ARADCOM |
Detroit - Cleveland Defense Area |
Unit: | 6/57 - 9/58, Battery D, 504th USA 9/58 - 2/63, Battery D, 2nd Battalion, 517th USA 2/63 - 4/74, Battery C, 1st Battalion, 177th MIARNG |
Activation Date: | 1955 |
Hercules conversion date: | June 1959 |
De-activation Date: | April 1974 |
IFC Area: | South side of Newport Road West of Telegraph Road west of
D-57 IFC. GPS: +42° 00' 22", -83° 21' 34" |
Launch Area: | SW of D-57/58 IFC in middle of a field GPS: +42° 00' 20", -83° 20' 35" |
Radar(s): | HIPAR, LOPAR |
Missiles: | 30 Ajax/18 Hercules |
Magazine(s): | 3 type B |
Launchers: | 12 Universal |
Current Status: | The IFC is partially intact. The Generator building, HIPAR building, and the interconnecting corridor building foundation are all there. It looks like the Michigan National Guard uses the site for a motor park. This IFC and the D-57 IFC shared the same Launcher Area which is still there. The Pits have been demolished but the Barracks, Guard Shack, Warhead bldg., Assembly & Test bldg., Generator bldg. and a bunch of blast deflectors still remain. All the Launcher Area buildings have been trashed by vandals as it's in a secluded area. he Admin Area still remains with the Admin building, Barracks/Mess hall, Theater, and some storage buildings remaining. The Housing area is also still there and is now civilian homes. |
Comments: | The whole site; Launcher, IFC and Admin areas used to be the Newport Naval Air station which was used in WWII for pilot training. The Launcher Barracks was erected in the area that used to be the airfield. This was a Shared Double Launcher Area with separate IFC's. |
D-57/58 as seen in 1961. The road to the East is Telegraph Rd. and the road to the North is Newport Rd.
D-57/58 Administration and Housing as seen in 1961.
D-57/58 Launch area as seen in 1961.
D57 and D-58 IFC areas as seen in 1961.
D-57/58 Launch area as seen in 1981. Note the vegitation growing over half of the pits (D-57).
The D-57 and D-58 IFC areas as seen in 1981.
These images are from the Microsoft TerraServer and were taken in 1993. The six sided area is the barracks area for the Launch area It also used to be the landing strip for the Newport Naval Air Station during WWII. The Launcher area is just south of it. The IFC area is NE of it.
This is the IFC area as seen from above. The site is partially intact with various buildings still standing including the 2 radar towers for D-57 IFC.
This was the Launcher Barracks. The area was originally the airfield for the Newport Naval Air Station during WWII.
This is the shared Launcher area for D-57/58.. The site is partially intact with various buildings still standing. To the north of the Launcher area (the light colored area) was the Barracks (used to be the runways for the Newport Naval Air Station during WWII). The Magazines have been demolished since this picture was taken. The southern pits faced east and the northern pits faced west.
This was the D-57/58 Administration Area. It was originally the Newport Naval Air Station during WWII. The Barracks building was also used to hold German POW's from 1945 to 1946. The Theater was originally an Aircraft Hanger. The Admin Building was originally the Air Station offices and carpentry shop.
Formerly Used Defense Sites Public Geographic Information System
Property Name: |
NIKE D57/58, NEWPORT |
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Latitude: | 42° 0' 20" N | |
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Longitude: | 83° 20' 35" W | |||||
City: | NEWPORT | |||||
County: | MONROE | |||||
State: | MI | |||||
Corps Geographic Office: | Louisville District (LRL) | |||||
Point of Contact: | LRL Public Affairs Office | |||||
Public Affairs Office Phone Number: |
502-315-6766 | |||||
Status on National Priorities List: |
Not Listed | |||||
EPA Region: | 5 | |||||
Congressional District: | 15 | |||||
Restoration Advisory Board Available: |
No | |||||
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Currently known as the Frenchtown Commons Condominiums, the Wellington Loh property, and the Michigan National Guard training facility. The former DOD installation was 480.72 acres and was obtained in 1942. The site was initially used by the Navy for pilot training. In 1956, the entire site was transferred to the Army for use as Nike Battery D-57/58. Monroe County converted an 84-acre portion into Nike Park. The Michigan National Guards 35.8 acres is currently the only portion of the former site that is still owned by the Army. A small area is owned by the FAA. The rest of the property is in private hands. | ||||||
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The site consisted of 480.72 acres. Most of the site D-57/58 was sold to a private owner in the mid-1980s. A portion of the site is currently owned by the State of Michigan and is used by the Michigan Army National Guard. | ||||||
Current Ownership Types(s): PRIVATE; STATE | ||||||
Cost to Complete (thousands): $2519.97 |
(Information courtesy of Mike Denja)
Jeff Kroll writes:
"I was on your page about the D-58 Carleton Nike site, and thought I'de mention that I was out there recently, and took some pictures includeing the interior of the Admn Building, I ran out of memory o my camera, anyway I can send them to you if you want to post them. The site is much more overgrown than in your 1998 photos, almost the entire concrete landing field for the old Airbase is completely overgrown, and is now relatively heavy forest, what concrete remains exposed has broken down into gravel. All the buildings that were there in 1998 are still there now, but the vandals are really starting to take there toll, and the vegitation in the Launcher area is so heavy it's disorienting it's like walking through a jungle, it took me a good 15 minutes or so to find the Launcher pit area, and I was standing right at the Warhead building. The Warhead building is almost entirely obscured by trees, and the Nile generator building while visibal is so over grown you would almost need a Matcheti to get inside. Several of the buildings are pock marked by bullets, and I ran accross a shotgun husk, the Missile Test, and Assembly Building has been hit hardest by the vandals, but the whole Luncher area has been hit pretty hard, and theve smashed all the windows in the Admin building, knocked down a lightpole outside, and there tearing down the cieling it's really sad to see the dmage there doing there. :( The Area appears to be in use by local ATVers judging by the tracks, and the one that I saw following me when I was on my way out, and I assume it was them who knocked the South Eastern Corner of the Fence down in the Nike Area. The whole area is teeming with wildlife now, 3 white tail deer jumped right out in front of me by the Admin Building not even 25 yards away, and rabits, and birds abound, the noises they make make exploreing, particularly inside the buildings a little nerve racking. The Army appears to have just up, and left as the buildings were still fully furnished, although the vandals have done a number on the furniture, and theres a large stack of field manuals in the Admin building, for what looks like an Obsolete piece of Radio Equipment. The Admin Building appears to have been converted into a barrcks, as almost all of the what I assume to have been offices had beds in them. The site does not appear to be in use by the national Guard, or anyone else for that matter, and the main gate was open, and there were no signs posted that said keep out, so it appears to be completely abandoned."
Rank | Name | Assignment | Dates |
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Phillip Hewitt | Warhead Technician | 2/69 - 1/70 |
This page was last updated on
03/10/2014
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