Supported by FOSA, Connecticut's last remaining undeveloped Nike Missile has been named a State Archaeological Preserve. Originally named Nike Base HA-36, it is located in Meshomasic State Forest in Portland. The site was one of six emplacements that protected Hartford industrial targets.

Currently considered to be within the sphere of industrial archeology, the Nike ground-to-air missile system was a mid-twentieth technological upgrade of older defense systems. It supplanted 19th century coastal artillery and earlier 20th century anti-aircraft gunnery. To defend against air attacks many of the Army's antiaircraft units had been converted to guided missile battalions by 1957.

Named after the ancient Greek goddess who personified victory, there were three versions in the Nike group; Nike Ajax, Hercules and Zeus. Only Nike Ajax missiles were deployed at Portland. Nike Ajax missiles were two-stage rockets with solid fuel booster stages and liquid fueled second stages. The Nike missile had a range of 25 miles (40 km). It could reach altitude of 70,000 feet (21 km) and achieve a maximum speed of 1,000-mph (1,600 km/h). Because of its short range Nike bases with stored explosive warheads and toxic fuels had to be placed close to protected industrial and residential sites.

The theory of Nike missile defense centered on destruction of enemy aircraft or ballistic missiles in space, preventing damage to civilians, infrastructure and the environment.

The Nike sites had much in common; they used the same radar equipment, analog computers, standard launchers, procedures and missile maintenance systems. Although the buildings at the Portland base are gone, floor slabs, concrete support structures and steel tanks remain. A useful reconstruction of the site's layout was developed by referring to the Portland assessor's maps. Additional site layout, obtained from the preserved Nike site in Sausalito, California was integrated into the study of the Portland site.

Many of the components of the tracking and launch system were either trailer mounted or transportable and were removed from the site when it was decommissioned in 1961.

Former Nike sites have been repurposed as schools, military training or maintenance facilities, parks and residential facilities. However, many of the underground vaults for missile storage were simply filled in with earth and covered with soil. The Portland site is the only Connecticut Nike base that has not been adaptively redeveloped.

The Portland Nike missile base was comprised of three areas, two of which were contiguous. Living accommodations for personnel existed in barracks located in the administrative area... The barracks were simple wooden structures with the lowest ranks sleeping dormitory style in rooms that slept 20 to 60 men. Non-commissioned officers sometimes shared a two-man room or possibly an individual room. Generally, there were individual officers' quarters or they lived off site.

Adjacent to the administrative area were the Integrated Fire Control (IFC) radar systems. Their function was to detect, acquire and track incoming targets. Analog computers then directed and followed the trajectory of the Nike defensive missiles to their interception point.

Construction requirements dictated that the launch area be separated by at least 1,000 yards from the other areas. At the Portland, Connecticut site the launch area was about 1,672 yards from the remainder of the site. The forty-acre launch site in a remote state forest provided protection to the local community in the event of a missile malfunction. Typically, a crew of 109 officers and enlisted personnel staffed a Nike Base.

The development of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) made the Nike air defense system obsolete and the remaining Nike Ajax batteries were closed down starting in 1963. The Portland Nike Site HA-36, was deactivated in 1964.

In the 1960's, the site's enlisted barracks were used by the Connecticut Department of Corrections and in the 1970's by the Young Adult Conservation Corp. All wood structures at the Portland Nike site were abandoned and have disintegrated. There are no remaining above ground buildings.

The exceptional artifact at the launch site is the vault in which missiles were stored and elevated for deployment. The vault has been covered with several feet of wood chips. A manhole and ladder descend into the vault but access is partially blocked by bricks in the lower portion of the door. The vault itself is filled to half its height with earth. Racist graffiti has been painted on the visible portion of the walls.

The vault at the Portland Nike helps to document a critical aspect of the early Cold War years. It is a tribute to the veterans who kept watch and protected the nation during a period of declining foreign relations with the USSR and China. Many who served during that period are not eligible for full veteran's benefits as they did not serve during a "hot war". However, the very existence of the ground-to-air missiles could well have been a powerful deterrent to enemies. The Air Force was increasingly tasked with long range defense and the Army's role phased out. Nike missiles faded into technological obscurity with their appellation now most familiar on a line of athletic shoes and sporting goods.

Webmaster's Note: In June, 2015, Industrial Archaeologist Bob Stewart, who is this article's author, gave a talk about the Portland Nike base and then led a tour of it. Among the materials associated with that "Upcoming Events" article are the following...

>To access the web site of the Portland Nike Missile Site, please click Portland Nike Site.

> To see a video of the site on YouTube, please click Portland Nike Site Video.