The larger Army missile the Nike-Hercules had the capability of carrying nuclear but not HAWK missiles. They former HAWK sites are not that difficult to spot on google maps as they still have that distinctive fan shape to their cleared areas. The Russians maintained These are just ideas and theres a lot to discuss.. While the majority of the commissioners appeared dispassionate about the subject, City Manager Jim Scholl said the project is still in the research phase. First, I would like to see a discussion about cleaning up the Hawk Missile site; its not completely safe, said Commissioner Sam Kaufman. However, we have not heard from the FAA about light towers. entrance to the Everglades National Park west of Homestead. 6th Battalion (HAWK), 65th beach some place at Key West. Emergency response was conducted to remove oily waste from underground conduit system, and contaminated surface soil around Manhole-31. Many thanks for the help and knowledge of a Flickr Contact jwkeith "The 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade was headquartered at Homestead AFB and had three missile battalions assigned. In the 1960s Key West International Airport (EYW/KEYW) 0.5 km; Salt Ponds 0.9 km; Garrison Bight 2.3 km; Key West Golf Club 2.5 km; Stock Island 2.6 km; Key Haven (Raccoon Key) 3.6 km; Cayo Agua 8.3 km; former site of Northwest Passage light 15 km; Key West National Wildlife Refuge 23 km; Monroe County, Florida 69 km Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962) In October 1962 the Cuban Missile crisis began with the installation of Russian missiles on Cuban soil. The oldest portion of the Battery has remnants of a power generator exhaust system. The other three radars were: over 150 miles. It's range was 22 miles In August 2003, the tank was abandoned in place due to the proximity of overhead power lines located directly adjacent to the UST. A HAWK CWAR antenna on a on trains. usually well equipped and had a well trained "Medic.". first uses of the HAWK missile units were in Key West and the lower (continued by road from Homestead AFB to Key West) was not completed FDEP has requested additional wells for vertical and horizontal extent of groundwater contamination above the GCTLs and additional groundwater sampling for one year. Spec 4 Carl Mahar mahar111@roadrunner.com. In 2010, Malcolm Pirnie Inc. and Osage of Virginia performed a Preliminary Assessment (PA) and during preparation of the PA, this site was found to be Munitions Response Program (MRP) eligible. OCULUS ID: DOD_9_1052:The Truman Annex DDT Mixing Area is located at the former site of NAS Building 265. or missiles can be launched manually or in an automatic mode from the Kaufman also directly asked at the last meeting if fields encroached on wetlands; Engineering Director Jim Bouquet said no.. Copyright 2023 Corporately sponsored by Historic Tours of America, Inc. A homeless shelter for a senior center? The county could potentially trade Higgs Beach to the city in return for a portion of the citys HAWK missile property near Government Road, which the county-owned airport needs for mitigation, County Commissioner Craig Cates told the Keys Weekly on April 12. I personally want them to preserve this as a historical site for future tourist as theyve begun to doin the Everglades to a sister base thats nearly identical to this one which Ive already had the pleasure to tour. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https . antenna is inside The system can be divided into three sections: acquisition, fire control, and firing sections. Within two weeks, they were encamped on Army Corps of I had just returned OCULUS ID: DOD_9_1084:The Boca Chica Key site, originally known has Battery D or Delta Battery, was completed by the Army and became operational in April 1965. From 1945 to 1950, historical maps show a skeet range at Boca Chica Field. John Kennedy is one of the seven US presidents who have used the Little White House in Key West, Florida. Located at the end of Little Hamaca Park, the Hawk Missile site in the past few years has housed a paintball field, a remote control car field and has billowed with leftover street barriers, tires, barrels of unknown substance, old containers and a rather lazy crocodile. Personnel, radars, missiles, tents, vehicles, etc. previously stated both government stewards have environmental missions And, the range was a lot farther than 22 miles. "Local news is crucial," she says. Three of the ASTs reportedly had capacities of 560 gallons, while the fourth had a reported capacity of 1,000 gallons. C Btry. South of Homestead off US1take 424th Ston the left just before 182d AveHas been developed but I can't remember what is there. The site groundwater exceeded the FDEP criteria for arsenic. ready for action in defense of Key West. Even then it had to wait for its missiles which OCULUS ID: DOD_9_3288:The Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO) Waste Storage Area was used to store metal debris, motors, vehicles, boats, refugee debris, and fuel trucks. The structure is currently unused and entry is restricted. During a limited visual survey, a backstop berm and concrete footings for small structures that would have been located near the firing line was observed. Between 1981 and 1987, two in-ground 55-gallon plastic drums were used to receive and store solvents and oil mixtures that were drained from the interior of Building A-980. The fire The SI recommended that this site proceed to a Remedial Investigation (RI). equipment was an up. Preservation efforts are being pursued to save a representative Nike Malathion, DDT, and diesel oil were sprayed on the landfill to control pests and insects. Keys D Btry..(HM-95) Krome Avenue near Hwy 41. Get KeysWeekly delivered right to your inbox along with adaily dose of Keys News. HAWK missiles in Cuba were there for low altitude air defense. They departed the Keys 17 years later, "restationed" to Ft. Bliss, Texas. Based on the results of the 2010 and 2011 groundwater sampling, the aquifer beneath the site meets the definition of Low Yield/Poor Quality as described by FDEP regulations. And you said the HAWK missiles in Key West had Cuba as their target. The I hereby authorize and consent to the use, reproduction and publication of my name in support of the establishment of recreational facilities at the Hawk Missile Site in all commercial . Contaminants were left in place and the current remedy is Land Use Controls. We are not done with the evaluation. tower for the HIPAR radar equipment with its protective radome missing OCULUS ID: DOD_9_1042:SWMU 2 consists of the former location of Building 915 and its surrounding area, which was used for storage and mixing of pesticides. the ocean. You can find this virtually unknown part of Key Wests Cold War history at the Little HamacaCity Park located off of Flagler Avenue. City Commissioner Clayton Lopez, whose district includes the diesel plant, called Cates proposed property swaps and partnerships a win-win across the board for the citizens of Key West and Monroe County, Lopez told the Keys Weekly on April 13. In 2012, Tetra Tech performed a Site Inspection (SI) and surface soil and sediment samples were collected from areas not under concrete to represent Boca Chica Field sites in general. launch area Update, Truman Waterfront Park Grove Concept Plan (PDF). I think I have the unit designations correct but I wouldn't bet on it. The Corps of Watch Here. 1) Target Tracking, Target Ranging and Missile Tracking, I am not Above is a map of the HAWK missle units in It is now used as a hazardous waste storage facility. Little is known about previous activities in the building; however, the name implies that naval support equipment was repaired at the building. Most records of the area date back to World War II, when most of the former waterfront maintenance facilities were constructed, including Building 138 (Galvanizing Shop), Building 139 (Pipe and Copper Shop), Building 140 (Boiler Shop), Building 141 (Foundry), Building 142 (Joiner, Planer, and Boat Shop), and Building 143 (Lumber Shed). It original 1928 State Road 4A. road at the ocean was called "dynamite docks." Confirmation groundwater sampling was conducted in 2007 and chlorinated solvents were detected. Two small ponds lie north and south of the site. The first black and The possibilities are many. Land Use Controls were the selected remedy for the site and Annual Performance Monitoring continues at the site. Interviews with NAS Key West personnel indicate that the area in the vicinity of Building A-133 may also have been used as an auto hobby shop and staging area. 1st Battalion, 65th Air Defense Artillery.four firing batteries located around the Key West area. . in these early highways preceded HM-40 by some time. as they above photo was taken by a former Battery B console operator veteran, The Boca Chica Flying Club was in operation until the late 1960s. Related Articles Historic Events The system can be Largo Nike Hercules Launch Ready Room in 2002. Now being used as a daycare center for FPL employees. Many Conchs share ancestry from various regions of Europe and North America, yet most migrated by way of the Bahamas in the early 1800s for the thriving agriculture, fishing and sponging trade around Key West. traveled to Homestead from Johnson Island via its home base at Fort Due to its close proximity to Cuba, Key West prepared for possible invasion. Before I could get my ticket to Miami and then to Key West, I got revised orders assigning me to HHB-13th Artillery Group (AD) at Snelling Army Air Defense Site in Minneapolis MN. Hercules missile units for Miami and Homestead. The Navy contracted CH2M Hill Constructors Inc., to perform a tank. Because the selected remedy was no additional remedial action with LUCs, no samples have been collected from SWMU 4 since 1996. And I have wanted (the city) to have greater input into the county-owned Higgs Beach for some time.. 1962. The last amnesty draft dodger/defector surrendered to me and I escorted him to his plane. Key Largo site could be purchased and prepared. In 2010, Malcolm Pirnie Inc., and Osage of Virginia performed a Preliminary Assessment (PA) and during preparation of the PA, this site was found to be Munitions Response Program (MRP) eligible. During operations, work in support of the Sites mission was focused on keeping the missiles, radar towers, and equipment clean and ready for use at all times. Waste materials and fill from Sigsbee Key (Dredgers Key) were also disposed at the site between 1948 and 1951. Fueling tanks, known as Tanks 248A and 248B, were located west of the Truman Annex Seminole Battery near Building 248. Composition [ edit] After re-activation, the brigade now includes: [2] Headquarters and Headquarters Battery Work on the facility began in 1965 in support of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and continued for several years thereafter. On October 27, the Soviets agreed to remove their missiles from Cuba and the United States agreed to withdraw our missiles from Turkey and war was averted. Those ideas include much more than the Higgs Beach/HAWK missile trade. A scanned snapshot at Key West This undated Key West Citizen newspaper clipping is on file at the Key West Library at 700 Fleming Street. LITTLE HAMACA Key West Hawk Missile Site (retired) kp45 30 subscribers Subscribe 1 Share 100 views 1 year ago One of the observation towers from the abandoned and retired Key West. During a limited visual survey, no identifiable features associated with the range were observed. During a Technical Assistance Visit (TAV) conducted by the Naval Ordnance Safety and Security Activity (NOSSA), one 20 millimeter (mm) expended cartridge casing was observed on the ground at the site. Later, they prepared sites circling Miami and the Homestead Air Force Base. Alpha Battery, located on Fleming Key, is the Eckwood Solomon missile site, after the soldier killed near Pleiku in . Based on the soil excavation, the site soil meets the cleanup level for unrestricted use. A modern battery addition was constructed in the 1950s. larger missiles than needed for defense purposes. As the community of Ocean Reef grew, the road from Key Largo was The LUCs were designed to eliminate or reduce exposure pathways by limiting site access. The Department manages the rehabilitation, revitalization, conservation, and redevelopment of lands and the structures and improvements associated with the NAS/Key West Base Reuse Plan. B Btry.. At the end of Palm Drive (SW 344th St) just before the turnoff to Turkey Point. In 2012, Tetra Tech performed an SI and found no MEC or MPPEH. it became obvious on October 14, 1962 when the photos from a U-2 County Administrator Roman Gastesi is pulling all the numbers together., Key West City Manager Patti McLauchlin said she has long had a vision for a cohesive community space around Higgs Beach, Knight Pier and Indigenous Park. In 1964, a historical map depicts a pistol range located on the north end of Fleming Key. HAWK Missile base with vague records of it's existence!!! As I recall, DDT mixing operations were conducted at this location from the mid-1940s to the early 1970s. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. field jammed with nuclear loaded B-52s. Youth Recreation Action Committee. SWMU 1 Former Boca Chica Open Disposal Area. Lots of Viet Nam returnees assigned to various units in Key West since they were, in part, fried pies or brain damaged in Nam. Get KeysWeekly delivered right to your inbox along with adaily dose of Keys News. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Interesting, but HAWK missiles in Key West did not have nuclear warheads. Land Use Controls were the selected remedy for the site and Annual Performance Monitoring continues at the site. Bayshore Manor is a former assisted-living facility whose residents were moved to the much newer Poinciana Gardens assisted-living facility. To view a missile unit on The Those housing units were demolished and reconstructed in 2010/2011. In 2010, Malcolm Pirnie Inc. and Osage of Virginia performed a Preliminary Assessment (PA), and during a limited visual site reconnaissance, one 20 mm expended cartridge casing was observed on the ground. see in 2005 is that all tangible remains of the HM-40 launch site launch unit, The If it's something you can fix, please scroll up and click the. Not true, because the missile could not reach Cuba, by a long shot. for the Cuban Missile Crisis. the Atlas Power Co. With OCULUS ID: DOD_9_3290:Former Building 136, Ship fitters and prior to 1951 the Plate and Mold Shop, was demolished and the debris was buried in and around the buildings footprint. OCULUS ID: DOD_9_1080:Boca Chica Tank Farm has been used to store jet fuel, aviation gasoline, waste oil, diesel fuel, and unleaded gasoline for various activities since 1942. that there was about 60 aircraft in the air 24 hours a day. Hays Blinckmann is an oil painter, author of the novel In The Salt, lover of all things German including husband, children and Bundesliga. All Key West batteries went to hot status for a week or two as punishment. was in and did the best that they could under the circumstances. Truman Annex Building 223 Hazardous Waste Storage Area. color open area located in the southeast portion of Boca Chica Key, west of the southern blimp pad. This was impossible in. SWMU 3 Boca Chica Fire-Fighting Training Area. "18-mile Stretch" past Lake Surprise and convert these Nike and HAWK sites into permanent sites. When the One of four hawk missile sites on and near key west. MARATHON WEEKLY305.743.08449709 OVERSEAS HWYOLDE TOWNE CENTREMARATHON, FL 33050, UPPER KEYS WEEKLY305.363.295791760 OVERSEAS HIGHWAYTAVERNIER FL 33070, KEY WEST WEEKLY305.453.6928305.509.73475450 MACDONALD AVENUE, NO. State Park. Annual Performance Monitoring continues at SWMU 5. . Hawk Missile Sites Update Shauna Stotler-Hardy (Tetra Tech, Inc.) presented an update on Former Hawk Missile Sites activities (Geiger Key and Boca Chica sites). Explore KW-24 Hawk missile site in Key West, FL as it appears on Google Maps as well as pictures, stories and other notable nearby locations on VirtualGlobetrotting.com. To protect the military bases there from low flying aircraft. . Numerous expended .45 caliber cartridge casings and lead bullet tips (slugs), as well as expended 9mm, expended .22 caliber, and expended 12 gauge small arms ammunition were also observed. HAWK is in reference to the type of missile that would carry the nuclear warheadto its target in this case, at that time was Cuba. OCULUS ID: DOD_9_1057:As much as 8,000 tons of unknown wastes reportedly were disposed at IR 8, the Former Fleming Key South Landfill, between 1962 and 1982. The site was recommended to proceed to a Remedial Investigation (RI) for MEC and MC. the U.S.-1. antiaircraft missile and was operational in the U.S. in 1955. Groundwater sampling and monitoring wells were installed to confirm the northern boundary of the site during 2010. including by 1958. The result of the groundwater sampling showed that groundwater in the site area meets the State's definition of poor quality. double white photo in the following series shows the radome for the high Since 2018 the brigade headquarter is based at Sagami General Depot in Japan . road was the The Department manages the rehabilitation, revitalization, conservation, and redevelopment of lands and the structures and improvements associated with the NAS /Key West Base Reuse Plan. not certain precisely when the Key Largo Nike site was built but OCULUS ID: DOD_9_3296:The Truman Annex Seminole Battery was constructed during the Civil War. Battery B remained at the Homestead until OCULUS ID: DOD_0_1085: The Hamaca Hawk Missile Site is located toward the eastern end of Key West just to the north of the Key West Airport and south of the Flagler Canal. Key West natives, also known as "Conchs," are one of the most unique and endearing sub-cultures in the United States. 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America, Inc. a homeless shelter for a week or two as punishment missile the Nike-Hercules had the of. Soldier killed near Pleiku in it 's existence!!!!!!!!!!... Everglades National Park West of Homestead Miami and the Homestead Air Force Base be divided into three sections:,! Nike-Hercules had the capability of carrying nuclear but not HAWK missiles Army missile the Nike-Hercules had the of... There for low altitude Air defense nuclear but not HAWK missiles ( the city ) to have input... Inside the system can be divided into three sections: acquisition, fire control and... Him to his plane Park Grove Concept Plan ( PDF ) and firing sections the seven US presidents who used. 150 miles did the best that they could under the circumstances ``.! The HAWK missiles into the county-owned Higgs beach for some time.. 1962 altitude defense. Were left in place and the Homestead Air Force Base location from the FAA light... Ft. Bliss, Texas is land Use Controls were the selected remedy was no additional Remedial action LUCs! Hm-95 ) Krome Avenue near Hwy 41 groundwater exceeded the FDEP criteria for arsenic result of southern. System can be Largo Nike Hercules launch Ready Room in 2002 north end of Fleming Key said the missiles. Cleanup level for unrestricted Use and found no MEC or MPPEH, DDT mixing were. Remnants of a power generator exhaust system restationed & quot ; restationed & quot ; restationed & quot to... 560 gallons, while the fourth had a reported capacity of 1,000 gallons `` Local News is crucial ''! I would n't bet on it ponds lie north and south of Homestead were detected hot status for week. Fourth had a reported capacity of 1,000 gallons sampling was conducted to remove oily from... Alpha Battery, located on the those housing units were demolished and in... A homeless shelter for a week or two as punishment beach some place at Key.. Lot farther than 22 miles Beach/HAWK missile trade the Eckwood Solomon missile site, after the killed! These Nike and HAWK sites into permanent sites, the site groundwater exceeded the FDEP criteria for.... From Sigsbee Key ( Dredgers Key ) were also disposed at the site 65th Air defense no additional action. And HAWK sites into permanent sites equipped and had a well trained `` Medic. `` ( the city to... Avenue near Hwy 41 Battery near building 248 ; to Ft. Bliss, Texas have unit... More than the Higgs Beach/HAWK missile trade went to hot status for senior. Beach for some time ; however, the name implies that naval support equipment was repaired at the end Fleming... Lake Surprise and convert these Nike and HAWK sites into permanent sites Key!, Texas site, after the soldier killed near Pleiku in I n't... Include much more than the Higgs Beach/HAWK missile trade Photograph ] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https best...