I worked as an SP at McConnell, KS in the 80s. Glad these are preserved. People have no idea how stressful working in Strategic Air Command around nuclear weapons was. It was the most intense job I ever had. Appreciate the videos.
At 11:21 you commented about the huge amount of work it was going to take to remove all of that conduit. I'm an electrician and appreciate how much time and expertise went in to installing it. Beautiful job.
I echo your sentiment. The conduit/piping is also amazing because the construction window was so narrow, it just goes to the sense of urgency in getting these rockets online during that period in history. Union pipe fitters and union electricians, A whole gaggle of them plus a whole host of other crafts went into building these sites in a period of just two years, that is just amazing.
Fond memories of maintaining my equipment on site. HF/UHF radios on level 3, controls for operating them on level 2, including controls for a unique (variable height depending upon frequency) telescoping HF antenna in its own 30 foot deep hardened silo. That hardened HF antenna was designed similar to a typical multi sectional pull out antenna found on portable radios and such, but the base tube diameter was maybe 15" across. When fully extended, it reached somewhere between 50 to 75 feet. (sizes are rough guesses from very old memories, sorry). Use to anger the commander while on level 3, for reaching out to the outer shell and making all 3 floors rock on its springs!
I've been in an Atlas F site that was pretty trashed from water intrusion, vandals, etc. Your site is freaking PRISTINE relatively speaking. Very nice!!
Speaking of venting have you looked at a sprayable liquid desiccant to help you with the air intake on yours? A shed over the escape hatch to house some sealed ducts and a catch basin to spray desiccant into the air flow and a solar evacuated tube hot water system to cook the used desiccant to renew it could give you a fully solar powered air dryer to keep the humidity down in the summer. Can also look at a ground well to supply ground temp water to fill radiators for the air to flow by to both cool and dry it but that would be a more complicated system.
I would so love to have the money and time to complete such a project. I'm 68 and there isn't enough years left for me for such a project. However, if I should happen to win the lottery.......
That is awesome to see these magnificent sites being restored right in my back yard. Its crazy to load in a map file on google and see the location of each DM Missile site.
Yes, it was my phone. I was expecting a call from my wife and I did not expect the motion sensors to keep notifying my phone. But you are sharp to notice - yes, I did install fiber optics for phone, cable, and Internet. ;)
Sorry - That was a tease at Nik (filming). He has his long cableway (I'm so jealous) so I tease him that our sites are dry. It's a Titan owner thing...
Very cool, there was someone else who had a channel who documented his procedure of digging out the buried door and all the water he had to pump out. He then hired a company to come out and to cut away all that useless steel and cart it off. I think it was money well spent because he would have never have had enough time to finish the project. Something like this will take a lifetime and there aren't enough hours in the day to get a project like that finished.
@@atomicunderground9971 Yeah that's him! I noticed he is now trying to get corporate events held at this bunker. I think he ran out of money. Very seldom does someone have both time and money to complete a monumental project as that.
lol! Teaser! Can't wait to see the top level. This is a really cool series of videos, thanks for posting and thanks to the owner for hosting. Going back to the question of doing anything with the silo itself...I think it is pretty well given that the inside where the missile was, the 'inner tube' so to speak, is a total loss or, as discussed earlier, prohibitively expensive to attempt to restore. However...what sort of decommissioning was done to the outer ring/service areas? We've heard/read that the big diesel generators were left in a lot of the silos...but what about the rest of the service area? I am having difficulty in picturing what that looks like. And obviously any of the sites that have been flooded or still have flooded silos this would be essentially ruined. But in the 'dry' sites...has anyone ever been able to get into these areas of the silo?
I'm going to give you the official military answer regarding the Arizona launch silos. I can neither confirm nor deny if any silo has been accessed since 1987. If such an entry was made there would surely be an upcoming documentary about it on cable television.
Good info. It just seems to me that since the long cableway enters the silo ~40' below grade, and that we know only the top 25' of the silo was destroyed with explosives, with the debris pushed into the silo bay, and then capped off...that all of that activity SHOULD be above the Level 2 where the long cableway comes into the silo, leaving all service/maintenance areas below that relatively unscathed...with just normal decommissioning activities having taken place. Curious.
@@ericthehalfmexican9187 Thanks, Eric. Good stuff in that video. I'm actually going out to the museum in May so I hope to really get my head around some of this stuff.
His site wasn't flooded out like the others typically are? That's incredible. Dude is a little bit of a nut though. Don't know if I'd want to be alone with him in a silo. lol
I saw three ELU's, one in the first video behind door 7 and two in this video on level 2 and as he pointed out on level 3. I had the fun job of testing and repairing those as part of regular silo maintenance. Not that it was a big job but fun to see some still standing. Interesting too he said it would get 80/90 deg 60ft down. Since heat rises not sure how that happens.
In the dry desert the ground heats up a lot more and a lot deeper than you would think. And if the only airflow coming in is 110 degrees it has no way to cool down - it just gets hotter and hotter, especially in the top level. And if it gets humid I can run the dehumidifier, but that adds heat too.
6:45 Little bit of an exaggeration in your dimensions. The vertical walls of the LCC are 3 feet thick and the outer electromagnetic shielding is 1/4" thick steel plate. Yes you still cant easily drill though it but you can easily look up the spec to which it was built.
That's always an option but I did not want to do that. I've lived in AZ 40 years and always hated swamp air. Too humid, and eventually all the carpet and furniture smells musty. And humidity makes RUST! Maybe after all the exposed metal is repainted... The museum had to do something because of the crowds coming and going, open doors bring hot air.
I know there probably isn’t much to see but I would like to see what it looks like under the birdcage and how much room is there. Non of the TH-cam channels have shown it yet, at least from what I have found anyways.
@@ArizonaTitan That would be awesome! Like I replied to Atomic Underground probably a boring place to see but I find the silo's and their construction quite interesting.
Not secret AT ALL! We run a nursery above it - talk about it all the time. I give tours all the time. Local government officials have been there to assist me in bringing it up to "code" and all to be the basement of the house.
@@atomicunderground9971 Ok thank you. I meant no disrespect nor was I criticizing. It is cool but would require tremendous resources to renovate I would think. It does seem like it would be ideal if you had more money than god to convert it into a full off the grid self sustaining fort knox kind of home.
I can drill through the concrete 😉. I'm a concrete cutting tech. Ben core drilling for over 20 years. I have the skills to cut in a garage bay in that wall.
I might do that. We had 40 Boy Scouts & parents eating popcorn and watching the movie "War Games" projected on about 1/2 of the ceiling. It was pretty awesome!
@@atomicunderground9971 I’m serious but I’m years away. It’s a toss up between one of these or a shipping container home underground like an earth ship. I’ll have to weigh out the pros and cons
Solar and solar energy storage on the surface, and maybe an fuel-cell generator running on hydrogen, methanol, ammonia or propane gas saves tonnes of energy.
I think he is just excited to interact with someone who shares the same passion about old missile silos. So in his eagerness to show off what he has done so far he might seem a little smug.
Meh. Its cool but realistically how long could you stay down? Also everyone and his brother would be figuring a way in if SHTF and yes, anything can be gotten into. Lastly what if something happens and youre not home to run to the garage ?
Wow. This guy is amazed at having FIOS and single phase 220V power. My 102 year old piece of shit bungalow has that. Yet, still, he can't figure out how to turn off the ringer on his phone.
It's necessary. No way to scrape and paint above and around the conduit. There is corrosion and rust on the inside of the conduits, they are not usable.
Every time I see the giant spring hangars I think about your silo. Any plans to address the missing spring in your launch control center? Any chance you could repurpose the smaller ones that are in your long cable way?
It's a reference to the direct-bury, steel wound casing around the fiber pairs. I guess I should have explained that meant I did not have to run conduit.
I would totally not do anything drastic to these places.. I mean yeah take out all the scrap metal but don't be putting in weird spiral lights/rope lights etc.
Been through 3 of these over the past 25 years or so and this is not in that bad of shape.
I worked as an SP at McConnell, KS in the 80s. Glad these are preserved. People have no idea how stressful working in Strategic Air Command around nuclear weapons was. It was the most intense job I ever had. Appreciate the videos.
Owning and fixing up a missile silo has been a dream of mine for 30 years. I'll definitely be following your journey.
I'll start posting, I promise.
At 11:21 you commented about the huge amount of work it was going to take to remove all of that conduit. I'm an electrician and appreciate how much time and expertise went in to installing it. Beautiful job.
I echo your sentiment. The conduit/piping is also amazing because the construction window was so narrow, it just goes to the sense of urgency in getting these rockets online during that period in history. Union pipe fitters and union electricians, A whole gaggle of them plus a whole host of other crafts went into building these sites in a period of just two years, that is just amazing.
i like this guy's enthusiasm
He's only making fun of your humidity because he wishes he had a long cable way. Great video, interesting site!
THANK YOU! You GET it! That's EXACTLY what I was doing. Yes, I am jealous of his long cableway so I tease about AZ sites being dry.
Fond memories of maintaining my equipment on site.
HF/UHF radios on level 3, controls for operating them on level 2, including controls for a unique (variable height depending upon frequency) telescoping HF antenna in its own 30 foot deep hardened silo.
That hardened HF antenna was designed similar to a typical multi sectional pull out antenna found on portable radios and such, but the base tube diameter was maybe 15" across. When fully extended, it reached somewhere between 50 to 75 feet. (sizes are rough guesses from very old memories, sorry).
Use to anger the commander while on level 3, for reaching out to the outer shell and making all 3 floors rock on its springs!
I don't get jealous of much, but straight up jealous of your silo. It's awesome.Thanks for the walk through.
Pro tip: put the phone on vibrate so we don't hear the wind chimes constantly!
What a tease!!!
Well done.
I'll be turning in for sure!
Part 3 is up on my site.
That answered my question about the temperature regulation, its a shame about the ejector pit.
Now I have to wait in suspense until the next part lol.
Part three to this series is online now... th-cam.com/video/d8M1WGx3IEg/w-d-xo.html
I've been in an Atlas F site that was pretty trashed from water intrusion, vandals, etc. Your site is freaking PRISTINE relatively speaking. Very nice!!
Speaking of venting have you looked at a sprayable liquid desiccant to help you with the air intake on yours? A shed over the escape hatch to house some sealed ducts and a catch basin to spray desiccant into the air flow and a solar evacuated tube hot water system to cook the used desiccant to renew it could give you a fully solar powered air dryer to keep the humidity down in the summer.
Can also look at a ground well to supply ground temp water to fill radiators for the air to flow by to both cool and dry it but that would be a more complicated system.
I would so love to have the money and time to complete such a project. I'm 68 and there isn't enough years left for me for such a project. However, if I should happen to win the lottery.......
WAH, you cut it off at the good part!
"to be continued"....
Perfect place for a cliff hanger, not a floor hanger.
The final installment will be posted on Arizona Titan 2 next week.
Man i was so excited to see this top level and then it was done 😢
Part three to this series is online now... th-cam.com/video/d8M1WGx3IEg/w-d-xo.html
That is awesome to see these magnificent sites being restored right in my back yard. Its crazy to load in a map file on google and see the location of each DM Missile site.
Quick ventilation inside a bunker. Nice^^
I mean, its cool. But this guy gives me the cloverfield lane vibe
hahahahhaha yes he does. epic af tho
It's all fun and games until he busts out a barrell of acid
Totally
He is just speaking Engineerese, all the good ones sound like this.
No part three! What a tease!
Part three to this series is online now... th-cam.com/video/d8M1WGx3IEg/w-d-xo.html
How fun. Thanks for sharing. I love your excitement.
I live by the Titan missile museum, but after watching this I wish I could buy it. 😎
Is his bunker blessed by magic desert fairies? I hear a magical twinkling sounds.
Left on a cliff hanger! Excited to see the next one, loving what he's done so far. Amazing that he got the locks working.
Part 3 is up on my channel...
Have to love a good cliffhanger. Love the content, looking forward to the rest!
I will post it here after Doug posts it to his TH-cam account. That was our agreement
Part three to this series is online now... th-cam.com/video/d8M1WGx3IEg/w-d-xo.html
Is that windchime sound a phone ringer? If so, how you getting signal down there?
Yes, it was my phone. I was expecting a call from my wife and I did not expect the motion sensors to keep notifying my phone. But you are sharp to notice - yes, I did install fiber optics for phone, cable, and Internet. ;)
I remember that exit shaft but it was filled with concrete to ground level cant believe he dug that out really cool place
yes we got it, your silo isnt water damaged, you already reminded fellow owners and viewers for the tenth time already, keep rubbing it in...
Sorry - That was a tease at Nik (filming). He has his long cableway (I'm so jealous) so I tease him that our sites are dry. It's a Titan owner thing...
@@ArizonaTitan ah, i got it ;) Keep up the interesting content!
i so want to get a missile silo like that one and renovate it. it would be awesome.
Very cool, there was someone else who had a channel who documented his procedure of digging out the buried door and all the water he had to pump out. He then hired a company to come out and to cut away all that useless steel and cart it off. I think it was money well spent because he would have never have had enough time to finish the project. Something like this will take a lifetime and there aren't enough hours in the day to get a project like that finished.
@deathwearsbunnyslippers
@@atomicunderground9971 Yeah that's him! I noticed he is now trying to get corporate events held at this bunker. I think he ran out of money. Very seldom does someone have both time and money to complete a monumental project as that.
What is the tinkerbell sound every 30 seconds?
Tinkerbell didn't silence her phone.
But it is good that he gets cell signal inside the faraday cage.
@@atomicunderground9971 She's very popular!
That is the sound that my RING Doorbell Camera makes whenever it detects movement at the camera...
@@richardfowler3254 I was thinking the same thing.
lol! Teaser! Can't wait to see the top level. This is a really cool series of videos, thanks for posting and thanks to the owner for hosting.
Going back to the question of doing anything with the silo itself...I think it is pretty well given that the inside where the missile was, the 'inner tube' so to speak, is a total loss or, as discussed earlier, prohibitively expensive to attempt to restore. However...what sort of decommissioning was done to the outer ring/service areas? We've heard/read that the big diesel generators were left in a lot of the silos...but what about the rest of the service area? I am having difficulty in picturing what that looks like. And obviously any of the sites that have been flooded or still have flooded silos this would be essentially ruined. But in the 'dry' sites...has anyone ever been able to get into these areas of the silo?
I'm going to give you the official military answer regarding the Arizona launch silos. I can neither confirm nor deny if any silo has been accessed since 1987. If such an entry was made there would surely be an upcoming documentary about it on cable television.
That’s awesome! I have heard whispers of this. I too would like to know the condition of the work areas. Wouldn’t have happened to hear anything?
Look at the YT channel “Titan Missile Museum”. The have videos for most of the silo levels and show a lot of the equipment including the generator.
Good info. It just seems to me that since the long cableway enters the silo ~40' below grade, and that we know only the top 25' of the silo was destroyed with explosives, with the debris pushed into the silo bay, and then capped off...that all of that activity SHOULD be above the Level 2 where the long cableway comes into the silo, leaving all service/maintenance areas below that relatively unscathed...with just normal decommissioning activities having taken place.
Curious.
@@ericthehalfmexican9187 Thanks, Eric. Good stuff in that video. I'm actually going out to the museum in May so I hope to really get my head around some of this stuff.
This rocks!
His site wasn't flooded out like the others typically are? That's incredible. Dude is a little bit of a nut though. Don't know if I'd want to be alone with him in a silo. lol
I saw three ELU's, one in the first video behind door 7 and two in this video on level 2 and as he pointed out on level 3. I had the fun job of testing and repairing those as part of regular silo maintenance. Not that it was a big job but fun to see some still standing. Interesting too he said it would get 80/90 deg 60ft down. Since heat rises not sure how that happens.
In the dry desert the ground heats up a lot more and a lot deeper than you would think. And if the only airflow coming in is 110 degrees it has no way to cool down - it just gets hotter and hotter, especially in the top level. And if it gets humid I can run the dehumidifier, but that adds heat too.
6:45 Little bit of an exaggeration in your dimensions. The vertical walls of the LCC are 3 feet thick and the outer electromagnetic shielding is 1/4" thick steel plate. Yes you still cant easily drill though it but you can easily look up the spec to which it was built.
Lvl 3 had two VW sized 28 VDC battery piles. Massive weight.
The Museum mounted a swamp cooler over the air intake shaft for cooling...
That's always an option but I did not want to do that. I've lived in AZ 40 years and always hated swamp air. Too humid, and eventually all the carpet and furniture smells musty. And humidity makes RUST! Maybe after all the exposed metal is repainted... The museum had to do something because of the crowds coming and going, open doors bring hot air.
Living the dream
I knew what you did the second it happened. I guess it dont matter as I am subscribed so I will get to see the 3rd part eventually.
I will post it here after Doug posts it to his TH-cam account. That was our agreement
@@atomicunderground9971 No problem, I heal quickly.
It's up now on my channel.
Yep it took a long time for the ibew electrictions to install all that conduit. But im still looking for the microwave wave guides.
This whole thing was just "My silo is better than your silo"
how many ring door bells does he have hidden around?
I know there probably isn’t much to see but I would like to see what it looks like under the birdcage and how much room is there. Non of the TH-cam channels have shown it yet, at least from what I have found anyways.
I will do a video on it eventually. Flat floor except for a sump near the septic tank
I will do that for you, making a note to self right now. Looking for things to video to get my channel rolling. Thanks for the suggestion!
@@atomicunderground9971 I know it probably a boring spot but just curious. I find these silo's quite interesting.
@@ArizonaTitan That would be awesome! Like I replied to Atomic Underground probably a boring place to see but I find the silo's and their construction quite interesting.
Your request has been honored! Check out my channel, you will see the video you requested. :) Posted it today for you.
Wow what a cliff hanger
This guy mákes it seem like it is still secret. If it was the .gov would come and take it back.
Not secret AT ALL! We run a nursery above it - talk about it all the time. I give tours all the time. Local government officials have been there to assist me in bringing it up to "code" and all to be the basement of the house.
@@ArizonaTitan How can I get a tour?! I live in Tucson! I am a huge cold war buff! Would love to take a look with my Dad, I would pay you!
@@kali6651 Just stop by during business hours
@@ArizonaTitan Hey there, do you have a website or anything I can find more info on the business hours and stuff like that?
@@ArizonaTitan Just found it, www.atomic-underground.com correct?
I'm not able to find an address or business hours!
What is the cost so far for the project?
Standard atmosphere was 60 degrees plus/minus 2 and 5 % humidity... I got Vegas Throat coming in for 98 degrees and 98 % humidity in Arkansas....
What did they use for dehumidifiers?
this is crazy to me... how much does it cost to buy a missile silo in the states? I'm Canadian we don't have weapons so I'm curious
Watch my last q and a
So is this for the end of days type of prepper thing or is it just to have something no one else has?
Neither it’s just because we want them and think they are cool. It’s not a size contest or for preparing for the end of the world.
@@atomicunderground9971 Ok thank you. I meant no disrespect nor was I criticizing. It is cool but would require tremendous resources to renovate I would think. It does seem like it would be ideal if you had more money than god to convert it into a full off the grid self sustaining fort knox kind of home.
How much do one of threes go for?
what are you going to do with this? Are you going to convert it into a home?
I can drill through the concrete 😉. I'm a concrete cutting tech. Ben core drilling for over 20 years. I have the skills to cut in a garage bay in that wall.
This channel makes me aware how powerful US government is.
I would make the top room a planetarium. The dome ceiling would be perfect to use with a projection unit.
I might do that. We had 40 Boy Scouts & parents eating popcorn and watching the movie "War Games" projected on about 1/2 of the ceiling. It was pretty awesome!
@@ArizonaTitan PERFECT movie choice! lol... My dad is in AZ. I will be sure to let you know when I visit next so I can come to movie night! :)
How do I find one of these to buy?
I can help if you are serious. They are very rarely for sale but cash talks
@@atomicunderground9971 I’m serious but I’m years away. It’s a toss up between one of these or a shipping container home underground like an earth ship. I’ll have to weigh out the pros and cons
What do one of these go for?
At 5:27 you step over a potential pit. What was that?
It’s where the equipment racks were. My site has that too. Need to cut floor plate to weld in
One of the first things a enemy will take out during a attack is communication so high speed internet ( land based or in space) has no use.
None of us are using them for doomsday bunkers exclusively . Might as well be comfortable in the meantime. The last 8 a apocalypses were lame.
Solar and solar energy storage on the surface, and maybe an fuel-cell generator running on hydrogen, methanol, ammonia or propane gas saves tonnes of energy.
I see what you did there....... sly move. How long do we have to wait? Tomorrow!?
Third part is posted on my channel...
Idk what to think about him.
Doug's an awesome guy! Lots of fun to be around and learn from. He's got a great site and is making some good headway 🙂
I was just thinking that. I love what these guys are doing and I'm a bit jealous but he does seem bit smug. He seems a nice guy though!
I think he is just excited to interact with someone who shares the same passion about old missile silos. So in his eagerness to show off what he has done so far he might seem a little smug.
@@ThompsonAtomicRanch Definitely looks like a cool project!
He seems like a great guy to me
What did they ever do with the missile silo
New to this Channel, do you legitimately own this silo? Looks pretty sick!
Yes, legitimately, lol
Have any former Titan II crew members been to your site?
Several. Quite a few retired nearby and they visit the nursery to buy plants.
Nick have you sold all your lights yet?
For now. More may be available in the future
Ok, no problem. I would like to have a pair if you end up with more available, or if your Arizona friend decides to sell some.
Meh. Its cool but realistically how long could you stay down? Also everyone and his brother would be figuring a way in if SHTF and yes, anything can be gotten into. Lastly what if something happens and youre not home to run to the garage ?
Wow.
This guy is amazed at having FIOS and single phase 220V power.
My 102 year old piece of shit bungalow has that.
Yet, still, he can't figure out how to turn off the ringer on his phone.
Still have cell signal down there interesting
Only because there is a cell booster and antenna to outside
Did you catch the reference to fiber optics? ;)
@@ArizonaTitan true true
Just silence the ring doorbell please.
Sorry, was expecting call from wife and did not realize they would keep going off. I will make sure there are no distractions in future videos!
Really sad you're removing all the conduit.
It's necessary. No way to scrape and paint above and around the conduit. There is corrosion and rust on the inside of the conduits, they are not usable.
@@ArizonaTitan But it looks cool and it's original.
Damm it who's phone is it ? Turn it off by Jove ! ^^
Does this guy have his own TH-cam channel?
he does, but no content yet; comment above says Doug will post part 3 on his channel first, next week th-cam.com/channels/d7BcgiSJolu1lq-VLuCnvQ.html
Part three now up on my channel.
Arizona Titan 2 great! I will watch this later. You are living one of my dreams!!!! Keep up the great work!
Every time I see the giant spring hangars I think about your silo. Any plans to address the missing spring in your launch control center? Any chance you could repurpose the smaller ones that are in your long cable way?
He needs to check out the salvage yard, and see if he can buy it back for a cheap price.
Cheap is relative. At the moment I just want to get the current scrapping done.
I understand why middle aged guys buy sports cars and motorcycles to.... compensate. But, isn't this taking it a bit far?
It’s not compensation. It’s just fun.
Heh, compensation would be if it still had a great big phallic nuclear missile in it
@@rich_edwards79 A guy can dream.
LOL - Done the boat, motorcycle, motorhome, fast car and airplane thing. Maybe you are onto something here...
Guys could really use a wireless mic for real
longer videos make more money
"aRmOrEd FiBeR oPtIcS"
It's a reference to the direct-bury, steel wound casing around the fiber pairs. I guess I should have explained that meant I did not have to run conduit.
Awwww c'mon! LoL
lol the video cuts off at the end,.. then comes back on camera guys hog tied in a cage....
cliff hanger ending booo
I will post it here after Doug posts it to his TH-cam account. That was our agreement
@@atomicunderground9971 all good was just talking shit. love the videos btw
Video is up on my channel now.
turn off your phone next time
nooooo
wtf
I would totally not do anything drastic to these places.. I mean yeah take out all the scrap metal but don't be putting in weird spiral lights/rope lights etc.
I agree, this guy is buggy!