Category:Chicago NIKE Sites

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Chicago Area NIKE Defense System (1955-1974) - The NIKE missile defenses of the Chicago area (including Gary, Indiana) during the Cold War presented unique challenges to the planners and builders. The highly populated area and the vast expanse of Lake Michigan dictated the placement of batteries in urban areas so as to maximize the coverage over the lake. The typical circle of coverage around a city became a half circle of coverage at Chicago. Some 21 separate launch sites were constructed (some with two site designations) within the Chicago-Gary Defense Area by the Chicago District of the Corps of Engineers.

The Chicago Area NIKE batteries were commanded and coordinated from the AADCP command post at Arlington Heights (C-80DC) using the Missile Master computer system and later the Missile Mentor System. Each launch site had a corresponding control site with radar that acquired the enemy targets and tracked both the incoming targets and the outgoing NIKE missiles until the intercept was accomplished. In most cases, these control sites also served as the administrative and housing areas for their respective batteries. Each battery was garrisoned with about 100-140 personnel.

All of the Chicago Area Defense System was initially equipped with the Nike Ajax missiles. As the newer, longer range, Nike Hercules missiles became available some Ajax sites were converted, including C-03, C-41, C-49/50R, C-61, C-72, C-93, C-46, and C-47. Many of the unconverted Ajax sites were closed in the 1960s as the Hercules sites were activated. By 1974 the NIKE system had become obsolete and the entire system was deactivated.

See Also:


Chicago Nike Batteries (edit list)
Battery Type Location GPS Operational Deactivated Configuration Notes
C-80DC Command Post Arlington Heights, IL 42.06502,
-87.99557
1960-10-28 1974 MM-4
Missile Master
Missile Mentor
C-80C Control Arlington Heights, IL 42.05313,
-87.99307
1950 1974-08
C-80L
C-81L
Launch Arlington Heights, IL 42.06335,
-88.0004
1950 1974-08 2B, 4C/60A/24L-AA
C-80R Radar Arlington Heights, IL 42.06507,
-87.99447
1961 1969 USAF Z-31 Radar
C-81C Control Arlington Heights, IL 42.05585,
-87.98866
C-72C Control Addison, IL 41.92276,
-88.02958,
1957 1974-04
C-72L Launch Addison, IL 41.91392,
-88.01587,
1957 1974-04 1B, 2C/18H, 30A/10L-U
C-40C Control Burnham Park, IL 41.83228,
-87.60369
1955 1963-08
C-40L Launch Burnham Park, IL 41.84563,
-87.60995
1955 1963-08 1B, 2C/30A/12L-A
C-98C Control Fort Sheridan, IL 42.22583,
-87.81123
1954-07 1963
C-98L Launch Fort Sheridan, IL 42.22338-87.82233,
1954-07 1963 1B, 2C/30A/12L-A
C-44C1 Control Hegewisch/Wolf Lake, IL 41.65773,
-87.53260
1955 1963-03
C-44C2 Control Hegewisch/Wolf Lake, IL 41.65718,
-87.53035
1955 1963-03
C-44L Launch Hegewisch/Wolf Lake, IL 41.67629,
-87.52802
1955 1963-03 2B, 4C/60A/24L-AA
C-49C
C-50C
Control Homewood, IL 41.55062,
-87.64763
1957 1974-04
C-49L
C-50L
Launch Homewood, IL 41.54323,
-87.63959
1957 1974-04 1B, 2C/18H, 30A/11L-U
C-41C Control Jackson Park, IL 41.79599,
-87.57673
1955 1971-06
C-41L Launch Jackson Park, IL 41.78467,
-87.58004
1955 1971-06 1B, 2C/18H, 30A/12L-U
C-61C Control Lemont, IL 41.72237,
-87.96655
1955 1968-11
C-61L Launch Lemont, IL 41.72768,
-87.97712
1955 1968-11 2B/12H, 20A/8L-U
C-92C Control Libertyville/Mundelein, IL 42.22029,
-87.95716
1956 1963
C-92L Launch Libertyville/Mundelein, IL 42.22581,
-87.94837
1956 1963 1B, 2C/30A/12L-A
C-94C Control Libertyville/Mundelein, IL 42.22078,
-87.94791
1955 1963
C-94L Launch Libertyville/Mundelein, IL 42.22585,
-87.95719
1955 1963 1B, 2C/30A/12L-A
C-03C1 Control Montrose/Belmont,IL 41.96394,
-87.63304
1955-10 1965-06
C-03C2 Control Montrose/Belmont,IL 41.96330,
-87.63223
1955-10 1965-06
C-03L Launch Montrose/Belmont,IL 41.93904,
-87.63463
1955-10 1965-06 3B, 2C/18H, 20A/20L-UA, (12L-H)
C-70C Control Naperville, IL 41.80968,
-88.14672
1956 1963-03
C-70L Launch Naperville, IL 41.79935,
-88.14909
1956 1963-03 1B, 2C/30A/12L-A
C-51C Control Worth/Palos, IL 41.66849,
-87.75992
1956 1963-03
C-51L Launch Worth/Palos, IL 41.67468,
-87.77418
1956 1963-03 2B, 1C/30A/12L-A
C-93C Control Northfield/Skokie, IL 42.12053,
-87.76980
1955 1974-04
C-93L Launch Northfield/Skokie, IL 42.1261,
-87.78113
1955 1974-04 2B/12H, 20A/8L-U
C-54C Control Orland Park, IL 41.60944,
-87.87637
1955 1961-12
C-54L Launch Orland Park, IL 41.60605,
-87.85740
1955 1961-12 1B, 2C/30A/12L-A
C-84C Control Palatine, IL 42.15466,
-88.04666
1956 1963
C-84L Launch Palatine, IL 42.15721,
-88.05896
1956 1963 1B, 2C/30A/12L-A
C-32C Control Porter/Chesterton, IN 41.63182,
-87.08803
1957 1974-04
C-32L Launch Porter/Chesterton, IN 41.63208,
-87.07432
1957 1974-04 3B/12H, 20A/12L-U
C-45C Control Gary Municipal Airport, IN 41.61310,
-87.41020
1957 1960-06
C-45L Launch Gary Municipal Airport, IN 41.61651,
-87.42057
1957 1960-06 2B/20A/8L-A
C-46C Control Munster, IN 41.5388,
-87.5161
1957 1974-09
C-46L Launch Munster, IN 41.52746,
-87.51538
1957 1974-09 1B, 1C/12H, 20A/12L-U, (8L-H)
C-47C Control Hobart/Wheeler, IN 41.52411,
-87.17695
1956 1974-03
C-47L Launch Hobart/Wheeler, IN 41.5332,
-87.1667
1956 1974-03 1B, 1C/12H, 20A/12L-U, (8L-H)
C-48C Control South Gary, IN 41.5574,
-87.35482
1957 1960-06
C-48L Launch South Gary, IN 41.55740,
-87.37157
1957 1960-06 2B/20A/8L-A
Source:
* Ed Thelen Site - Nike Site Locations
* Wikipedia - List of Nike Sites
* Tech Bastards - Nike Missile Locations
* Radomes - List of Nike Related Radar Sites
* Nike Historical Society
* Lonnquest, John C. and Winkler, David F., To Defend and Deter: The Legacy of the United States Cold War Missile Program, USACERL Special Report 97/01, Nov 1996, 607 pages, Pdf
* Morgan, Mark L. and Berhow, Mark A., Rings of Supersonic Steel: Air Defenses of the United States Army 1950-1979, Third Edition, Hole in the Head Press, Bodega Bay, 2010, ISBN 978-0-9761494-0-8, 358 pages
Key to Magazine Configuration
Notation Meaning
nC Number of Ajax only Magazines
nB Number of Ajax or Hercules Magazines
nD Either
Key to Missile/Launcher Configuration
Notation Meaning
nA Number of Ajax Launchers
nAA Number of Double Ajax Launchers
nAG Number Above Ground
nH Number of Hercules Launchers
nL Number of Launchers
nK Number of Alaskan Above Ground Launchers
nU Number of Universal Launchers
nUA Number of 1/2 Universal and l/2 Ajax Launchers
nUU Number of Double Universal Launchers
nL-H Number of Launchers Converted to Hercules

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