Skip to content

No Nukes! Traditional Cache

Hidden : 10/28/2012
Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works

Related Web Page

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

A brief step back into the cold war era with this canister cache. Situated at the old RAF Harrington base , which is now mainly farm land. Parking is available by the large metal gate to the South of the cache (Approximately quarter of a mile). Terrain can be very muddy under foot for some of the way and the difficulty level is a 3 due to the amount of possible cache locations. There are a large number of other great caches in the locality , so why not make a day of it?

Health Warning! : IMPORTANT!!

The ancillary buildings had ASBESTOS roofs , which is typical of the construction methods of the day , this Asbestos is still in and around the support buildings , it is in good condition and NOT crumbling , but as a precaution , please do not climb on or enter the small buildings , and keep geo-kiddies well away!

The actual cache location (Main Launch Pad) is fine and I saw no acute hazards whilst placing the cache , however , please remember old structures sometimes are used for drug taking activities , and as such please be careful!

After two Animugglings, I've now redesigned the cache , it's still in exactly the same location , but now incorporates an anti migration device. The original and subsequent replacement caches are also still there just dragged out of reach by Animuggles! , so if you've got long arms you might get all three! smiley

THIS AREA IS POPULAR WITH MUGGLE DOG WALKERS , STEALTH IS REQUIRED!




Original Contents :

Log
Cache Info

£2.22+ Micro cache (with spare micro log , loose in main cache)
(Please note : MICRO LOG goes with FTF Micro Prize , DO NOT SIGN THIS)
(FTF Prize , use the micro wisely , and either keep or donate the cash)


Photobucket
ABOUT RAF HARRINGTON Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos The last Thor Missile leaves Harrington in 1963.


The airfield was opened in September 1943 and was originally planned as a satellite for No. 84 OTU at RAF Desborough. The airfield was built by 826th and 852nd Engineer Battalions of the US Army intended for heavy bomber use and was completed in the spring of 1944.

Photobucket
During the war years Harrington was home to 801st/492nd Bomb Group known as the Carpetbaggers.
The role of this division was to fly black ops sorties into occupied territory , dropping supplies and propaganda literature. These missions were fraught with danger and many brave airmen lost their lives.


Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App


COLD WAR YEARS
Uploaded from the Photobucket iPad App
RAF/USAF Nuclear Deterrent - Thor Missile Deployment.

RAF Harrington gradually fell into disuse after the end of the war and much of it returned to farmland.

That all changed during the early years of the Cold War when it was selected to become one of the RAF's Thor missile sites in 1958. Three missile launch pads were constructed together with support buildings, and the area was declared top secret, fenced off and floodlit. The IRBM WS-315A (THOR) missile system had a range of 1,500 nautical miles (2,780 km) and was developed by the Douglas Aircraft Corporation during 1955-56 , it typically carried a 2 Megaton Thermonuclear Warhead equivalent to 2,000,000 tons of TNT.

Photobucket

Thors sitting operational at RAF Harrington.

Deployment with RAF Bomber Command began in December 1958 before being phased out with the advent of the manned V-bombers* in 1963. [*Victor , Valiant & Vulcan] - V-Bomber LINK

In Norse mythology, Thor (from Old Norse Þórr) is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms , a very apt name for these 2 Megaton Thermonuclear Giants!

After the Thors left Harrington in 1963 , the base was decommissioned and returned to farm land , very little remains now of the base that played a key role in WW2 and helped protect us from soviet attack in the cold war years.

There are some service roads and outbuildings still left , and notably the 3x Thor Launch pads are in quite good condition and remain a reminder to the horror that could have been!

On 16 October 2012, the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Thor missile sites at Harrington were given Grade II listed status as an example of Cold War architecture. As part of the announcement, the Chief Executive of English Heritage, Dr Simon Thurley, said: "The remains of the Cold War are fading from view faster than those of the World Wars. Our Cold War heritage is a complicated and not always easily loved collection of concrete bunkers and silos. But they are the castles and forts of the second half of the 20th century and we want to ensure that the best examples survive."



Additional Points of Interest Nearby :

The memorial on the C-47 dispersal at the side of the Lamport - Harrington Road.


The Harrington Aviation Museum Sunnyvale Farm, (off Lamport Road) , Harrington.
Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App

The museum is open from the weekend before Easter until the last weekend in October (Weekends ONLY).
Admission : £5.00 Adults & £2.00 Geo-Kiddies.


Uploaded from the Photobucket iPad App
Uploaded from the Photobucket iPad App
Uploaded from the Photobucket iPad App
Uploaded from the Photobucket iPad App
Uploaded from the Photobucket iPad App
He knows where the cache is hidden , BUT he WONT tell you! GOOD LUCK.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

PAQ jbhyq or unccl gb frr guvf fvtug! Qba'g sbetrg gb chyy gur punva! :-)

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)