The Nike Missile Site in the Marin Headlands, just North of San Francisco, is the sole preserved site from a giant 1950s era US national anti-aircraft defense system. This site was one of six defending San Francisco, using nuclear tipped anti-aircraft missiles so they could reliably take down incoming Soviet nuclear bombers. Gulp.
On the day I visited, a couple of the veterans who had worked on the site were hosting tours and displays. Their accounts were fascinating: they described how to operate the various radars, lock on to targets and deploy and fire the missiles. Back in the day, this was cutting edge national defense technology and the operators took it very, very, seriously.
The tour went down to the basement bunker that holds four restored missiles. Then one of the guides operated a giant elevator that lifted a missile up to the ground level, where it was then deployed into firing position. Wow!
Nearby the radar installation demonstrated how the three different radars handled long range detection, target tracking and interceptor tracking.
At first, the idea of firing nuclear tipped defensive missiles sounds almost insane. But then you have to put it in context. If you detect an incoming Soviet nuclear bomber squadron planning to bomb the Bay Area, then using nuclear warheads to destroy it out over the Pacific may be the least bad option. But still, gulp. I am glad we live in more peaceful times.
The museum is quite small, but I found it exceptionally interesting and it was fascinating to hear directly from the veterans about the site operation and their own experiences.