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At the height of Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, development of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with nuclear warheads embodied military might. Convair's Atlas missile program, selected by the U.S. Air Force's Strategic Air Command in 1954, was deployed operationally from 1959 to 1965. Atlas was a one-and-a-half stage, liquid-fueled rocket capable of launching low-orbit payloads. Its inertial guidance system could carry its nuclear payload from the U.S. to nearly any target in the Soviet Union. It was the first operational ICBM in the U. S. arsenal. The Atlas F Launch site (Dyess S-6) near Lawn is one of the first subterranean ICM silos in the United States. Seventy-two Atlas F complexes were built in 1961 in groups of one dozen each near six military facilities. The Lawn site is one of twelve built near Dyess Air Force Base. Each complex included a 185-foot deep silo lined with walls of concrete, epoxy-based resin and steel rebar, built to withstand a nuclear blast. An underground tunnel connected the main missile silo to a launch control center and its five-man crew. Above ground, an entryway provided access, while support personnel and equipment were housed in two quonset huts. The 578th Strategic Missile Squadron based at Dyess operated the site from 1962 until the Atlas program ended in 1965. After decommissioning, the missiles were removed and all sites were demilitarized. At the time, most Texans were unaware of their state's role in a global military confrontation. Years later, they could be thankful and relieved that deterrence won the conflict. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2008 |
