| Highlands Army Air Defense Site | |
| Nike missile Army Air Defense Command Post | |
 The AADCP networked local Army radars and Highlands Air Force Station radars to direct Nike fire units--each which had a local network of 3 radars (top) for acquiring the target, tracking the target, and tracking/guiding the Nike missile.
| |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | New Jersey |
| Region | New York Defense Area |
| Command | Army Air Defense Command |
| CCCS (computers) |
1960: AN/FSG-1 1966 November 30: AN/TSQ-51[1]:320 1972 by July 1: AN/GSG-5[2]:C-23 |
| Nearest city | New York City |
| Location | Missile Master nuclear bunker |
| - coordinates | 40°23′12″N 73°59′1″W / 40.38667°N 73.98361°W [3] |
| Code | NY-55DC |
| Nike Memorial The 1958 memorial for the 1958 "Nike Ajax Explosion" was moved to HAADS in 1963 after the nearby Chapel Hill launch site NY-56 closed (40°23′41″N 74°05′07″W / 40.3946°N 74.0853°W).[1] The memorial was in front of the HQ building near the Portland Rd entrance and was moved to Ft Hancock in 1974.[2](40°27.342′N 74°0.237′W / 40.4557°N 74.00395°W).[3] | |
The Highlands Army Air Defense Site[4] (HAADS) was the Army Air Defense Command Post (AADCP) of the Cold War for the Nike fire units in the New York Defense Area, replacing the Nike missile "manual operations center" at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island.[5] The Missile Master Army Installation was built adjacent to Highlands Air Force Station and cost ~$2 million for the new equipment (Martin AN/FSG-1 CCCS and AN/FPS-6 & -90[citation needed] height-finders) and ~$2 million for additional structures such as the 170 ft × 90 ft (52 m × 27 m) nuclear bunker, 4[specify]
radar towers, diesel power plant,[6][verification needed] and 25 ft × 17 ft (7.6 m × 5.2 m) cinderblock electrical switch building.[7] Isaac Degeneers Construction Co. was the general contractor for the $1.71M construction[8] (C. W. Regan was the lowest bidder at $1.5M.)[4] The 1957 site plan was for 45–50 acres (18–20 ha);[9] construction began July 10, 1958; the Missile Master was accepted in May 1960;[7] and the dedication was on June 5.[5]
The Army assumed control[when?] of the USAF site after the DoD had announced its closure for July 1966[10] (the USAF squadron inactivated on July 1, 1966.) The AADCP became the direction center for the combined New York-Philadelphia Defense Area when the AADCP near Philadelphia was closed in September 1966.[11] AADCP operations ended in 1974 under Project Concise[4] in conjunction with the region's 7 remaining Nike fire units closing in April at Orangeburg/Mount Nebo, New York (NY-03/04), Amityville/Farmingdale, New York (NY-24), Fort Tilden (NY-49), Livingston, New Jersey (NY-79/80), Lumberton, New Jersey (PH-23/25), Erial, New Jersey (PH-41/43), and Woolwich Township, New Jersey (PH-58). The Highlands Army Air Defense Site was decommissioned on October 31, 1974 (17) The U.S. Department of Agriculture had made plans to put an animal quarinetine station on the site in the early 1970s when the Highlands Army Air Defense Site was declared excess by the GSA. The Monmouth County board of Freeholders was opposed to the plan.(13) Representative James J. Howard (D-NJ) was instrumental in getting the Highlands Army Air Defense Site turned into a park in 1973 with the acquisition of 161 acres of the site property.(14)and 10 years later the GSA turned 63 acres of the operations area was turned over to the Monmouth County Park system.(15) On July 3, 1984 the Monmouth County Park system signed for the deed to the remaining land.(16)
USAF structures were demolished in the early 1990s,[5] the Missile Master nuclear bunker was razed in 1995,(12) and a few building foundations remain in a small clearing within the site's overgrowth of vegetation.
 1958 Nike explosion memorial at Highlands (p. 11) | |
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empty Missile Master bunker in 2008 | |
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map of current site with park trails |
References[]
- ↑ Leonard, Barry (2011) (Google books). History of Strategic and Ballistic Missile Defense: Volume II: 1956-1972. http://books.google.com/books?id=HoxycYhoKZkC&pg=PA320. Retrieved 2011-09-29.
- ↑ McMaster, B. N., et al (December 1984). Historical Overview of the Nike Missile System (Report). Environmental Science and Engineering, Inc.. http://www5.hanford.gov/pdw/fsd/AR/FSD0001/FSD0037/D199049898/D199049898_19126_147.pdf. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
- ↑ "Hartshorne Woods Park - Highlands Army Air Defense Base" (Highlands Paranormal webpage). MySite.Verizon.net. 2005. http://mysite.verizon.net/vzerdqgx/my_evp_site/id10.html. Retrieved 2011-10-09. "The picture below was captured in an underground bunker . The location is number 3 as marked on the map above."
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Chapter IX Logistics". Department of the Army Historical Summary: Fiscal Year 1974. Center of Military History. 1978. http://www.history.army.mil/books/DAHSUM/1974/ch09.htm. Retrieved 2011-10-08.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Base is Dedicated: 'Blue Room' at Missile Master Gives Eerie But Secure Feeling". Red Bank, New Jersey. June 7, 1960. pp. 1–2. http://209.212.22.88/DATA/RBR/1960-1969/1960/1960.06.07.pdf. Retrieved 2011-09-30. "RADAR SCANNER at Missile Master atop Highlands hills tells the height of aircraft or other flying objects. It is one of the smaller pieces of radar equipment. …replaces a manuel operations center at Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island, where Gen.Hewitt's headquarters, the 52d Artillery Brigade Air Defense"
- ↑ "Missile Master Defense System to Cost Millions: Army Opens Bids". Red Bank, New Jersey. June 12, 1958. pp. 1–2. http://209.212.22.88/DATA/RBR/1950-1959/1958/1958.06.12.pdf. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Error: no
|title=specified when using {{Cite web}}" (FindACase.com). "in a 25' x 17' cinderblock building, designated on the plans as “Switch Gear Room Bldg. 118.” The equipment in this small building permits the missile site to switch back and forth from external commercial power to its own internal power from diesel generators. …van housing the computer … report entitled “Department 834 Missile Master/Birdie Field Activation”…document entitled “Activation Division” with… Exhibit 2, which on Page 4 thereof shows that the New York Site was accepted by the Government in May, 1960." - ↑ "Location of the Missile Master". Red Bank, New Jersey. August 7, 1958. http://209.212.22.88/DATA/RBR/1950-1959/1958/1958.08.07.pdf. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
- ↑ "title tbd". Red Bank, New Jersey. April 25, 1957. http://209.212.22.88/DATA/RBR/1950-1959/1957/1957.04.25.pdf. Retrieved date tbd.
- ↑ "Highlands Radar Site Closing". Red Bank, New Jersey. November 20, 1964. http://209.212.22.88/data/rbr/1960-1969/1964/1964.11.20.pdf. Retrieved 2011-10-10. "McNamara Firm on Base Shutdowns …two naval shipyards, six bomber bases,…in 33 states and the District … 80 bases in the United States and 15 overseas … Portsmouth…Navy Yard … Brooklyn Navy Yard and the Brooklyn Army Terminal. … Springfield Armory … Temporary Team … Highlands Air Force Station … personnel will be inactivated by July, 1966, leaving Army radar unit at base intact … What's Behind Decision … Over the past four years 574 U.S. military bases around the world ... McNamara struck 16 more Air Defense Command radar stations"
- ↑ "Nike Site PH-64DC Army Air Defense Command Post Pedricktown, NJ". Practice safe lunch…. LiveJournal.com. November 29, 2005. http://dracolich.livejournal.com/46636.html. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
Cite Note 12:"Middletown, NJ In The 20th Century"(The American Century Series) [Paperback] Randall Gabrielan (Author) Paperback: 128 pages Publisher: Arcadia Pub (August 24, 1999) Language: English ISBN 0752413228 ISBN 978-0752413228 See page: 106
Cite note 13: See: http://209.212.22.88/data/rbr/1970-1979/1973/1973.07.06.pdf Red Bank Register article "Clifton would like to keep Animal Quarintine Unit" Page 1 and 2
Cite Note 14: See" http://209.212.22.88/data/rbr/1970-1979/1973/1973.08.09.pdf Red Bank Register article "Howard to continure effort to get Highlands tract." Page 3 and Opinion piece on page 6 "County needs those 161 acres"
Cite Note 15: See: http://209.212.22.88/Data/RBR/1980-1989/1984/1984.09.21.pdf Red Bank Register article "GSA turns over park to county" Page A1 and A11
Cite Note 16: See: http://209.212.22.88/Data/RBR/1980-1989/1984/1984.07.05.pdf Red Bank Register article "Monmouth receives old air defense site land" page B5
Cite Note 17: See http://209.212.22.88/data/rbr/1970-1979/1974/1974.02.05.pdf Red Bank Register article "Army will deactivate Nike-Hercules Bases at Highlands and FT. Hancock" Page 5; and see page 101 of the "Department of the Army Historical Summary: FY 1974" chapter 9 at http://www.history.army.mil/books/DAHSUM/1974/ch09.htm
The original article can be found at Highlands Army Air Defense Site and the edit history here.