Site Summit
Site Summit was one of 145 Nike-Hercules sites that were built as a part of the defense network that protected the United States during the Cold War. In 1959–60, eight Nike missile sites were constructed in Alaska. The Nike sites in Alaska, including Site Summit, served a vital defense role due to their location—being between the Soviet Union and continental United States. Site Summit performed live fire tests of its Nike-Hercules missiles between 1960 and 1963, before the launches became dangerous due to the growing population of Anchorage.
The Nike-Hercules missile, the United States military's first anti-aircraft missile capable of being equipped with nuclear warheads, was a formidable defense weapon. The United States’ Nike-Hercules sites were created in response to the rising possibility of nuclear attack by Soviet bombers. Operation of Nike-Hercules sites such as Site Summit required 125 personnel. Despite the ability of Nike missiles, the advent of intercontinental missiles quickly made the Nike-Hercules missiles obsolete. Nike-Hercules sites began closing in 1965 and all Nike-Hercules sites had been decommissioned by 1975 except ones in Alaska and Florida—Site Summit in Anchorage and the Nike-Hercules site in Key West were the last two sites to close in 1979.
Friends of Nike Site Summit partnered with multiple state agencies in 2009 in order to restore the site. After three years of restoration, guided tours began in the summer of 2012.
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Nike Site Summit, Alaska (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2018-05-19.
- ^ "NRHP nomination for Site Summit". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-01-09.
- ^ "About Site Summit". Friends of Nike Site Summit. Retrieved 2018-05-19.
- ^ "Friends of Nike Site Summit". Friends of Nike Site Summit. Retrieved 2018-05-19.
- ^ "Nike Site Summit". www.jber.jb.mil. Retrieved 2018-05-19.
- ^ "Site Summit (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2018-05-19.
- ^ “Nike-Summit Trifold Brochure” Friends of Nike Site Summit, Retrieved 2018-05-19.
- ^ "Nike Site Summit". Alaska.org. Retrieved 2018-05-19.
External links
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. AK-18, "Nike Hercules Missile Battery Summit Site, Anchorage, Anchorage Borough, AK", 2 measured drawings, 26 data pages
- HAER No. AK-18-A, "Nike Hercules Missile Battery Summit Site, Battery Control Administration and Barracks Building", 3 photos, 4 measured drawings, 1 data page, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. AK-18-B, "Nike Hercules Missile Battery Summit Site, Missile Assembly", 2 measured drawings
- HAER No. AK-18-C, "Nike Hercules Missile Battery Summit Site, Missile Launch", 6 photos, 3 measured drawings, 1 data page, 1 photo caption page
- HAER No. AK-18-D, "Nike Hercules Missile Battery Summit Site, High Explosives Magazine", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page
- Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) No. AK-9, "Nike Hercules Missile Battery Site Summit, Mount Gordon Lyon, Anchorage, Anchorage Borough, AK", 8 measured drawings, 70 data pages