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Photo, Print, Drawing Andersen Air Force Base, Munitions Storage Area 2, 975 feet from North Runway at North Field, Yigo, Guam, GU

[ Photos from Survey HAER GU-12  ]

More Resources

[ Data Pages from Survey HAER GU-12  ]
[ Photo Captions from Survey HAER GU-12  ]

About this Item

Title

  • Andersen Air Force Base, Munitions Storage Area 2, 975 feet from North Runway at North Field, Yigo, Guam, GU

Names

  • Historic American Engineering Record, creator
  • Brown-Pacific-Maxon
  • U.S. Department of the Navy, Bureau of Yards and Docks, Marianas Area
  • Daniel Mann Johnson and Mendenhall
  • U.S. Department of the Air Force HQ 3d Air Division
  • U.S. Strategic Air Command
  • U.S. Army Engineer District, Omaha, Corps of Engineers
  • U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Guam
  • Lemay, Curtis E.
  • Power, Thomas S.
  • Reed, Richard, historian
  • Castro, David R., photographer
  • Christianson, Justine, transmitter
  • Anderson Air Force Base, sponsor
  • McPartland, Mary, transmitter

Created / Published

  • Documentation compiled after 1968

Headings

  • -  Cold War
  • -  ordnance industry
  • -  air conditioning
  • -  magazines (military buildings)
  • -  concrete slabs
  • -  bombs
  • -  nuclear weapons industry
  • -  war (Korean War)
  • -  military facilities
  • -  military organizations
  • -  reinforced concrete construction
  • -  ventilation
  • -  Guam--Guam--Yigo

Latitude / Longitude

  • 13.5929089,144.9362023

Notes

  • -  Significance: Munitions Storage Area 2 was constructed to complete specific tasks related to nuclear warfare and is a remnant of the Cold War. The site is associated with the Strategic Air Command and tow of the individuals, Gen. Curtis E. LeMay and Gen. Thomas S. Power, noted for their roles in the creation, growth and definition of U.S. nuclear policy. The project, designed and constructed during the Korean War, was an embodiment of the political and tactical developments of nuclear diplomacy of that era. Municipal Storage Area 2 is the artifact confirming the permanent geographical repositioning of nuclear assets and the ability to arm those assets outside of the continental United States. From this perspective, the site can be identified as the Strategic Air Command response to nuclear policy issues then under revision within the Truman administration. The site's strong association with Cold War policies is not complemented by any significant physical characteristics but the 'Project 400' design and construction records tell an interesting story. Both the design documents and the contractors shop drawings are circumspect, but they do detail the requirements, resulting in an indirect picture of what was going on. It is a timely snapshot, documenting the steps taken to support and maintain new and dangerous technology in remote locations. Change orders track the impacts of evolving and expanding nuclear proliferation. The mechanical and electrical design documents allow an informed perspective into the security precautions and technical support required at the time. The primary response to all these factors was the 'Plant Group' building or the 'Q Area', tasked with arming and disarming the core radioactive detonators by removing them from the nuclear bomb, thereby rendering it inert. These detonators, about the size of a grapefruit, were high maintenance, high volatility, high security, high cost, high explosive capacity, and radioactive. The operations performed at Munitions Storage Area 2 were cutting edge for the time and part of an effort that, in its entirety, was estimated to represent 10 percent of the United States Gross National Product.
  • -  Survey number: HAER GU-12
  • -  Building/structure dates: ca. 1952- 1953 Initial Construction
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1954 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1956 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1984 Subsequent Work

Medium

  • Photo(s): 16
  • Data Page(s): 19
  • Photo Caption Page(s): 2

Call Number/Physical Location

  • HAER GU-12

Source Collection

  • Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress)

Repository

Control Number

  • gu0023

Rights Advisory

Online Format

  • image
  • pdf

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  • Call Number: HAER GU-12
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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Historic American Engineering Record, Creator, Brown-Pacific-Maxon, Bureau Of Yards And Docks U.S. Department Of The Navy, Daniel Mann Johnson And Mendenhall, U.S. Department Of The Air Force Hq 3D Air Division, U.S. Strategic Air Command, Omaha U.S. Army Engineer District, et al., Castro, David R, photographer. Andersen Air Force Base, Munitions Storage Area 2, 975 feet from North Runway at North Field, Yigo, Guam, GU. Yigo Guam, 1968. translateds by Christianson, Justinemitter, and Mcpartland, Marymitter Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/gu0023/.

APA citation style:

Historic American Engineering Record, C., Brown-Pacific-Maxon, U.S. Department Of The Navy, B. O. Y. A. D., Daniel Mann Johnson And Mendenhall, U.S. Department Of The Air Force Hq 3D Air Division, U.S. Strategic Air Command [...] Anderson Air Force Base, S., Castro, D. R., photographer. (1968) Andersen Air Force Base, Munitions Storage Area 2, 975 feet from North Runway at North Field, Yigo, Guam, GU. Yigo Guam, 1968. Christianson, J. & McPartland, M., transs Documentation Compiled After. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/gu0023/.

MLA citation style:

Historic American Engineering Record, Creator, et al., photographer by Castro, David R. Andersen Air Force Base, Munitions Storage Area 2, 975 feet from North Runway at North Field, Yigo, Guam, GU. trans by Christianson, Justinemitter, and Mcpartland, Marymitter Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/gu0023/>.