II are now complete and Part III is taking shape. Please check back soon for further updates as I will be continuing work through this next week on more content to the Missile Silos sections. I hope you will enjoy the new stuff.

07/26/2007 - Another Embarrassing Error Fixed

In a line of complete and utter BS, a paragraph in the Fuel Terminal section stated erroneously that the Titan I airframe was pressurized like the early Atlas airframes to provide enough stability. This was not the case as the Titan I airframes were self-supporting and could stand without fuel, oxidizer or pressurizing gases.

This error had persisted since about 2003 when I first wrote that section in my ill-informed state. Fred Epler pointed out the error of my ways well over a year ago and I forgot to correct it. Fortunately, some good folks on the missiletalk group brought this issue to my attention once again and now I have removed the unsightly misinformation.

06/17/2007 - New Section Added!

Years ago I created a 3D map of a typical Lowry AFB Titan I operational complex using game mapping software. This new section shows what I spent WAY too much time working to produce: A fun diversion that I thought deserved to be included here.

The model section contains many images of the 3D Titan I complex as well as real photos for comparison and even some videos that allow you to virtually visit a Titan I complex (somewhat simplified however). I broke the section up into 3 pages so you won't spend all day waiting for it to load: Titan Model Part I, Titan Model Part 2, Titan Model Part 3.

06/07/2007 - Error Expunged!

Corrected a glaring error in the Missile Silos section. I had included a Titan II silo shot-- a very noticeably different silo launch configuration-- by mistake.

Must have been due to a lack of sleep or something. Either that or I need to give up the sauce!

My thanks to Fred for pointing out the error. If anyone sees any errors, please contact me and let me know so I can work to keep things accurate around here. Thanks!

05/29/2007 - Section Update!

Updated Missile Silos section with additional text and images-- still not completed yet however. Tweaked menus and added the Updates page so you can read these exciting notes!

04/29/2007 - Titan I Epitaph Official Opening

After years of diddling around, the site is up!

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