Cold War Caching Series #3

This cache series will take you on a journey through Cold War history. This is the third in our Cold War Cache (CWC) series. The first caches in this series will concentrate on the Nuclear Missile Defense Network surrounding Washington DC, and Baltimore Maryland.

It’s interesting to see how these once highly secret sites have now been incorporated back into the surrounding communities, and in some cases, reclaimed by nature.

Wait . . . what? Nuclear missiles in Maryland? Yup, and not just one or two either, but hundreds of them. From the 1950’s all the way through the 1970’s Washington DC, and Baltimore were ringed by high altitude, high speed, missile batteries. These batteries were equipped with the Nike nuclear tipped missile and were classified top secret. Their sole purpose in life was to intercept and kill the expected waves of Soviet long range nuclear bombers. Some of you may be finding out about these sites for the first time via this cache series. Perhaps, like us, you might be surprised to find out you were growing up less than five or ten miles from a nuclear missile site.

Please understand most, if not all, of these sites are currently contaminated with all sorts of really nasty chemicals, and who knows what else. These caches are NOT placed in contaminated areas. If you decide to explore the bases “up close” you do so at your own risk. We take no responsibility for the stupidity of others.

The Cold War produced sweeping changes in the United States' military establishment and society at large. For more than 40 years the nation prepared to fight a war that never came. In the process, the United States reversed its longstanding tradition against maintaining a large peacetime military establishment, and at the same time harnessed the nation's industrial might and scientific genius to fashion the world’s most sophisticated weapons of war. High technology became the ultimate arbiter of military power, and nowhere was the impact of new technology more evident than on the nation's guided missile program. Armed with nuclear warheads, guided missiles quickly became the defining weapons technology of the Cold War.

The Cold War missile program was born of technologies invented during World War II and nurtured by the arms race. Immediately after World War II the United States rapidly demobilized, and the military curtailed its missile research and development (R&D) programs. But by 1950 the world had changed: the Soviet Union had developed atomic weapons and the United States became embroiled in the Korean conflict, which many thought to be a direct provocation by the Soviet Union and China. Confronted with those challenges, in 1950 America began to re-arm.

The 1950’s were a tumultuous decade for the U.S. missile program. One persistent problem was interservice rivalry: the Army and the Air Force squabbled over which service would develop surface-to-air missiles, and all three services fought for the right to develop long-range ballistic missiles. There were also internal disputes within the services. The Air Force was notably reluctant to develop long-range ballistic missiles, and it took a considerable amount of external pressure to convince Air Force leadership to develop the ICBM.

Despite fierce interservice rivalries, the missile program grew rapidly during the 1950s and 1960s. The Army won primary responsibility for developing surface-to-air missiles, and by 1958 it had deployed 200 Nike missile batteries across the country. The Air Force's long-range BOMARC air defense missile program was slower taking shape, but by the early 1960s seven squadrons were based along the nation's eastern and northern borders. In addition, the Army also sought to establish a nationwide antiballistic missile defense system, but after 15 years of controversy, the program was canceled in 1972 as a result of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty signed with the Soviet Union. The missile program also brought the Cold War home to many Americans. The Army's Nike missile sites provided a striking reminder: many of these batteries were located near the most densely populated areas in the nation, and they provided graphic testimony to the severity of the conflict between the United States and Soviet Union. The Cold War missile program left behind a large and diverse collection of artifacts and structures. Today, hundreds of Nike batteries still dot the countryside. These launch sites, however, reflect only a fraction of the massive U.S. investment in the Cold War missile program. Behind the launch facilities stood hundreds of research laboratories, test sites, production facilities, training centers, and logistics and maintenance facilities. Many of these sites are still in use, but many others have been closed down, put to other use, or simply abandoned.

The U.S. Army began operation of Nike Battery W-44 in the 1950s. Nike batteries in Maryland were part of an air defense system protecting the Washington-Baltimore area. Property records indicate that the Army obtained the W-44 property in parcels from 1955 to 1960. The launch facility was developed to include two missile magazines, a missile assembly and maintenance structure, an acid and fuel storage building, three underground storage tanks (USTs) and support areas including a barracks, kennel, and generator buildings. The control area was developed to include administrative and missile control structures, barracks, sewage treatment facilities, radar, electronic communication and control equipment, and five USTs.

The Nike battery ceased operation between 1965 and 1972. The Nike missiles, components, fuels and support materials were removed from the property by the Army. The majority of the property was transferred to Charles County and other portions were transferred to Prince George’s County and private parties. The former launch area is currently leased from Charles County by the Maryland Indian Heritage Society. The Melwood Horticultural Training Center leases a portion of the former control area from Charles County to provide training for developmentally disabled adults.

This Nike site is special because it’s one of the very few sites where you can actually walk around the Launch Facility. Although abandoned by the US Army, it has been given new life by the Maryland Indian Heritage Society. They run an American Indian museum and activities center on the launch site. The cache is available 24/7 but . . .the Museum is open to the public the fourth Sunday of every month so if you attempt this cache on one of those days you’ll actually be able to see the launch pad and missile silos up close and personal.

The US Army Corp of Engineers makes annual trips to this site to inspect for safety and contamination. In fact they were at the site in 2010 to find the missile magazine had completely flooded. They spent a month or so draining, and cleaning, the site. They then sealed it so as to be water tight.