| During the Cold War, the United States reacted to the threat of nuclear annihilation in some memorable ways. School children hiding under their desks in case the bombs dropped comes to mind. | Do you miss Speaking of Idaho posts? You can get a new story every week, plus much more for 68 cents a week! Just click on the subscriptions tab above to find out more. |
Those duck and cover drills accomplished nothing, unless you count terrifying kids.
We built family bomb shelters and community bomb shelters (see story below), none of which were ever tested by nukes. But the nukes were (and are) real. One effort to remain ready for nuclear war created a relic at the Mountain Home Air Force Base that not only remains today, but was recently Named Idaho’s fourth National Historic Landmark building, joining the Cataldo Mission, the Boise Assay Office, and Experimental Breeder Reactor No. 1. It’s interesting to note that two of the four are tied to nuclear reaction.
The Strategic Air Command (SAC) Ground Alert Facility on the base is equal parts crude and clever.
Built by Morrison-Knudsen beginning in 1958, the facility first housed bomber crews in 1960. The goal was to get bombers and refueling planes into the air within 15 minutes of receiving an alert.
We built family bomb shelters and community bomb shelters (see story below), none of which were ever tested by nukes. But the nukes were (and are) real. One effort to remain ready for nuclear war created a relic at the Mountain Home Air Force Base that not only remains today, but was recently Named Idaho’s fourth National Historic Landmark building, joining the Cataldo Mission, the Boise Assay Office, and Experimental Breeder Reactor No. 1. It’s interesting to note that two of the four are tied to nuclear reaction.
The Strategic Air Command (SAC) Ground Alert Facility on the base is equal parts crude and clever.
Built by Morrison-Knudsen beginning in 1958, the facility first housed bomber crews in 1960. The goal was to get bombers and refueling planes into the air within 15 minutes of receiving an alert.
If the photo above looks more like a rocket taking off than a jet, that’s because early models of the B-47 lacked sufficient thrust to get a loaded jet off the ground on its own. They attached small, disposable rockets for a jet-assisted takeoff. Upon landing, the heavy planes deployed parachutes to slow them down. These metal monsters were their own worst enemy. Metal fatigue often weakened the aircraft where the wings joined the fuselage, resulting in mid-air explosions. Fourteen of them were lost between January and May, 1957. Even so, they comprised the core of the SAC fleet from 1947 to 1957. By the time the Mountain Home facility was fully operational, B-52 Stratofortresses took over as the primary SAC bombers.
The men standing on the wings of this B-52 are showing the size of the aircraft. Flying with wing walkers would be vanishingly rare.
The B-52s proved to be a much more durable plane than the B-47s. Remarkably, the bombers, first produced in 1952, are still in service today and are expected to remain so for decades into the future.
The Mountain Home SAC Ground Alert Facility was one of some 65 such facilities built during the Cold War (the exact number is still a little cloudy because of lingering security concerns). Others still exist, but Idaho’s facility is the best extant example.
The ground alert facilities housed bomber crews in earth-sheltered buildings with tunnels leading up to each aircraft, which was parked and ready on the runway. The crew could scramble up to their planes in just a few minutes, with ten bombers in the group taking off more or less at once.
The B-52s proved to be a much more durable plane than the B-47s. Remarkably, the bombers, first produced in 1952, are still in service today and are expected to remain so for decades into the future.
The Mountain Home SAC Ground Alert Facility was one of some 65 such facilities built during the Cold War (the exact number is still a little cloudy because of lingering security concerns). Others still exist, but Idaho’s facility is the best extant example.
The ground alert facilities housed bomber crews in earth-sheltered buildings with tunnels leading up to each aircraft, which was parked and ready on the runway. The crew could scramble up to their planes in just a few minutes, with ten bombers in the group taking off more or less at once.
The “alert aprons” where the aircraft perched were designed in the shape of a Christmas tree.
One of the exit tunnels leading to the aircraft.
An overview of the Mountain Home facility.
If you’re interested in seeing this weird facility in person, you’ll need to be patient. It’s on a working Air Force base, so it is not regularly open to the public. Tours will likely be rare and only on special occasions.
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