We got lucky last night and got to join in the tour of the Nike missile site at Kincaid Park in Anchorage. This was a Cold War era installation air defense artillery site to intercept Soviet bombers. It's now a Municipality of Anchorage park.

One of the tour leaders was veteran who was stationed there in the late 60's/early 70's. Really interesting to listen to. Learned a lot, I had no idea Nike missiles carried a nuclear warhead. I'm still trying to wrap my head around launching nukes at nukes. Also trying to wrap my head around Army enlisted personnel being in charge of handling nuclear weapons. Hell my reserve unit had issues handling the M2 .50cal responsibly...

Link to news article with video:

https://www.alaskasnewssource....qZh62Yq0e5UOsZg5J1_g

‘Swords into plowshares’: A look at Kincaid Park’s less than peaceful past


By Joe Allgood
Published: Jun. 26, 2025 at 8:31 PM AKDT|Updated: 13 hours ago
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Nestled amongst the trees and rolling landscape of Anchorage’s Kincaid Park is a time capsule of a bygone yesteryear.

The concrete structures that are now used for storage - housing municipal property, skiing equipment and other recreational supplies - formerly held military equipment, soldiers and nuclear missiles.

“Kincaid Park is a great example of swords into Plowshares,” said Sierra Young, program specialist at the Anchorage Museum. “Taking something that was used for preparedness and war, and then turning it into something that children benefit from, adults benefit from, dogs benefit from.”

On Thursday, a small group of interested visitors got to peer into the history held behind the bunker’s heavy steel doors.


Known as “Site Point,” the complex of bunkers were part of a larger Cold War Defense network that spanned Anchorage, and the whole of Alaska. Eight sites across the state held Nike Hercules missiles, with three located in Anchorage, Site Bay, Site Summit, and Site Point.

Nike Hercules surface-to-air missiles were armed with nuclear warheads and primarily designed to intercept enemy bombers. Young said the site typically would have had 10 to 12 Hiroshima strength nuclear bombs at any given time.

Veteran Lance Morgan helped lead the tour on Thursday, and served on Site Point while it was active. Morgan was one of the few people who would have helped load - and launch - the missile.


“You got a limited area and an exclusion area,” said veteran Lance Morgan, who served at Site Point. “The limited area was down - kind of a free zone. You could walk around anywhere one person at a time or anything you wanted to do. You come into the exclusion area. It was a two man rule. You had to have two people. I cannot walk around out here in the exclusion area by myself. Somebody had to be with me.”

While none of the missiles were ever fired, there was a close call during the 1964 earthquake.

“The way that the missiles were designed is that they were stored on racks, and they were designed to deal with the back and forth of the earthquake, but not the up and down,” Young said. “And they actually... the fuel cracked open, and these brave servicemen that were there worked for 72 hours to carefully take apart the missiles so that they did not explode. We think that they saved Anchorage from a possible... essentially like a dirty bomb.”

The men who cleaned up the spill were commended with medals for their actions, but due to the sensitive nature of the action, they were unable to say what the medals were for. It wasn’t until around 2014 that the nature of the medals was made publicly known.


“The role that Alaska played, it was such an important role,” said Tour Participant Anne Donaghy, who also grew up near Site Point. “And so I think, Alaskans would be proud of that, you know? It’s the heritage. These guys did amazing things.”

In a state where Russian territory is visible (technically), one can imagine the threat that hovered in the air during the Cold War. Especially when amongst reminders like those at Kincaid Park.

“We’re at the forefront of this question of did the Cold War truly end?“ Young said. ”We’re having discussions again having to do with the ethics of nuclear weapons and their use, and to be able to look back on history for these examples is invaluable.“

The Anchorage Museum is now partnering with the Friends of the Nike Site Summit and guiding those interested in the history through the bunker complex.


The tour on Thursday gained the interest of over 3,200 people. Unfortunately, with a limited capacity, the tour could only accommodate a few dozen.

The museum will host tours again on July 17 and 24.

I had an opportunity to go on one of (I believe) the maiden tours of Site Summit. I dropped the ball, and didn't go. Partly due to the cost.

I hiked to the various peaks around the site a few times. I miss being in Alaska, and am envious of you and other members (I think there's at least one other) who live there.

My wife and I do own ten acres of not-easily-accessible land in AK, but we have yet to visit it. We haven't been in AK since 2019, which is the year I had that Site Summit opportunity.

The various training and recreation areas on JBER are a gold mine of opportunities for motivated service members. Two friends and I hiked to a peak that was littered with old expended 30-06 blanks. It was a peak that we looked at every day, from JBER, but was within the training grounds, so didn't have any sort of easy recreational access. It was a rugged trek, but very rewarding.

It would be so cool to see something like that.

quote:

I'm still trying to wrap my head around launching nukes at nukes [ICBMs?].

I was under the impression the nuclear warheads were launched for the purpose of taking out Soviet bomber formations. I don't believe they had the ability to shoot down Soviet ICBMs.

It was not uncommon to have PRP certified enlisted personnel handling nuclear warheads supervised by NCOs and commissioned officers.

Sigmund can fill you in on all the details.

quote:

Originally posted by KSGM:
I had an opportunity to go on one of (I believe) the maiden tours of Site Summit...

I finally got on the Site Summit tour two years ago, it was awesome. Well, if you're a Nikaholic.

You can get on the list here, July 27 still has slots:

https://www.nikesitesummit.net/

The Nike missiles were intended to be launched at bomber formations. They had a 90 mile range and the warhead was comparable in strength to the Hiroshima bomb. It was at this point I asked the question, “With only a 90 mile range, wouldn’t it get a little toasty here.” The answer was yes, but not as toasty as a bomber strike.

quote:

Originally posted by 2000Z-71:

...I'm still trying to wrap my head around launching nukes at nukes...

The Nike Hercules was designed to shoot down Soviet bombers carrying nukes aboard. It could use a nuke or high explosive warhead, but nukes get all the attention.

To counter Soviet inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) we had the Safeguard system, one North Dakota site was operational for about a year in 1975. Our anti-ballistic missiles (ABMs) were the long-range Spartan (with a massive 5 MEGATON warhead) and the shorter range (and even speedier) Sprint.

More than you ever wanted to know about Safeguard is here, including pix from my summer 2001 visit:

https://srmsc.org/

The Army has a currently operational ABM system with some launchers on Vandenberg AFB (CA) but most on Fort Greeley AK. No nukes there, I think it's a kinetic energy warhead.

https://www.deltawindonline.co...a1-0b6737596f22.html

There's a Nike site in the headlands overlooking the entrance to the San Francisco Bay. Took a tour there as a child, so I don't remember much, but it's still a present and active museum site to this day.

In high school in 1958 I remember driving past the active Nike battery in Fairfax, Virginia. Interesting times.

quote:

Originally posted by Orguss:
There's a Nike site in the headlands overlooking the entrance to the San Francisco Bay. Took a tour there as a child, so I don't remember much, but it's still a present and active museum site to this day.

There's one on Angel Island too but last time we went camping out there about 10 years ago it was still fenced off and off limits to the general public.

Marin Headlands, open to the public:

https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo...-marin-headlands.htm

Angel Island:

https://www.airfields-freeman....CA_SanFran.htm#angel

No Nikes in the Yoop. But there were BOMARCs at Raco. A former WWII Airfield. Skysweeper AA guns were sited there before the missiles. They were to defend the Soo Locks. The site is abandoned now and is being used as winter test site for automotive testing. I have been skulking around the area in hope of exploring it, but have been booted out every time.

My dad was stationed at Great Lakes Navel Station and at a small depot in Gary, Indiana when I was in Kindergarten and into 3rd grade (he served 23 years in the Navy). We lived in the Portage area, just outside of Valpo.

We had a Nike site right across the street from us that was part of the ring of sites protecting Chicago.

Looking at Google Maps, it looks like all of the buildings are gone, but the pavement and some of the bunker structures are still visible.

Nike Missile Site C-47

Went past it 100's of times and remember, when the Iranian Hostage Crisis was going on, seeing soldiers with M-16's slung on their shoulders. I only remember that because my dad had just gotten orders to report to a ship to go to the med in support of the failed rescue. My mom was worried and seeing the soldiers with their rifles slung really freaked her out. To be honest, they may have always been armed, but I remember that particular instance because of her reaction.

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quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
No Nikes in the Yoop. But there were BOMARCs at Raco. A former WWII Airfield. Skysweeper AA guns were sited there before the missiles...

This has maps and aerials in chronological order beginning with just an airfield:

https://www.airfields-freeman....fields_MI_N.htm#raco

That sounds interesting! There was a decommissioned Nike Missile base (S-33) a few blocks from my house when I was in high school, about 20 miles south east of Seattle. The launch area was surrounded by woods and a fence, but the fence had big holes in it and the big concrete pad's were a favorite meetup place for kegger's - lol - I do remember though that the silo's had filled with water - the doors were broken and you could see the water just a inches below the door.

That's very cool, and neat that you got access to some areas not regularly open to the public. I did not know that the Nikes could be nuclear tipped...that's kinda freaky.

When we were up there last year we got into Anchorage on the morning of our last day and had some time to kill before our flight at 11pm. We went to Kinkaid park and walked the trails under the runway approaches. We parked near the "Chalet" building that is now kind of a visitor and meeting center, but it used to be part of the old Nike site. We went inside to use the restroom, and they have a missile fin on display inside that they found when doing some excavation in the area. I thought it was a neat way to repurpose a historic old building.

That whole park is actually really nice. Being able to stand under 747s on final approach just a couple hundred feet overhead was awesome, and a Dreamlifter actually came in while we were there. I also think we saw as many moose on that walk as we did the whole rest of the trip combined.

I live about a mile from a former Nike missile launch site. The underground facilities are no longer safe to access but the grounds are now the county police academy and fire training facility.
Two local professors researched and documented the history of the Nike program with specific details on the Pittsburgh installations. There were 11 control sites, each with one or more launch sites. Pittsburgh also had a central command site.
I was fortunate enough to attend a presentation on the research and walk the grounds above a launch site while the professors detailed the history.
What struck me the most was the scope and complexity of the program and how quickly it was executed. I doubt we could accomplish as much in that short a timeframe today.
The technical and geopolitical details of the program are significant. If anyone has a chance to explore the Nike program, do not hesitate, it is a little known but important part of our history.
The Nike program has been in the local news recently, a local brewery acquired the former Nike Command site and it renovating it to a brewery/brew pub. I am looking forward to the grand opening.

I did not realize there were so many Nikaholics on SF! This link has a pdf on Alaska Nikes, there was also a battalion up north at Ft Wainwright (where I was stationed 1968-70):

https://www.nikesitesummit.net/about-site-summit.html

This has links to other reports. There are many more if you search the www:

https://www.nikesitesummit.net...old-war-reports.html


Here's a very good book you can buy about the entire Nike program with info on every single site in CONUS:

https://cdsg.org/product/rings...steel-third-edition/

I recall in EOD school going over the 155 with nuclear warheads. I’d hate to be the one firing those off.

My dad was stationed at the CD-27 Nike 3D/18H/12L base in Wilmington Ohio for a year or so after he returned from Vietnam.


I had to look up what the code designator meant. 3D (3 missile defense areas), 18H (18 launch heads or launchers), and 12L (12 missile launch sites). (according to missile site information from JBER (.mil).

Before we located to NC from VA, I visited the remains of the Nike base in Smithfield.
It was a pretty cool tour even though there isn't much left.

The former Nike-Ajax missile base formally named the Nike Missile Battery, N-75, was operational by 1954 and was one of eight bases that made up the Norfolk Defense Area. As with all continental bases, it consisted of two areas: a launch area and a control area. These two sites were connected by an underground cable system that enabled them to communicate. In 1963, this base ceased to be used as a missile site, and the Army Signal Corps used it as a RADAR site.

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