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Take A Tour Of An Abandoned Underground Cold War Missile Base

Christian Storm   

Take A Tour Of An Abandoned Underground Cold War Missile Base
Politics1 min read

In 1960, during the height of the Cold War, the US Air Force introduced the Titan I, its first series of multi-stage Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. Along with the Atlas missile program, they became an integral part of the US's nuclear deterrent against the Soviet Union.

The Titan-I and the machinery and crew needed to launch them were housed in massive underground silos connected by thousands of feet of tunnels. Missile bases were built all over the United States, costing the US government millions.

But by 1965, the Titan-I's and their bases were all but abandoned, phased out in favor of newer and more advanced missiles.

A few Titan-I bases still remain intact, buried reminders of some of the most dangerous years of the Cold War.

Urban explorer and photographer Amy Heiden gained access to one of them, at Beale Air Force Base in Chico, California, and documented the sprawling 1960s nuclear base lurking just below the earth's surface.

More of Heiden's work can be seen on her website and blog.

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