Spending the Night in a Titan II Missile Silo (Vilonia, Arkansas)

In this episode, I take a tour of a Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile silo located near Vilonia, Arkansas and then spend the night inside it with my dogs. About 54 of these missiles were deployed during the Cold War, and each of them carried a 9 megaton nuclear warhead. At least, I'll be safe from nuclear war on this particular night!
We were very grateful for the tour from G.T. Hill. Find out more about Titan Ranch and G.T. Hill's efforts to convert it into a Bed and Breakfast here: / @gtstitanranch
Special thanks to the Outrider Foundation, the Jubitz Family Foundation, and the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies for providing funding support.
Image Credits:
1. Titan missile silo diagram - titanmissilemu...
2. Titan II missile in a silo - DoD or DOE - public domain as work of U.S. federal government
3. Titan II launch - United States Air Force
4. Map of the 308th Missile Wing - Bwmoll3
5. Damascus crater - Titan II Missile Museum facebook page

[@apaulo3259]

Titan II had a 4 man crew. 2 officers 2 enlisted The "entrapment area" is at the 1st set of stairs as you start down. You enter through an electronically controlled door from the command center that closes and locks behind you. At the bottom of the stairs is another locked door. A video of you is being displayed on the monitor while you read off the code that was given you that morning to allow you in to start your alert tour. Burn can there so you could burn that piece of paper. Heaven help you if you got the code wrong.... Maintenance crews had to code in to work on site. Crews either drove a Suburban or were flown out to the sites. MFT 381st SMW 532nd SMS McConnell AFB Wichita KS

[@roberthowe21]

Thanks for correcting the error with crew members. I was an MFT with 373 SMS. During my tenure 373-9 was our home complex. It looks completely different than back in the day.

[@JohnCompton1]

Thank you both for your service.

[@SilverSergeant]

EXACTLY!!! Each crew member was an integral part of a launch. BMAT, 308th SMW, 1978-1987.

[@xrayguy65]

BMAT instructor and ACP, 533rd Wichita. I served from 1970-74. I couldn't remember the metal doors that buzzed us in. Thanks for that. I've been collecting videos about the sites. Most are very accurate. It's nice to see the interest.

[@henrivanbemmel]

Fascinating place and to think it's now a B&B ... only in America!!! However, astronaut Alan Shepard never rode a Titan II. This missile was used for the manned Gemini program in '65/'66, but Shepard flew only in the earlier Mercury and later Apollo programs. Good to see you back!. Travel safe.

[@arkadyfolkner]

There is a interview clip with Stafford about riding the Titan II GLV on the Gemini mission. Time from launch to orbit was five minutes and 35 seconds, sometimes pulling 7-8 gs

[@henrivanbemmel]

@@arkadyfolkner Yes, and I think the Atlas with the orbital Mercury flights was a similar ride. I suspect this performance was due to (a) that these missiles had been designed to fly warheads not people and (b) the missiles were comparatively small compared to the Saturn and Shuttle. In engineering there is the problem of scaling things up. 2x as big = 4x stronger (so far so good) = 8x as heavy (oops). This is why grasshoppers can jump so many body lengths, but we cannot. Even if you extrapolate this to deer or antelope the above equation is immutable. Elephants cannot jump at all. So, due to these high load expectations in the early missions, there was significant physical testing of the astronauts and form fitting couches were used. These ideas were progressively relaxed by the time of the Apollo missions. Going uphill 4g was about it. However, coming home 7g was possible, but it was for a few minutes and the crews seemed to manage it pretty well. The shuttle was an even gentler ride as the vehicle could not sustain more than about 3g.

[@goldgeologist5320]

Sorry Alan Shepard rode on redstone rocket for his first ride into space.

[@casper3130]

I remember when the Damascus Missile exploded in 1980, we loaded up and drove out of Arkansas 200 miles and stayed at some dirt bag cheap motel until it was cleared.

[@burtpanzer]

I'd sleep like a baby with that kind of security, yet a bit worried that it's still listed as a target somewhere.

[@tuckytucker5737]

Even empty silos make good targets....no silo would survive a direct hit from a modern nuke...

[@ronmckee1416]

Rather surreal knowing that I spent voluminous hours working in that very same silo as a young Airman (ELAB Technician) in the USAF...and now it's an Airbnb. This is the embodiment of what makes America extraordinary as only in the good ole USA could a talented visionary like Mr. G.T. Hill re-purpose what was one of the most destructive weapons in the US, if not the world (yea, I know, the Soviets had bigger ones) into a peaceful (and profit generating) venue. When we officially deactivated in 1987, never imagined once those silos were dismantled and buried that I would ever see inside a Titan II silo again from Little Rock AFB (308SMW). Like I stated previously, surreal! Profound thanks Mr. G.T. Hill for repurposing history!

[@ZRJZZZZZ]

Alan Shepard did not fly in the Gemini program because he was grounded with a health condition. He flew a Redstone rocket during the first Mercury mission. In other words, he did not fly in the Titan missile.

[@dodo1opps]

Sheppard did fly on Apollo 14, tho.

[@StephenGrimes-js9ms]

First, thanks for making a true effort the preserve this piece of Cold War history. Technically missile crews were not able to hot wire the missile for launch. But, early on, by HF radio, both the Wing Command Post at the base and the alternate command post (another Titan II silo) constantly transmitted a "launch disable" signal that would deny power from being applied to the key switch at the launch console. If one of the radio signals failed, the on-site crew was informed, and maintenance was dispatched to wherever the problem existed. If both HF radio signals failed, the condition was called a "dual channel failure" and the Wing Command Post instructed both the MCCC and the DMCCC to man their console positions until the failures were repaired. Now under a "Dual Channel Failure", launch keys could be inserted, turned and the ICBM launch. The thing is that on Level 3 of the Control Center the Silo's HF radios were located, and so too was the power switch. Turn off the power switch and you immediately had a "Dual Channel Failure", but both the Wing and Alternate Command Posts would know it too. Around 1982, a drug bust at Davis Monthan AFB involving Titan II crew members resulted in a system modification known as "Coded Switch". A serious of value locks were inserted into the fuel lines of the missile and were placed in the "lock or fuel flow block" position. A code entry panel was installed in the Control Center, and the designated code was only available to the crews in the "Launch Execution Message". Only the Wing Plans office had access to those codes, and they were the ones who would go out to each site to enter these codes into the system. The end of Titan II came as you cited with the destruction at Damascus, but also with a massive fuel leak at Rock, Kansas where the 381 SMW was located. During a Launch Verification test, there was a communications error between the panel in the control center and the lock mechanisms on the fuel lines. The locks had to be replaced on the missile and this required a full removal of the missile from the silo. Once the fix was completed and the missile placed back in the silo, an accident occurred during the refueling of the oxidizer. Pretty ugly. And despite blast door protection and positive airflow - the control center had to be evacuated. The crew had to use the escape hatch located on Level 3 of the Control Center. One massive wrench and two very long screws that had to be turned in alternating fashion. If you have access to Level 3 of the Control Center, take a hard look and guess how long it would take to open that hatch. The crew claimed they did it in under 15 minutes - they were highly motivated by the oxidizer fumes slowly entering the control center. I was one of the two Wing Plans Officers who was tasked to go into the complex after things were stabilized to recover all the classified - code books, launch keys, and nuclear authenticators. I was also on Titan II missile crew from 1971 through 1974 and was the MCCC of Crew E-0167 with the 533 SMS, and conducted most of my nuclear alerts at 533-03, just south-west of Eldorado, KS. Thanks again for your work and efforts on keeping this alive. Thumbs up and "Missile Away".

[@stefanbatist]

OMG, that was DeathWearsBunnySlippers! Have been following his channel years ago! was great to see how much pregress he has made :D

[@SilverSergeant]

This was NOT a 2 person crew!!! Jeeze!!!! There were 4 launch crew members on each crew and EACH had crucial functions during a launch, especially if the launch sequence stopped.......just ask any former Titan II combat crew member.

[@leegarza3986]

Spent many hours in crew quarters at a Titan ll site at Davis-Monthan from 4/72-9/75 as a RV Maintenance team member ( nuke maintenance).

[@AggiePhil]

Love GT and his videos! Hadn’t seen the inside of his silo in a while. Thanks for posting!

[@williamdavidnew4719]

Yes indeed, it was a four person crew - male and female. Only the two officers could launch the missile if ordered to do so. The officers were also armed with side arms and wore them anytime personnel other than the crew were on site. That included senior officers from any source. I found the tour to be interesting but I missed seeing all the normal equipment that I used for four years. I served at McConnell AFB, KS 1980-84 as a Deputy Crew Command, Missile Crew Commander, Squadron Personal Reliability Officer and then as the Sector Commander for the 532 Strategic missile Squadron sites 532-4, 532-5, 532-6. They were located many miles away from the main base, all near small Kansas towns - extremely nice people in those areas. I treasure my time with the vast number of men and women I served with during those years. It was not easy duty, boring many times, but we served our country and Russia did not attack.

[@jf6853]

Great content. Thanks for the video.

[@OscarVaughn]

The video of him opening the silo for the first time was amazing to watch I followed every video he ever put out on that silo he's a real cool dude. I'm glad you got to enjoy your stay

[@janetvelazquez9563]

We loved staying there too & so glad I found your channel!

[@notsogreat123]

How come "death wears bunny slippers" re named their youtube channel ? I don't see pictures of the actual silo. Guess the couldn't dig the out.

[@victorbloom8286]

Alan Shepard did not launch on a Titan ll . He launched on a Redstone .

[@bluntedbb1018]

Keep posting!! We love your videos!

[@boogeronthewall1373]

I watched your first video about the satellite base in west Texas. Saw this one there’s also a bunch of Titan missile silos in west Texas also ICBM missile locations around Abilene and other parts of Texas. I like learning about this stuff.

[@arkadyfolkner]

Around Dyess AFb were the 12 Atlas-F ICBM silos of the 578th Strategic Missile Squadron , pretty much first generation family of ICBMs the US deployed. There was also a Texas location near Ranchland that was part of the 577th SMS based out of Altus AFB, Oklahoma. Texas didn't have Titan I or Titan II sites, though. Atlas-F was housed in silos, while Atlas-D was housed in a semi-hardened above ground launch building. The Atlas-E was stored horizontally in a 'coffin' launcher and was raised vertically into launch position when the roof door was open (One location in Kansas was bought by the local school, it sits on top of the site and uses the coffin launcher and adjoining spaces as the bus barn and maintenance, while the administrative offices are in the old LCC! One catch was the the Atlas ICBM, like the Titan I ICBM, had to be raised into launch position, then fueled, and then launched. Because they used liquid oyxgen and kerosene mix like a lot of liquid fueled rockets do they could not be stored fueled in the silo. One reason why they did not stay deployed nearly as long as the Titan II, they just were not a credible deterrant. Hope this helps!

[@boogeronthewall1373]

@@arkadyfolkner that’s pretty interesting. When I’m bored I look at different locations in Texas and stumbled upon a patch of land north of Abilene. It was near Fort Phantom lake. So it got me researching what it could possibly be. The area looked like an old drag strip but it was in the shape of an oval and had 6 bays. Continued researching but nothing was really popping up. Then started researching Dyess and different military bases popped up but it wasn’t telling me what the location was. I forgot the site I looked up but it gave me what the location was. It was an old Nike missile base which that’s not the only one out there. There’s one south of Abilene and few more spread through out Texas. I was like dang this really cool.

[@arkadyfolkner]

@@boogeronthewall1373 i dunno if they are doing it at the moment but there is the Dive Valhalla at 578-9 Site. Scuba diving in the Atlas-F silo. Reservations with Family Scuba Center in Midland. There was a Titan I base scuba diving out of Washington state at one point. Titan I sites are massive with three silos each, was only operational maybe 5 years

[@arkadyfolkner]

​@@boogeronthewall1373 wikipedia n the military standard sites, among others have all the nike missile locations among others

[@boogeronthewall1373]

@@arkadyfolkner I’ve heard of the scuba diving one out in Lawn, Texas. Looking at google maps some folks take care of the silos others just park there junk on it. It would most definitely be something cool to own.

[@johnross6314]

Actually the Atlas was booster that USA had first orbiting astronauts. Titan 2 NASA used for follow on Gemini program before Apollo. Thanks for sharing the experience.

[@arkadyfolkner]

Cool! One of the places i want to go to since im next door in Oklahoma (where we had Atlas-F silos around Altus AFB, the site near Hobart, OK was also AirBnB. A few minor inaccuracies. The silo enclosure door was 760 tons. There was also a four man crew, not two, consisting of the Missile Combat Crew Commander, the Deputy Missile Combat Crew Commander, the Missile Facility Technician, and the Ballistic Missile Analyst Technician. Great vids!

[@RadioactiveRoadTrippinRR]

Thanks for watching! Different missile systems, different specs. This door was 6,000 lbs, or 3 tons. 1 ton = 2,000 pounds, so if the doors were 760 tons, I'm not sure if they would be moveable. Different missile systems, different crew requirements. Titan II missiles had two-man crews - titanmissilemuseum.org/about/titan-ii-history/ I believe Atlas had four-man crews.

[@arkadyfolkner]

@@RadioactiveRoadTrippinRR the blast doors yes were 3 tons, the silo door that covers the launch duct was 760 tons. Respectfully read your link again, a Titan II was 4. Two officers and two enlisted. Its the Minutemen series that have two in each lcf capsule. Have a good one!

[@RadioactiveRoadTrippinRR]

@@arkadyfolkner Noted, I think he meant 2-man to operate the missile per the two-man rule; the enlisted airmen couldn't do that. I don't think he said anything about the silo door up top. We were only talking about the blast doors. And I just can't imagine what could life 760 tons - that's 1,520,000 pounds

[@SilverSergeant]

@@RadioactiveRoadTrippinRR You are 100% wrong!!! Titan II crews consisted of 4 people. YES< I KNOW!!

[@Bite_of_87_]

That is next to my school

[@arkadyfolkner]

I think it is neat that, when the US Military finally opened combat positions to women, that the Titan II crews were the very first positions opened. Starting things off with a bang with the biggest nuclear stick we had.

[@JamieVegas]

Any reason people insist on recreating a "cheap apartment from Target" atmosphere inside of their missile silo... because now you just have a cheap apartment instead of a missile silo experience.

[@teslaock6043]

To be fair, Titan Ranch is not intended to be a replica, but a fascinating location and experience. It's likely that long before the site was purchased from the government, much of the gear had been removed and cannot be obtained. If you are looking for a 100% intact site, check out the Titan Missile Museum in Sahuarita, Arizona. Both are worthwhile experiences. 🚀😃