Annapolis Past Port

Nike Missile Site W-25 (Control Area)

Nike Missile Control Area W-25, now the Davidsonville Recreation Center owned by Anne Arundel County, was an Integrated Fire Control (IFC) area for the US Army's Nike anti-ballistic missiles from the 1950s until 1974. [1]

History

W-25, which would have defended the Washington-Baltimore Area from nuclear attack [1]. , was originally to be constructed on Kent Island, MD, but due to high real estate costs, the US Army moved it to an area off Queen Anne Bridge Road in Davidsonville, MD, in 1954 [1]. In 1958, land for a 16-unit Armed Forces Housing Project for the families of those stationed at W-25 was purchased on the north side of Queen Anne Bridge Road. In 1963, W-25 was given the honor of being named "the National Nike Site" [1]. In May 1964, the Army Air Defense Command (ARADCOM) bestowed W-25's adjacent launch site with its Distinguished Firing Battery Award, which the battery received for outstanding performance during ARADCOM's firing competitions [1]. In December 1964, W-25's fallout protection construction, which included sturdy concrete buildings and air filtration systems, was completed [1].

Operation

Had there been a nuclear attack, W-25's IFC base would have tracked the target vehicle and the Nikes fired at it using its three radars [1]. The Acquisition Radar would detect the approach of an incoming bomber plane or ballistic missile, then the Tracking Radar would feed the target vehicle's location and details about its movements into the computer, and then the Missile Tracking Radar would follow the Nike [1]. The computer would then guide the missile towards the target and calculate the nearest intercept point [1].

Davidsonville Recreation Center and Anne Arundel County Police Training Academy

The properties on which W-25 and its adjacent launcher, W-25L, stood were purchased by Anne Arundel County in 1976 [1] [2] [3] and turned into the Davidsonville Recreation Center [2], and the Anne Arundel County Police Training Academy [3], respectively. The Davidsonville Recreation Center is home to Boy Scout Troop 454, the Davidsonville Dance Club, and the Anne Arundel Radio Club [4].

Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 "Nike Missile Base W-25, Maryland", TheMilitaryStandard, http://www.themilitarystandard.com/missile/nike/w25.php. Accessed 20 July 2022.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "FACTS ABOUT: DAVIDSONVILLE NIKE CONTROL", Maryland Department of the Environment, https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/Land/MarylandBrownfieldVCP/Documents/Davidsonville_Control.pdf. Accessed 20 July 2022.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Anne Arundel County Police Training Academy", GBA Architects, https://www.gba-architects.com/anne-arundel-county-police-training-academy/. Accessed 20 July 2022.
  4. ↑ "AARC HIstory 1971-1977", Anne Arundel Radio Club, https://www.w3vpr.org/node/393. Accessed 21 July 2022.
Retrieved from "https://pastport.org/wiki/Nike_Missile_Site_W-25_(Control_Area)?oldid=1068"