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Nike Experts

(or at least helpful :-)

Goal of this page:

Identify possible experts in various areas of Nike to answer questions.

Clarification of "experts"
"Expert" here is defined as "a person willing to help answer a question". The Nike field is so big that even a specialist in a particular area freely admits to being frequently "stumped".

Please:
Copy Ed Thelen (me) ed@ed-thelen.org on questions and answers so that I can post them in the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) - Thank you

Comments:

Looking for volunteers, suggested volunteers, and suggestions.
Looking for several volunteers in each catagory, new catagories.

Table of Contents

General - Research Expertise

Don Bender
J. McGrath "I work at the Army History Center in DC ..."
Christopher Bright Published Author of Nike oriented material

Overview of ADA, NORAD, ... area Command&Control

Sage - Chris McWilliams
controlling multiple batteries, MissileMaster, ...
BIRDIE - Jim Williamson "... but I least I can spell it and I know there was such a thing."
MissileMonitor AN/MSQ-28, AN/MSG-4 - Tom Legere
MissileMinder AN/TSQ-73 - Tom Legere

Command of Nike Battery in Combat -

...

IFC Maintenance

Ajax - Ed Thelen (me)
Herc - Rolf Dieter Görigk
- George Wallot (Ordnance) Improved Hercules track radar, tracking van
T-1 - Colin Ramsay - intro
BLOCK III M.W.O. - Bouratanis, Vasilis
LOPAR - Fain, Jay
Ordnance Shop 1,2,3 test equipment - George Wallot

Nike Ranges

Red Canyon - J.P. Moore
McGregor - Eric P. Muth
Oscura (launched RCATs - targets) - Ken Fraser

Launcher area -

Launcher area - Robert H Foy
Launcher mechanism - Terry Kerns - died Feb 25, 2004 :-((
Engineer Technicalities - Rick Strobel 1966-1974
Missile Checkout - Bob Evanoff, Hercules (bad e-mail address)

Missile

General -
Ajax missile -
Hercules missile - Terry Kerns - died Feb 25, 2004 :-((
Warhead - Harrison M. Sandrock "Warhead Technician, Will Travel".
(Bad e-mail address)
- Rod VanAusdall TPI team warhead senior member,
Experience: Includes duty on IG and TPI teams primarily in Nuclear Warhead area. Was instructor (1958-1961 timeframe) at Bliss/White Sands and Special Weapons Area//. Served on sites in Texas, Germany, and Indiana. Configurations were above ground in Germany, //Forced air supported “tents” in Texas (only ones I ever heard of)//and underground in Indiana/Last site was Indiana in 1967 at Dillsboro . Expertise or knowledgeable about nuclear warheads. Not too shabby on complete Ajax and Hercules rounds.

Yes we did take a launcher section, BCO,and radar vans into the field in Germany. Mobile? Yes.
Only dual battery(Ajax and Hercules) in Germany at Kaiserslautern in 1962 (?) then to Hontheim less the Ajax. Also served on the Hill at Kaiserslautern at AF/ Army JOC looking at Soviet aircraft.

Warheads and security - John Meskanick
(Bad e-mail address)

Nike Units and Organization -

National Guard - Jim Shewokis

Nike Sites near

Baltimore/Washington - Bill Evans web site
Buffalo/NiagraFalls -
Chicago - Steve Bardowski, Tom Vaughn
Cincinnati -
Connecticut - Jim Shewokis
DallasFtWorth -
Florida -
Italy -
Germany - Rolf Dieter Görigk
Greece -
Korea -
Maine - Mark Foster
Massachusetts and Rhode Island - John McGrath
New York - Donald Bender's web site, Wroblewski, Brian,
New England - J. McGrath
Okinawa -
Philadelphia -
Pittsburgh - Kurt Laughlin
Turkey -
San Francisco - Ed Thelen
Seattle - Michael M. Hansen - intro
Taiwan -
Washington/Baltimore - Bill Evans web site
??? -

Nike Web Site Construction, HTML -Ed Thelen

Remedial


You don't have to be a Nike veteran to "volunteer" be listed as an "expert".

Self introductions of some people listed above
Seattle - Michael M. Hansen

I noticed that you have a listing of Nike "experts" on your site, and no one listed for the Seattle area. Researching Nike sites around Seattle, especially the Cougar Mountain site (S-20), is my main hobby. Since I was hiking with my father and came across a rusty fence topped with barbed wire surrounding a grassy clearing full of mysterious concrete pads, I have been poking around on the internet and in libraries trying to find out as much as I can about what went on there. I assembled a sign board for the King County Parks Department so other hikers won't be as puzzled, and I am working on a web site for the whole Seattle defense area. I think it would be better if a Nike veteran were to be the Seattle expert, but for now I volunteer.

Contact information:
Michael M. Hansen
4157 West Mercer Way
Mercer Island, WA 98040-3405
(206) 232-1069


T-1 - Colin Ramsay (In response to my asking if I could list him as an "expert".)

ED, I've never liked experts, but I was pretty good at T-1 maintenance and operation. Don't remember much now,its been a while. I used to run the T-1 for special classes at Abernathy (it had an air-conditioner) but mostly maintained the track radars, TTR, MTR, TRR, LOPAR & trailer mounted consoles, test set, etc. And oh yea, picked trash off that damn chain link fence and threw the tumbleweeds over.


Herc missiles - From Terry Kerns

I'm not an expert anymore, but am helpful. Its been a long time.

In response to a long list of questions from Ed Thelen -

  1. The umbilical cord was connected to the missile using a shear block, then from there it was connected to the rail (I believe it was called P104 and P105 (one on each side of the rail). From there each cable ran into the launcher by way of a quicl disconnect that had a hendle for the crewman to connect it to the launcher quickly.

  2. When the missile took off, the cord would shear from the bottom of the missile.

  3. Did daily checks every morning, cycled the launchers every day. - had to check the air pressure on the surge accumulator all the time on one of the launchers though

  4. What held the missile on the rail? The missile was held onto the rail with a "T" hook on the front flush or indented up to an eighth of an inch with the pad attached to the booster rear (I forget what it was called).

  5. The Launcher Control Trailer was the "go between" from the IFC and the launcher area. Most of the time we ran without it using emergency procedures.

  6. I'll try and write down a drill (as much as I can remember) for each crewman's position when I get a chance
Thanks for making me try to remember.
Terry


If you have comments or suggestions, Send e-mail to Ed Thelen

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Started November 17, 1998
Updated May, 2019