Installing Nike Hercules Missiles in Alaska - Page 3

Finally, Summer arrives! Hercules missiles positioned on the launchers. Site Summit became operational May, 1959. (21K) Although no missiles were fired in the lower 48, One battery in the Fairbanks area, and Site Summit did. Unfortunately, it was after I'd left.

Oh oh! We got stuck. I wished I had picked a truck with a winch. Since I signed for it, I was responsible. How long would it take me to pay it off on my "salary"?

 Yours truly (29K).

Vignettes

Circuit Breaker Problems

A mysterious problem plagued the launchers. The missiles didn't raise completely, but stopped part way up when the circuit breakers to the hydraulic pump kicked out. A courageous Sergeant climbed a ladder and disarmed the atomic warhead, for which he got a medal. Of course, if it had blown we would have all been vaporized along with a good chunk of Anchorage. Experts were brought in from Seattle, but couldn't find the problem. We finally traced it down - the manufacturer had neglected to put lockwashers under the bolts holding the power wire connectors to the breakers. Under vibration they loosened and the heat caused the breakers to pop. We had some very intelligent personnel in our outfit!

USARAL shoulder patch (left). Ordnance collar insignia (right).

"Hey Sarge!"

At the time there were two grades of enlisted men; the cadre (versed in day to day troop affairs), and Specialists. Same pay, but different duties. When I got my SP5 rocker, I would hear, "Sarge? Hey Sarge? SARGE??? and it would finally occur to me that I was being addressed. As a Specialist, I wasn't supposed to lead the troops until came the fateful day when the cadre were all sick or otherwise occupied, and it fell to me to lead the troops to the mess hall, as point man in the front row, right column. I did OK with the "Hup Twoop Threep Fourp", but I came acropper with "Column Right HARCH!". The troops executed a perfect 90 degree turn, except for me, as I went marching off at about 135 degrees. "Hey Sarge - psst ... Sarge".

NOTE: SP5 and SP6 ranks were discontinued in 1985. There is a single Specialist rank, E4. Now, when a Specialist is promoted, he becomes a Sergeant.

During the Cold War Era, from left to right: SP4, SP5, SP6, SGT.
Today only Specialist (far left) and Sergeant (far right) exist in this range; SP5 and SP6 were discontinued..

I wasn't subject to details - in fact I now assigned them. My buddy, SP4 Morimoto found the perfect place to hide. We had a large table in the conference room, where the NCOs gathered to drink coffee. "Moto" curled up underneath the center of the table to take his naps!

Miscellany

Our Company Commander thought it would be a good idea if I prepared a refresher course in basic electronics for the troops. I labored over it for many hours. Did I get to teach it? No! However, he submitted it as an example how wonderful his outfit was. 

Although all of us had SECRET clearances, the men responsible for the nuclear warheads were rated TOP SECRET. Of course, we weren't supposed to know anything about their work, but somehow we managed to obtain a copy of one of their manuals. We had fun watching their expressions when we asked, "Did you brush the uranium oxide off the M-47A1 assembly today?" (Not its real name, of course).

My brother-in-law, a full Colonel, was in the area for an inspection tour. The orderly came rushing up to me, visibly shaken, saying, "Momsen, there's a bird colonel looking for you!". Quite a sensation. Our Commanding Officer pulled me aside and asked if I could arrange to have a few more jeeps assigned to our outfit!

Useless MWOs and Awards

The contractor (Douglas Aircraft) frequently shipped us a  never-ending succession of MWOs (Modification Work Orders) which usually involved fairly useless changes, for example, replacing all pan head screws with Phillips heads. Instead of sending us a bag of screws, each one came individually wrapped in plastic! To test the launchers, we had a piece of equipment dubbed "Lucky Louie". Rather than moving it from launcher to launcher we suggested lengthening the cables. For this we received a desk set consisting of a ball-point pen with a little totem pole. We discovered that if a certain relay failed, one or more (all?) missiles would be launched with a dead APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) which would make the missile non-operational. A simple wiring modification would have corrected the problem. We submitted a suggestion and never heard another word about it. Furthermore, no MWO was ever issued to correct the problem.

Trucks

While I was stationed in Alameda I had a wonderful REO deuce-and a half equipped with a stick shift. Alas! it didn't follow me to Alaska and I was given a horrible substitute - a GMC with a "slush box" (automatic transmission). One time I was descending a hill with a truck full of troops. At the bottom was a 90 degree turn. I applied the brakes gradually, but as soon as it slowed down the stupid thing down-shifted. Pretty soon I was in "Grandma" (the lowest gear) with all ten wheels locked. Fortunately, I made the turn.

"Chopper" to Goose Bay

One of the sites we serviced was across Knik Arm from Fort Richardson, a long truck ride by road, so we thought we'd save time by riding the helicopter. The contraption rattled so badly it threatened to fall apart at any moment. Rather than cutting across the bay, we followed the road. Asked why the pilot replied "In case we go down". Proceeding further, he was happy to point to charred areas along the route, noting "That's where one of our guys went down", and "another went down over there." To make things even worse, he descended to such a low altitude that our rotors almost clipped the treetops. I have not ridden on a "chopper" since that traumatic day.

A Trip to Town

Anchorage was still pretty much a raw frontier town in the 1950s. My son developed an allergy to "Anchorage dust", so my wife had to take him back to New York, which didn't leave much to do except go into town. The main attraction was drinking. Anyone remember the Salty Dog Saloon? A fixture in the bars was the "B-Girls". You could buy them expensive "champagne" (gingerale) for a few minutes with them. One of the main features was "Willy the Klootch" (half-breed) who stationed herself in the middle of the main street, yelling "F--- You" at anyone around. The saddest sight of all were the young, pretty Indian girls who came to town, never having seen an electric light before. In no time they became hopeless alcoholics with their front teeth knocked out and knife scars on their faces.

"Driving Out"

After my 3+ year stint in the Army, for which I now wore a "hash mark" on the sleeve of my dress uniform, I elected to drive down the Alcan (later renamed "Alaska Highway"). I was fully prepared for the dangerous trip. First, I had my tires "siped" (the tread was cut crossways in a waffle pattern for better traction). I loaded up with ten gallons of gas, all my winter gear, tire chains, with two bags of sand in the trunk for better traction. I constructed a plastic partition between the front seat and back - no point in heating that area. I even packed a Smith & Wesson .38 in case of wolves. When I entered Canada, officials at the border sealed the barrel, since I wasn't supposed to fire it until I left the country. So much for protection against wolves! Oh, and the most important item in case of a breakdown - an old tire filled with newspapers so be set on fire while I gathered firewood. In summer, the road was full of potholes, but in December the snowplows had evened out the surface and it was an easy, if lonely, drive. Hours would pass before I would spot another vehicle. I only used one of the items - a can of gas when I ran out on a freeway in the lower 48.

A majority of those who served in the Army might consider me crazy, but those were the best years of my life. It changed me from an irresponsible hell-raiser into a responsible individual, and set me on my career path, as an Electrical Engineer who helped design our first unmanned Mars probe.

Nike Links

Nike Hercules Operations in Alaska 1959-1973, Prepared for the US Army. Comprehensive overall view of the operation, including personal anecdotes. Large PDF format sections are well worth the long download times. 

Ed Thelen's extensive list of Nike resources. 

Nike Historical Society Restoration of site SF-88, Guest book, many links.

Nike Ajax/Hercules  Missile Base PR-38 Bristol, RI.  Many pictures and stories from past crew members.

Site Summit, Alaska last Nike Site to be deactivated, many photos.

Nike Ajax & Hercules Ordnance Support Units by Doyle Piland.

Site Point, Comprehensive information about A Battery. Lots of photos!

Jef Poskanzer's list of 24 San Francisco Bay Area Nike sites, with maps, current condition and photos.

Red Canyon, where the Nike Ajax story started, by J. P. Moore. Lots of photos.

"Three Hours from Armageddon, Life at a Cold War Nike Missile Site", by Gary Stephens, a Fire Control Operator. An interesting "What if" scenario is included.

Anchorage Nike Sites, Conditions at Point, Bay and Summit as of 2001. Many photos.

QUESTIONS: I was originally with the 197th, servicing  sites around the Bay Area. In Dec.1958 I was attached to the 194th, which went to Alaska. Did the 194th previously service the San Francisco Area sites? If so, who took over maintenance after the 194th moved out? 

To see why I made it difficult to contact me click on the explanation.

My Other Sites

http://home.earthlink.net/~nbrass1/ezine.htm (nautical antiques and codebreaking in World War II)
http://home.earthlink.net/~nbrass1/mariner/miv.htm (Mariner IV - First Flyby of Mars - Personal experiences)
http://home.earthlink.net/~nbrass1/zepp/zepp1.htm (From Rio to Akron on the Graf Zeppelin as seen through the eyes of an eight year old girl)

Go to to page 1
Return to page 2

Go to Part I, Nike Ajax Maintenance in Alameda CA.