Nike Missile Site SF-88 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Nike missile site SF-88L

Aerial view of SF-88L, facing north
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SF-88 is a former Nike Missile launch site. It is located at Fort Barry in the Marin Headlands, just north of San Francisco, California, United States. This site opened in 1954. Its main job was to protect people and military bases in the San Francisco Bay Area during the Cold War. This was a time when the United States and the Soviet Union (now Russia) were in a tense standoff, and there was a fear of attacks from Soviet airplanes.

SF-88 first had Nike Ajax missiles. Later, in 1958, it was updated to also hold bigger Nike Hercules missiles. The site closed in 1974 but was not torn down. Today, it is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. You can visit it on Saturdays from 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM. Tours happen every 45 minutes. On the first Saturday of each month, there is a special open house with veterans who worked with Nike missiles. Volunteers help restore the site on other Saturdays.

History of SF-88

Construction of SF-88 began before July 7, 1954. The San Francisco Chronicle newspaper reported that four Nike missile sites were being built in the area. These included sites near Lake Chabot (SF-31) and at Forts Baker (SF-89), Barry (SF-88), and Cronkhite (SF-87).

On October 1, 1954, Captain Henry Paine took command of Battery A. This unit was part of the 9th Antiaircraft Artillery Guided Missile Battalion. The first temporary missile launchers at SF-88 were ready by October 28, 1954. In November 1958, the original Nike-Ajax missiles were replaced with the more powerful Nike-Hercules missiles.

Why SF-88 Closed

SF-88 was closed in 1974. This was part of a plan to shut down most Nike missile sites in the United States. The closure was also linked to the SALT I treaty. This agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union aimed to limit certain types of weapons. As part of the treaty, each country could keep one missile site for historical reasons. SF-88 was chosen as the historical site for the United States.

The Army agreed to transfer the land of SF-88 to the National Park Service in 1974. The idea was to keep it as a "Historic Memorial to Air Defense – NIKE Hercules." Army technicians were supposed to stay at the site to explain how Nike missiles worked until National Park Service staff could take over. It was agreed that no explosives or secret information would be transferred with the site. The final transfer to the National Park Service happened on February 12, 1976.

Bringing SF-88 Back to Life

In the early 1980s, a local group called the Military Vehicles Collectors Club started to restore the base. They began by pumping water out of the underground missile storage area.

Later, in the mid-1980s, another group of volunteers took over. This group was led by retired Colonel Bud Halsey. They cleaned up rust and found many parts and pieces of equipment. They even found enough missile parts to rebuild the large, 5-ton missiles. These parts had cost $30 million when they were new. The volunteer group started giving tours in early 1995, on the first Sunday of each month.

The Different Parts of SF-88

The area you can visit today is the launch area, known as SF-88L. There was also a control area, called SF-88C. This area was also transferred to the National Park Service. However, it has not been restored like SF-88L. This is because it is in a remote location and often has bad weather.

SF-88C is located on Wolf Ridge. You can reach it by walking from Fort Cronkhite. In the early 1960s, a special radar called a High Power Acquisition Radar (HIPAR) was added to SF-88C. This meant building a 50-foot-tall tower and a dome, which was the most noticeable part of SF-88C. The dome and tower have since been removed, but the gravel pad where they stood is still there. Other radar towers for tracking targets also remain, but they are in poor condition. Their steel platforms have collapsed or been removed in recent years.

Gallery

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  Overlooking the launch site at the former Fort Barry with Fort Cronkhite visible across Rodeo Lagoon

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  View of launch area

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  Museum opening hours

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  Site map

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  Underground storage

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  Missiles in underground storage with elevator doors open

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  Missile emerging from underground storage

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  Missile raised from elevators

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  Time-lapse erection sequence

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  Missile erected for launch

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  Radars (relocated from SF-88C)

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  Time to intercept

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  Low Power Acquisition Radar (LOPAR) antenna, relocated from SF-88C

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  Schematic map

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  SF-88C on Wolf Ridge

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  Entrance to SF-88C in 2011

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  SF-88C collapsed Target Tracking Radar (TTR) platform

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  TTR platform base at SF-88C (rusted platform removed)

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  Building at SF-88C

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  One of the remaining TTR bases at SF-88C. High Power Acquisition Radar (HIPAR) building in the background.

See also

• List of Nike missile sites
• Fort Cronkhite