From the early 1960s to the mid-1980s, the city of Tucson was surrounded by 18 silos of Titan 2 rocket launchers equipped with nuclear warheads. It was from here that the US government planned to strike the "Last Day" strike, which would once and for all close the history of all mankind. Today this base does not function - only a museum, built around one of the launch silos, remains. It is led by Yvonne Morris, the first woman to become a team leader. She and several other senior officers at the base could well have been responsible for a nuclear strike against Soviet territory.
Deep conservation
Time seemed to stand still here in 1982, when the base was decommissioned. One of the missiles still occupies its place in the launch nest - fortunately only as a memorial to the alarming gravity of the threat of World War III. Any accident could lead to the launch: Yvonne, for example, had only three minutes to get down from the checkpoint to her post. The commander's delay would mean for the team an abnormal, potentially dangerous situation, to which people were obliged to respond by launching nuclear warheads.
Hidden threat
The Titan 2 rockets are colossal. Only the bow rises to the surface, everything else is hidden underground. Actually, from the surface, the observer would see a rather unremarkable picture: barbed wire, a checkpoint and several low metal structures. The concrete slabs concealing the launchers are covered with camouflage nets, and the only structure hides a flight of stairs that go deep into the earth.
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Bunker
The bunker itself starts 10 meters from the surface. Armored doors made of concrete and steel securely protect it from external intrusion. The thickness of each is about half a meter. The floor, walls and ceiling are mounted on giant shock absorbers to give operators a few extra minutes in the event of a possible attack.
Tunnels
In fact, the base does not have the ability to withstand a direct nuclear strike. A fortified bunker can only mitigate the effects of a nearby warhead. The communicating tunnels are lined with metal trusses wrapped in rows of thick cables. All together it somewhat resembles the insides of a submarine. The main walkway leads to the launch control center - a circular room with equipment racks, computer terminals, rows of dials and switches. In the middle is a control console that greets the operator with a series of lights.
Safe of Fate
The back of the room is special. A red high security safe is built into the wall here. It hides the card authenticator with the codes needed to confirm the launch from the US President. Security is ensured by two combined locks, the keys are known only to two shift officers - this is logical, because who will entrust the launch point of nuclear warheads to one person?
Rest zone
The personnel could survive a nuclear attack on the country without leaving the bunker. On the floor above the control room there is a recreation area with sleeping places, a kitchen and a toilet. This is the only place in the complex where the crew members could be alone. In any other room, they always had to be in the field of view of another member of the squad.
Titan 2
The effectiveness of the base determined the launch speed of the Titan 2-class missiles. The coordinated actions of the operators allowed the attack to be carried out in just 58 seconds. Such coordination was ensured by long daily training: even in an extreme situation, having received serious injuries, the officers performed the usual operation without difficulty.
Launch codes
An underground base of this level lives by its own rules and regulations. All messages from the outside come in the form of a series of letters and numbers, which can only be deciphered by the shift commander and his deputy. The authenticity of the launch code was verified against the standards stored in the safe, and unlocking the rocket mounts would require 16 numbers on each of the 6 thumbwheels. There are no control devices located on one console, since they could be operated by one person.
Ready to attack
Yvonne Maurice had no doubts about her readiness to start a nuclear war - just like her colleagues. The launch codes received from the outside were supposed to mean that the Soviet Union initiated the Third World War. The operators no longer had time to doubt: the last chance, if not to win, then at least to avenge their native country.
Present day
Today the bunker looks exactly the same as it was abandoned in 1982. This is a memorial open to anyone, where you can see the Titan 2 rocket with your own eyes - the museum has turned into the brightest, most accessible demonstration of human achievements in the complex science of self-destruction.