Nike Missile Site
Overview
Nike Missile Site SF88L lies nestled in the low coastal hills of Marin County, just west of the Golden Gate Bridge. The base is typical of more than 300 identical missile batteries that once guarded U.S. cities and military installations (eleven NIKE sites ringed San Francisco Bay alone during the 1950s). But Site 88L is unique; it is the only NIKE missile battery in the country preserved in its historic appearance. Today, it offers visitors a rare opportunity to visit a complete missile installation and learn the history of America's defenses during the Cold War.
During World War II, the world's nations learned a painful lesson. High-altitude bombers dropping tons of explosives -- or nuclear weapons -- could level entire cities. New defensive measures were needed, and in early 1945 the U.S. Army began developing a radar-guided missile capable of knocking down enemy planes flying higher and faster than any gun could hope to reach. The research led to the development of the original "NIKE" missile in 1951. (The United States once named its rockets and missiles after mythological figures, and NIKE was the Greek goddess of victory.)
Site 88L at Fort Barry, constructed in 1954-55, originally housed a battery of twenty NIKE-AJAX missiles. These early surface-to-air missiles, equipped with liquid fuel engines, could knock down an enemy airplane traveling at Mach 2.5 (two and a half times the speed of sound) at a range of 25 miles.
In 1959, Site 88L was re-equipped with larger and more powerful NIKE-HERCULES missiles. These "birds" had a range of 87 miles and could hit a plane traveling at Mach 3.5 at an altitude of 28 miles. In addition to a conventional high-explosive warhead, the HERCULES could carry a nuclear warhead capable of destroying entire formations of enemy planes.
No missile was ever launched from Site 88L, or from any of the nearly 300 other permanent NIKE sites protecting the continental United States. Although "state of the art" in the 1950s, the system became obsolete during the late 1960s; the missiles could destroy any conventional aircraft, but they could not shoot down the newer Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) developed by the world's super power nations. The Army Air Defense Command ordered Site 88L closed in the spring of 1974.
What You'll See
The National Park Service and a crew of dedicated volunteers preserve Site 88L as it looked at time of its deactivation, complete with three HERCULES missiles housed in cavernous underground magazines.
Public Tours Dates and Times
SF-88 is open Saturdays, 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. On the first Saturday of each month there is an open house with volunteers and Nike veterans interpreting the history of the base. Open days are extended during the summer. For more information, call the Marin Headlands Visitor Center at (415) 331-1540.
How to Get There
The site is located near San Francisco, California in Marin County, just west of the Golden Gate Bridge.