Sandy Hook in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Nike Missile Site
Missiles emerged from silos beneath the pavement, and waited on launching racks while radar tracked the skies. During the 1950s the Cold War Era Nike missiles were stationed here to defend the New York-Philadelphia corridor against long-range bombers.
The peninsula of Sandy Hook provided an isolated location for newly-developed forms of radar. Like other batteries in the area these weapons were mounted as deterrent rather than aggressor. The missile base was closed in 1974, and the missile defenses for this area are now hidden in the Midwest.
Guiding the Missiles
Radar provides the deadly accuracy of these surface-to-air missiles. Long-range search radar emits radio waves that bounce off an unidentified aircraft and return flight-path information to a control computer, which activates tracking radar to lock on the target. If the target is confirmed to be an enemy, the control computer launches the missile and guides it with a command radio.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, Cold. A significant historical year for this entry is 1974.
Location. 40° 26.855′ N,
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Regionally, this marker is in New Jersey’s Central Jersey, specifically on the Jersey Shore, and in the New York City Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Nike Missile Radar Site (a few steps from this marker); British Embarkation (within shouting distance of this marker); H.M.S. Assistance Tragedy Memorial (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); A Last Tragic Episode of the American Revolution (about 600
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 18, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 616 times since then and 97 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 18, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
