Thor missile launch pads at RAF Harrington
May 22, 2022 13:59:09 GMT 1
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Post by plug on May 22, 2022 13:59:09 GMT 1
I decided to break a journey to East Anglia by stopping at the disused airfield at Harrington (near Kettering) to take a look at the remains of the Thor ballistic missile installations which were active 1959-63. Sixty missiles were based in the UK, dispersed all over eastern England in groups of three. They would have been an attractive target for Soviet missiles, and they played a significant role in the Cuban missile crisis.
Harrington airfield was used during WW2 by USAAF Liberators of the 801st Bomb Group 'Carpetbaggers' to drop supplies into Occupied Europe in support of resistance organisations. There is a well-tended memorial:
'Carpetbaggers' memorial, RAF Harrington by Dan Sprague, on Flickr
The three Thor emplacements can be reached by parking on the south side of the airfield then walking about half a mile down an old perimeter track:
Harrington airfield perimeter track by Dan Sprague, on Flickr
The launch pads are in the middle of an enormous rapeseed field, and despite being Grade 2 listed there is no signage and no clear pathway. Perhaps the landowner doesn't want too many visitors; however access is fairly easy and it's not fenced off. I had a good look around two of the emplacements, and to be honest would have been at a complete loss as to the function of the various parts if I hadn't taken a diagram I'd downloaded from the internet. I'd say they are worth a visit if you're into industrial/military archaeology or Cold War history, and there is a small museum nearby (limited open hours - I didn't visit on this occasion).
The missiles rested horizontally, one per emplacement, inside a long flimsy-looking shed. When they were on alert the nuclear warhead would be installed then the shed was rolled back on steel rails. The missile was then raised to a vertical position before pumping in the fuel - kerosene and liquid oxygen. No launches ever took place in the UK; RAF personnel were sent to Vandenberg AFB for training firings. Thank goodness they were never fired in anger.
The shed was rolled away from the missile along this concrete slab. The rocket motor would have been roughly between the blast walls, with the nose pointing away from the viewer:
Thor launch complex. Central emplacement. by Dan Sprague, on Flickr
These blast walls protected the fuelling and control equipment:
Thor launch complex. Central emplacement. by Dan Sprague, on Flickr
Thor launch complex. Southern emplacement. by Dan Sprague, on Flickr
There's a shallow depression on the left where any overflow of liquid oxygen was supposed to collect:
Thor launch complex. Southern emplacement. by Dan Sprague, on Flickr
The missile was raised vertically here:
Thor launch complex. Central emplacement. by Dan Sprague, on Flickr
Harrington airfield was used during WW2 by USAAF Liberators of the 801st Bomb Group 'Carpetbaggers' to drop supplies into Occupied Europe in support of resistance organisations. There is a well-tended memorial:
'Carpetbaggers' memorial, RAF Harrington by Dan Sprague, on FlickrThe three Thor emplacements can be reached by parking on the south side of the airfield then walking about half a mile down an old perimeter track:
Harrington airfield perimeter track by Dan Sprague, on FlickrThe launch pads are in the middle of an enormous rapeseed field, and despite being Grade 2 listed there is no signage and no clear pathway. Perhaps the landowner doesn't want too many visitors; however access is fairly easy and it's not fenced off. I had a good look around two of the emplacements, and to be honest would have been at a complete loss as to the function of the various parts if I hadn't taken a diagram I'd downloaded from the internet. I'd say they are worth a visit if you're into industrial/military archaeology or Cold War history, and there is a small museum nearby (limited open hours - I didn't visit on this occasion).
The missiles rested horizontally, one per emplacement, inside a long flimsy-looking shed. When they were on alert the nuclear warhead would be installed then the shed was rolled back on steel rails. The missile was then raised to a vertical position before pumping in the fuel - kerosene and liquid oxygen. No launches ever took place in the UK; RAF personnel were sent to Vandenberg AFB for training firings. Thank goodness they were never fired in anger.
The shed was rolled away from the missile along this concrete slab. The rocket motor would have been roughly between the blast walls, with the nose pointing away from the viewer:
Thor launch complex. Central emplacement. by Dan Sprague, on FlickrThese blast walls protected the fuelling and control equipment:
Thor launch complex. Central emplacement. by Dan Sprague, on FlickrThor launch complex. Southern emplacement. by Dan Sprague, on FlickrThere's a shallow depression on the left where any overflow of liquid oxygen was supposed to collect:
Thor launch complex. Southern emplacement. by Dan Sprague, on FlickrThe missile was raised vertically here:
Thor launch complex. Central emplacement. by Dan Sprague, on Flickr