I was assigned to that missile complex during the active days. Remember winding down the access portal. Remember replacing light bulbs in light fixtures down the long antenna tunnel. Remember taking wet bulb dry bulb reading with a sling psychrometer. Having good hot meals in the on site cafeteria, we had a cook on site everyday. When the complex was decommissioned we worked 24 hrs on and 72 hrs off and we sleep at the site for 8 hrs unless a problem existed. Loved those hours. This complex didn't have a water problem like the other two. This complex was on higher ground and didn't have ground water like the others.
Thank you for the amazing story! I envy you being able to experience that and work in these modern marvels. Imagining a brand new immaculate Titan I site is infatuating. There never will be anything as extravagant built underground. It’s truly amazing this site has stayed naturally dry, 55 years after decommissioning!
I forgot to say I was there when the hole was cut in the ceiling of the powerhouse for the large generator removal, but was reassigned to Davis-Monthan AFB Titan II missile program shortly after that. I didn't get to see the generators removed. I've often thought not many personel can say they have been assigned to both Titan I and Titan II programs because the titan I was only active 3 1/2 years.
@@ldr9146 We would love to sit down and talk to you for a week or so.. I guess they didn't allow you to take any pics.. Thx for sharing your story with us...
Bari has done an awesome job on clean up. My Grandfather helped build this Site, he was a carpenter and a Uncle was Supt. of Construction at all three Titan I Sites at Larson. I spent a lot of time at that Sites. Thanks for the GREAT memories. 👍
Outstanding. Your roots truly run deep with the ICBM program! I absolutely envy Hotchkiss, having a Titan 1 in that good of shape. That crib structure is immaculate, do you know if the silos are dry? Although it was sold last year, 724-C was in great shape as well!
I had taken some pics of the bottom at Batum/Odessa back in late 70's early 80's. It was dry... really thought the silo crib spring system was interesting at a Titan I vs Atlas F.
That’s fascinating! From what I’ve seen in historical post-salvage photos, most of the silos weren’t immediately vandalized. I’m sure the scrapping took its toll, but the infrastructure took a while to begin degrading. It seems it took 15-20 years after decommissioning for the breaking/entering and graffiti to appear. Does that sound accurate? I would have loved to have seen a Titan 1 in the 70’s. Better yet, a walk-through on its final day of service
To see the Sites on there last days, would have been something. I have been told many times, they were like living breathing things, then the next days....nothing. I am not sure I would have enjoyed seeing them. Much too sad....for example Deer Trail has been turned into a sewer, I'm very sorry to say. Fred Epler and I used to explore all of the Lowry Sites, a gun one is check out the original Lowry AFB 451st Titan I Headquarters Bldg was the original first USAF Academy bldg...lol
That’s so awesome. I bet they were, with all the communications equipment, piping, fueling, generators, computers, the list goes on. I would’ve loved to have been there. The Minutemen system doesn’t particularly interest me as they’re basically a “set it and forget it” approach... throw them in the ground and check on them in 24 months etc. When the crews used to live just hundreds of feet away from their birds, that’s what’s fascinating to me. Those guys literally lived with those missiles.
Amazing condition for this old Titan I site. I was on a Titan II launch crew back in the early to mid 70's. Just imagine the engineering and construction of these sites. Today's cost would be astronomical.
I saw an estimate for ALL of the sites built in the 60’s, the grand total for 100+ sites.. it was around 100 million. In the same document, it stated that if ONE of these sites were built today, it would cost 100 million! Mind-boggling to say the least.
The Engineering, and the speed these were built is amazing, thanx for your service, Cold war saw technological leaps, that seemed to cool off in the 90s, when the cold war ended, I thought, well no more good movies
@@s.porter8646 spot on! If you think about it, all the advancing actually occurred during the early 60’s (besides updates/modifications). ALL of the ICBM silos, active or decommissioned, were completed by 1963. Even today, the current Minuteman III’s sit in a hole that was dug almost 60 years ago… insane to think about really
The Titan 1 sites are in much better condition than the Titan II because there was no treaty in place when the Titan 1 sites were decommissioned to say how it had to be done
There’s only a handful of sites left to archive and once I get to them, the uploads will sadly come to an end. That being said, all of the archived videos then will be edited and narration between Siloman and myself will be recorded for each site specifically. Think of visiting Siloworld.net with all of Gary’s knowledge and side-notes about these sites revealed..
Fellow siloholic here! Do you have any info on what's happened to 568-A recently? I can see that it was up for sale and I'm trying to figure out who owns it currently. I would commit unspeakable horrors for a tour of this silo.
Hey Quinn! Barry Hotchkiss owned this site for the majority of the last thirty years. His daughter did a documentary series on it several years back. I keep a close eye on realty listings for silos, and I haven’t seen it listed since. A lot of these buyers keep everything under wraps for privacy, but I’m sure you could look on a GFS map and determine who the property belongs to!
No sir. These archival “videos” are just a redundancy form in case the original sites/links are taken down. Check out of Podcast though, full-on audio!
It's interesting just how "decommissioned" this place was, was that done during the actual decom process or did it happen after? I'm curious as to why they would remove all the lighting, I guess to re-use wiring? Why destroy the toilets? Was this somehow related to treaty requirements?
While the Air Force removed quite a bit during decommissioning, these sites were ransacked during salvage operations. To answer your question about all of the (minor) utilities that were removed, the USAF tried to justify the expense that was spent with taxpayers dollars. Reutilizing as much as they possibly could into other branches/operations of the military. For instance, the diesel generators were sent to Vietnam etc
@@silopedia That makes sense. It makes me a bit sad because based on how well preserved this place is in general (outside what was taken) I bet things would be in pretty good shape. I would have loved to see the place setup exactly how it was back then with all the original equipment and stuff around, even just one kept around as a museum or something.
@@sango_wilko851 I think a preserved Titan I site would be the holy grail for all of us silo enthusiasts! I believe the USAF just wanted to bury the hatchet in regards to Titan I. They spent all of that money only for the sites to be in operation for a shorter time than it took to construct them. By the time the second generation came around, and given the two decades of deterrence it provided, I suppose then they saw the significance of trying to preserve a site for historical purposes.
I really want to come visit this place and see what it’s like, things fascinate me and this one is in crazy good condition. I went to an abandoned one that’s really close to yours and it was flooded and there was no real access points for it that I could find Really cool nonetheless.
Hey Nathan, you must be referring to Royal City, the one you accessed? The third site at Warden has been sealed up for quite some time and privately owned. The Hotchkiss family has owned this site for 25-30 years!
@@silopedia Yeah I think I was at site b warden in Moses lake. I couldn’t find any good access points on that one other than the hole in the top of the silos since they’re open. One of them was filled with probably 50 feet of water. I drove past your guys silo and there were no trespassing signs and it was later in the evening so I was too uncomfortable to come up and ask about the silo. Worth the trip just to see it
@@Subruo it’s a shame that Warden’s doors remain open. That being said, at least it’s not filled to ground level. That leads me to believe maybe the tunnels and LCC/powerdome are dry. It’s been rumored that Warden and Royal City faced water infiltration issues, even dating back to construction…
@@silopedia They have clearly been open for a long time as the Google maps view even shows them open. The water was extremely clear so I’m guessing it’s just rain water in there that accumulated over time. I figured if it was ground water seeping in that it wouldn’t have been so clear. I would guess those areas might be dry as well given that there was only one silo that looked to have 50ft. The other 2, I could hardly see the water. There’s not much info on these places online so it’s hard to know what is going on in some of the silos. I had no idea the one I went to would have water. There was the other one I knew was flooded because I saw a video of people Scuba diving in it. Do you know of any good online resources on some of the titan silos?
@@Subruo nice insight! Warden is the holy grail for accessing, as the other two are well documented. As far resources online go, I would start with Silopedia.org, TheMilitaryStandard, and this channel of mine. I’ve tried to archive every site, regardless of how much content I could gather!
The silo itself is in good condition compared to others. The interior wasn't salvaged upon decommissioning as in some other sites. Someone put in some work on the command center. I don't want to think how much it'd be to hire crafts people to make sure the HVAC was functioning, the lead paint was encapsulated or removed, the asbestos removed, and the plumbing (if replumbing was done on the Command Center). That'd be what it'd take to make just a portion of it habitable.
This site is in great shape, absolutely. There’s a guy that’s actually refurbishing a silo and entailing all of those procedures you mentioned! Check out the progress, it’s insane: th-cam.com/users/NuclearBunkerLiving
@@silopedia Nuclear Bunker Living is interesting, unfortunately it seems to be mostly rambling videos throughout the complex with no real explanation of what is going on or what his plans are. Pity because it would be much more interesting to see the reconstruction process with some details of what is being done and the cost. He must be planning on spending millions just to get portions of the place in acceptable condition.
@@jondrew55 love that channel! You’re right, he’s spending a fortune in the cleanup process alone! I’m guessing it’ll be turned into something similar to the Atlas F “Doomsday Bunker” in Oklahoma!
@@silopedia Wish him luck. I'm surprised he hasn't killed himself stumbling around in some of those areas. He's got to be spending in the millions to get that place just ready for renovation.
@@jondrew55 he seems to be sticking to the “two man rule” no lone zone concept, as far as having someone else around while he’s down in the bows of the site, so hopefully he will continue to be safe during his expedition!
Humans sure spent a LOT of capital and resources so we could destroy each other if the other side started anything. Imagine how far the human race could have advanced without warfare. And now these relic silos sit abandon built out of fear on both sides. Imagine instead if the money & resources had been spent on curing diseases and solving world hunger, etc. I'm former military, served on Titan II silos @LRAFB in the early 80's so been there, done that. Titan I/II both are now just shells of destructive power that once was never to be used again. Are they cool to explore, damn right they are but dang, will human kind ever better than this? One day, I sure hope so but not in my life time. Cyber threats can bring a world power to its knees these days.
Facts! Maybe it prevented mutually assured destruction though? Or maybe we would’ve avoided it without nuclear weapons? Who knows. Either way, the sites should’ve been reutilized for future missile systems, or even entirely different operations, rather than let them rot away!
@@danbowman1637 Russia was never gonna attack the USA, don't be ridiculous. Only the USA has used nuclear weapons on human beings, and no country has nearly been as militaristic for the past 200 years, so that's the country to worry about.
![Atlas F Missile Silo 556-4 Willsboro, NY [Video Commentary]](/img/n.gif)
I was assigned to that missile complex during the active days. Remember winding down the access portal. Remember replacing light bulbs in light fixtures down the long antenna tunnel. Remember taking wet bulb dry bulb reading with a sling psychrometer. Having good hot meals in the on site cafeteria, we had a cook on site everyday. When the complex was decommissioned we worked 24 hrs on and 72 hrs off and we sleep at the site for 8 hrs unless a problem existed. Loved those hours. This complex didn't have a water problem like the other two. This complex was on higher ground and didn't have ground water like the others.
Thank you for the amazing story! I envy you being able to experience that and work in these modern marvels. Imagining a brand new immaculate Titan I site is infatuating. There never will be anything as extravagant built underground. It’s truly amazing this site has stayed naturally dry, 55 years after decommissioning!
I forgot to say I was there when the hole was cut in the ceiling of the powerhouse for the large generator removal, but was reassigned to Davis-Monthan AFB Titan II missile program shortly after that. I didn't get to see the generators removed. I've often thought not many personel can say they have been assigned to both Titan I and Titan II programs because the titan I was only active 3 1/2 years.
@@ldr9146 you’re in a niche group no doubt! That’s awesome you had a hand in each systems deactivation.
@@silopedia i wasn't in Titan II deactivation
@@ldr9146 We would love to sit down and talk to you for a week or so.. I guess they didn't allow you to take any pics.. Thx for sharing your story with us...
Bari has done an awesome job on clean up. My Grandfather helped build this Site, he was a carpenter and a Uncle was Supt. of Construction at all three Titan I Sites at Larson. I spent a lot of time at that Sites.
Thanks for the GREAT memories. 👍
Outstanding. Your roots truly run deep with the ICBM program! I absolutely envy Hotchkiss, having a Titan 1 in that good of shape. That crib structure is immaculate, do you know if the silos are dry? Although it was sold last year, 724-C was in great shape as well!
I had taken some pics of the bottom at Batum/Odessa back in late 70's early 80's. It was dry... really thought the silo crib spring system was interesting at a Titan I vs Atlas F.
That’s fascinating! From what I’ve seen in historical post-salvage photos, most of the silos weren’t immediately vandalized. I’m sure the scrapping took its toll, but the infrastructure took a while to begin degrading. It seems it took 15-20 years after decommissioning for the breaking/entering and graffiti to appear. Does that sound accurate? I would have loved to have seen a Titan 1 in the 70’s. Better yet, a walk-through on its final day of service
To see the Sites on there last days, would have been something. I have been told many times, they were like living breathing things, then the next days....nothing. I am not sure I would have enjoyed seeing them. Much too sad....for example Deer Trail has been turned into a sewer, I'm very sorry to say. Fred Epler and I used to explore all of the Lowry Sites, a gun one is check out the original Lowry AFB 451st Titan I Headquarters Bldg was the original first USAF Academy bldg...lol
That’s so awesome. I bet they were, with all the communications equipment, piping, fueling, generators, computers, the list goes on. I would’ve loved to have been there. The Minutemen system doesn’t particularly interest me as they’re basically a “set it and forget it” approach... throw them in the ground and check on them in 24 months etc. When the crews used to live just hundreds of feet away from their birds, that’s what’s fascinating to me. Those guys literally lived with those missiles.
Amazing condition for this old Titan I site. I was on a Titan II launch crew back in the early to mid 70's. Just imagine the engineering and construction of these sites. Today's cost would be astronomical.
I saw an estimate for ALL of the sites built in the 60’s, the grand total for 100+ sites.. it was around 100 million. In the same document, it stated that if ONE of these sites were built today, it would cost 100 million! Mind-boggling to say the least.
The Engineering, and the speed these were built is amazing, thanx for your service, Cold war saw technological leaps, that seemed to cool off in the 90s, when the cold war ended, I thought, well no more good movies
@@s.porter8646 spot on! If you think about it, all the advancing actually occurred during the early 60’s (besides updates/modifications). ALL of the ICBM silos, active or decommissioned, were completed by 1963. Even today, the current Minuteman III’s sit in a hole that was dug almost 60 years ago… insane to think about really
@@silopedia PS, im retired submarines
@@s.porter8646 thank you for your service! We’re you nuclear? SLBM’s?
This looks like the silo the Hotchkiss used to own. I remember seeing a very good 4 part video series that Ehren Hotchkiss did.
That’s exactly right! Odessa, also referred to as “Batum”!
Thanks so much for checking out my series! Glad you enjoyed it 😊
The Titan 1 sites are in much better condition than the Titan II because there was no treaty in place when the Titan 1 sites were decommissioned to say how it had to be done
Much better condition than the Titan 1 site at Deer Trail, CO.
Absolutely! Deer Trail is at the bottom of the list when it comes to condition. This site, and 724-C are at the top!
I wish you would do some narration on this
There’s only a handful of sites left to archive and once I get to them, the uploads will sadly come to an end. That being said, all of the archived videos then will be edited and narration between Siloman and myself will be recorded for each site specifically. Think of visiting Siloworld.net with all of Gary’s knowledge and side-notes about these sites revealed..
Fellow siloholic here! Do you have any info on what's happened to 568-A recently? I can see that it was up for sale and I'm trying to figure out who owns it currently. I would commit unspeakable horrors for a tour of this silo.
Hey Quinn! Barry Hotchkiss owned this site for the majority of the last thirty years. His daughter did a documentary series on it several years back. I keep a close eye on realty listings for silos, and I haven’t seen it listed since. A lot of these buyers keep everything under wraps for privacy, but I’m sure you could look on a GFS map and determine who the property belongs to!
Is there sound to this video?
No sir. These archival “videos” are just a redundancy form in case the original sites/links are taken down. Check out of Podcast though, full-on audio!
Is it decommissioned if so is the missile gone
Yes, these sites were also decommissioned in 1965
That silo looks empty
It's interesting just how "decommissioned" this place was, was that done during the actual decom process or did it happen after? I'm curious as to why they would remove all the lighting, I guess to re-use wiring? Why destroy the toilets? Was this somehow related to treaty requirements?
While the Air Force removed quite a bit during decommissioning, these sites were ransacked during salvage operations. To answer your question about all of the (minor) utilities that were removed, the USAF tried to justify the expense that was spent with taxpayers dollars. Reutilizing as much as they possibly could into other branches/operations of the military. For instance, the diesel generators were sent to Vietnam etc
@@silopedia That makes sense. It makes me a bit sad because based on how well preserved this place is in general (outside what was taken) I bet things would be in pretty good shape. I would have loved to see the place setup exactly how it was back then with all the original equipment and stuff around, even just one kept around as a museum or something.
@@sango_wilko851 I think a preserved Titan I site would be the holy grail for all of us silo enthusiasts! I believe the USAF just wanted to bury the hatchet in regards to Titan I. They spent all of that money only for the sites to be in operation for a shorter time than it took to construct them. By the time the second generation came around, and given the two decades of deterrence it provided, I suppose then they saw the significance of trying to preserve a site for historical purposes.
I really want to come visit this place and see what it’s like, things fascinate me and this one is in crazy good condition. I went to an abandoned one that’s really close to yours and it was flooded and there was no real access points for it that I could find Really cool nonetheless.
Hey Nathan, you must be referring to Royal City, the one you accessed? The third site at Warden has been sealed up for quite some time and privately owned. The Hotchkiss family has owned this site for 25-30 years!
@@silopedia Yeah I think I was at site b warden in Moses lake. I couldn’t find any good access points on that one other than the hole in the top of the silos since they’re open. One of them was filled with probably 50 feet of water. I drove past your guys silo and there were no trespassing signs and it was later in the evening so I was too uncomfortable to come up and ask about the silo. Worth the trip just to see it
@@Subruo it’s a shame that Warden’s doors remain open. That being said, at least it’s not filled to ground level. That leads me to believe maybe the tunnels and LCC/powerdome are dry. It’s been rumored that Warden and Royal City faced water infiltration issues, even dating back to construction…
@@silopedia They have clearly been open for a long time as the Google maps view even shows them open. The water was extremely clear so I’m guessing it’s just rain water in there that accumulated over time. I figured if it was ground water seeping in that it wouldn’t have been so clear. I would guess those areas might be dry as well given that there was only one silo that looked to have 50ft. The other 2, I could hardly see the water. There’s not much info on these places online so it’s hard to know what is going on in some of the silos. I had no idea the one I went to would have water. There was the other one I knew was flooded because I saw a video of people Scuba diving in it. Do you know of any good online resources on some of the titan silos?
@@Subruo nice insight! Warden is the holy grail for accessing, as the other two are well documented. As far resources online go, I would start with Silopedia.org, TheMilitaryStandard, and this channel of mine. I’ve tried to archive every site, regardless of how much content I could gather!
The silo itself is in good condition compared to others. The interior wasn't salvaged upon decommissioning as in some other sites. Someone put in some work on the command center. I don't want to think how much it'd be to hire crafts people to make sure the HVAC was functioning, the lead paint was encapsulated or removed, the asbestos removed, and the plumbing (if replumbing was done on the Command Center). That'd be what it'd take to make just a portion of it habitable.
This site is in great shape, absolutely. There’s a guy that’s actually refurbishing a silo and entailing all of those procedures you mentioned! Check out the progress, it’s insane: th-cam.com/users/NuclearBunkerLiving
@@silopedia Nuclear Bunker Living is interesting, unfortunately it seems to be mostly rambling videos throughout the complex with no real explanation of what is going on or what his plans are. Pity because it would be much more interesting to see the reconstruction process with some details of what is being done and the cost. He must be planning on spending millions just to get portions of the place in acceptable condition.
@@jondrew55 love that channel! You’re right, he’s spending a fortune in the cleanup process alone! I’m guessing it’ll be turned into something similar to the Atlas F “Doomsday Bunker” in Oklahoma!
@@silopedia Wish him luck. I'm surprised he hasn't killed himself stumbling around in some of those areas. He's got to be spending in the millions to get that place just ready for renovation.
@@jondrew55 he seems to be sticking to the “two man rule” no lone zone concept, as far as having someone else around while he’s down in the bows of the site, so hopefully he will continue to be safe during his expedition!
No water in silo??wow..
I believe just one of Batum’s silos has a minute bit of water in the bottom. It can be seen featured in Hotchkiss’ movie!
@@silopedia rispondimi in italiano tradotto,grazie...
I remember 568-C site was always leaking a little water. We just mopped it up.
She move in ready .. bring you own plutonium
Is anyone allowed to go here?
You’d have to get in touch with the current owner, most of the Titan I sites are under private ownership
@@silopedia do you know how i can get into contact with the owner
@@silopedia any idea who the current owner is
@@MegaReesesPieces1 I heard it changed hands years ago. Most of the “recent” videos of this site are a decade old now!
@@Blake9887 I heard it changed hands years ago. Most of the “recent” videos of this site are a decade old now!
Humans sure spent a LOT of capital and resources so we could destroy each other if the other side started anything. Imagine how far the human race could have advanced without warfare. And now these relic silos sit abandon built out of fear on both sides. Imagine instead if the money & resources had been spent on curing diseases and solving world hunger, etc. I'm former military, served on Titan II silos @LRAFB in the early 80's so been there, done that. Titan I/II both are now just shells of destructive power that once was never to be used again. Are they cool to explore, damn right they are but dang, will human kind ever better than this? One day, I sure hope so but not in my life time. Cyber threats can bring a world power to its knees these days.
I totally understand and respect your outlook on the whole topic. Thank you for serving as well!
A total waste of financial resources, which even your great great great grand kids and beyond, will never be able to pay off
Facts! Maybe it prevented mutually assured destruction though? Or maybe we would’ve avoided it without nuclear weapons? Who knows. Either way, the sites should’ve been reutilized for future missile systems, or even entirely different operations, rather than let them rot away!
Not a total waste. Russia knew what we had & wouldn't dare attack us. Grandkids and great-grandkids should thank us for preserving peace.
@@danbowman1637 Russia was never gonna attack the USA, don't be ridiculous. Only the USA has used nuclear weapons on human beings, and no country has nearly been as militaristic for the past 200 years, so that's the country to worry about.