Dow AFB BOMARC Missile Site

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Dow AFB BOMARC Missile Site (1959-1964) - A Cold War era United States Air Force (USAF) BOMARC Missile Site activated in June 1959 Dow Air Force Base in Bangor, Penobscot County, Maine. This BOMARC Missile Site closed in 1964.

Dow AFB BOMARC Missile Site - Missile Assembly Bldg.
(#6 below)
Dow AFB BOMARC Missile Site - Heating and Power Bldg.
(#5 Below)
Repurposed Dow AFB BOMARC Missile Launch Shelters. Originally these buildings had flat retractable roofs that exposed the missile and launcher when opened (#1 below)

History

This site was constructed as a USAF BOMARC Missile Site in 1959, activated in June 1959 and went operational in June 1960. The site was built with launchers for 28 BOMARC A Model II missiles. The site was never modified for the BOMARC B Model missiles.

Two models were produced:

  • 'A' Model - Liquid-fuel booster electron-tube based guidance radar and computer. Boeing/MARC CIM-10A
  • 'B' Model - Solid-fuel booster transistor based guidance radar and computer. Boeing/MARC CIM-10B
A Model B Model
Rocket One Aerojet General LR59-AG-13 liquid rocket One Thiokol XM-51 solid fuel rocket
Ramjets Two Marquardt RJ43-MA-3 Two Marquardt RJ43-MA-7 ramjets
Wingspan 18 ft 2 in 18 ft 2 in
Length 46 ft 10 in 45 ft 1 in
Height 10 ft 4 in 10 ft 4 in
Diameter 2 ft 11 in 2 ft 11 in
Weight 15,619 lbs 16,032 lbs
Speed 1,975 mph(Mach 2.8) 1,975 mph(Mach 2.8)
Range 260 miles 440 miles
Service Ceiling 65,000 ft 100,000 ft
Armament W-40 nuclear warhead -or-
1,000 lb conventional high-explosive warhead 		W-40 nuclear warhead -or-
1,000 lb conventional high-explosive warhead
Cost $1,154,000 $1,150,000

This site was manned by the 30th Air Defense Missile Sq (BOMARC).

30th ADMS (BOMARC) Assignments
  • 1 Jun 1959 - Activated at Dow AFB, ME, assigned to Bangor ADS
  • 15 Dec 1964 - Inactivated.

The missiles remained on alert until the site was deactivated in 1964.


Physical Plant

Dow AFB BOMARC Missile Site Entrance. Guard shack on left, Assembly Bldg. and Power Bldg. on Right.

The missile site consisted of three separate areas, the Launch Area, the Missile Support Area, and a remoted Ground-Air Transmitter (GAT) radio site.

Dow AFB BOMARC Missile Site Plan.


Dow AFB BOMARC Missile Site Structures (edit list)
Number Building Area Currently
Exists 		Notes
1 Coffin Launcher Shelter (28) Launcher Yes All remain & all modified
2 Ordnance Facility Launcher Yes Changed + New Building
3 Compressor Building Launcher Yes
4 Diesel Fuel Storage Support Yes Tank modified into garage?
5 Heating & Power Building Support Yes
6 Assembly & Maintenance Building Support Yes
7 Propellant Acid Facility Support Yes
8 Propellant Fuel Facility Support Yes
9 Vehicle Storage Support Yes Bldg. Modified
10 Security & Identification Support No Bldg. Gone

Current Status

Now part of the Bomarc Industrial Park. Many of the buildings still exist but most have been modified and repurposed.

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Location: Near Bangor in Penobscot County, Maine.

Maps & Images

Lat: 44.85307 Long: -68.78638

See Also:

Sources:

  • Cornett, Lloyd H. & Johnson, Mildred W., A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization (1946-1980), Office of History ADC, Peterson AFB, Colorado, 31 Dec 1980, 179 pages, Pdf, page 150.
  • Mc Mullen, Richard F., ADC Historical Study No. 14 - History of Air Defense Weapons, Historical Division Office of Information, HQ Air Defense Command, Chapter 6. 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.
  • Radomes - Boeing IM-99A Bases Manual
  • USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1913350

Links:

Visited: 26 May 2018


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