Boston Defense Area (original) (raw)

Home - Search - Browse - Alphabetic Index: 0- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9
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

Boston Defense Area

Nike air defense area, consisting of several Nike missile batteries to defend urban, industrial, and military targets from Soviet bomber attacks.

The site designations and locations of Nike batteries guarding the Boston area are as follows:

(B-03) 1.3 miles northeast of Reading (B-38) Cohasset/Hingham

(B-05) northwest of Danvers (B-55) Blue Hills/Milton

(B-15) Beverly (B-63) west of Needham

(B-17) Nahant (B-73) 1.6 miles west of South Lincoln

(B-36) Fort Duvall/Hull (B-84) Burlington

(B-37) Squantum/Quincy (B-85) west of Bedford.

Headquarters facilities were located at Chelsea, Winthrop, Quincy, Natick, and Fort Devens. Radar sections were stationed at Long Island and Fort Devens.

The Corps of Engineers New England Division based at Waltham managed construction of these facilities and the Nike defenses elsewhere in New England. While some sites had to be newly acquired, the Division used Department of Defense property whenever possible. For example, B-36 used World War II gun casements as a foundation for the missile control radars.

Boston's Nike Batteries were manned initially by Regular Army troops. In 1959, National Guard units assumed control of B-03, B-15, B-55, and B-63. In 1964, the Army turned sites B-36 and B-73 over to the Guard. After the phase-out of the Nike Ajax system, sites B-05, B-36, and B-73 remained supplied with Hercules missiles. By 1964, these three sites were merged with the remaining sites in Providence and Bridgeport to form the New England Defense Area.

The Corps of Engineers New England Division contracted Kirkland Construction Company to construct the "bomb-proof/ fallout-proof" Missile Master command and control facility located at Fort Heath in Winthrop. This unit, manned by up to 500 personnel, coordinated the Nike batteries throughout the Northeast.

Subtopics

Nike BO-03 12 Nike Ajax launchers.. Operational June 1955 - Mar 1963 . Both Control and launch sites transferred from DoD control to another party.

Nike BO-05 12 Nike Ajax/7 Nike Hercules launchers. Operational Nov 1956 - Apr 1974 . Both Control and launch sites transferred from DoD control to another party.

Nike BO-15 12 Nike Ajax launchers.. Operational Feb 1957 - Mar 1963 . Both Control and launch sites transferred from DoD control to another party.

Nike BO-36 8 Nike Ajax/Nike Hercules launchers.. Operational Jan 1956 - Apr 1974. Control site obliterated; private ownership housing. Launch site park ownership by Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Nike BO-37 8 Nike Ajax launchers.. Operational Jan 1956 - Dec 1961 . Both Control and launch sites transferred from DoD control to another party.

Nike BO-38 12 Nike Ajax launchers.. Operational Nov 1956 - Dec 1961 . Both Control and launch sites transferred from DoD control to another party.

Nike BO-55 12 Nike Ajax launchers.. Operational Jun 1955 - Mar 1963 . Both Control and launch sites transferred from DoD control to another party.

Nike BO-63 12 Nike Ajax launchers.. Operational Jun 1955 - Mar 1963 . Both Control and launch sites transferred from DoD control to another party.

Nike BO-73 8 Nike Ajax/Nike Hercules launchers.. Operational Jan 1956 - Apr 1974 . Both Control and launch sites transferred from DoD control to another party.

Nike BO-84 8 Nike Ajax launchers.. Operational Jan 1956 - Aug 1963 . Both Control and launch sites transferred from DoD control to another party.

Nike BO-85 12 Nike Ajax launchers.. Operational Nov 1956 - Dec 1961 . Control site partially intact; private ownership housing. Launch site partially intact; Northeastern University.

Country: USA. Launch Vehicles: Nike Ajax, Nike Hercules. Bibliography: 13403.

Home - Search - Browse - Alphabetic Index: 0- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9
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