Texas is well-known for its oil and gas sector, but few are aware that the state also housed a secret nuclear plant where atomic bombs were kept and constructed during the Cold War. The complex, nestled beneath the hills of West Fort Hood, has become a ghost town with tunnels, buildings, and equipment that expose the dark and frightening history of the nuclear age.
The Western Fort Hood Nuclear Facility
The West Fort Hood nuclear station was established during the 1950s as part of the United States’ nuclear weapons program. The complex was made up of multiple subterranean tunnels and bunkers used to store and manufacture nuclear bombs and components. The facility was run by the Army, Navy, and Atomic Energy Commission, and it was protected by a special security force. The facility was one of the country’s most secret places, and its presence was unknown to the general public and the majority of military personnel.
The facility was capable of storing and building up to 600 nuclear weapons, ranging from tiny tactical bombs to huge thermonuclear warheads. The facility also included a testing area where the weapons were evaluated for functionality and safety. The complex was built to resist a nuclear assault and has several safety precautions such as blast doors, ventilation systems, and fire suppression systems.
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The facility operated until the early 1970s when the United States began to decrease its nuclear arsenal and negotiate treaties with the Soviet Union. The plant was decommissioned and shut, and the majority of the radioactive materials were removed and transported to other places. A group of explorers unearthed the facility in the 1990s after it had been abandoned and ignored for decades.
Ghost Town of Tunnels
Today, the West Fort Hood nuclear site is a ghost town of tunnels, with artifacts of the nuclear past visible. The Army still owns the facility, although it no longer serves any role. The facility is not open to the general public, and only approved people have access to it. The site is periodically utilized for military and law enforcement training, with the tunnels used to rehearse urban warfare and counterterrorism situations.
Historians, scholars, and explorers are also curious and fascinated by the complex and its mysteries. Various organizations have explored and recorded some of the tunnels and bunkers, discovering and photographing abandoned equipment, signs, and papers. Some of the tunnels and bunkers, however, remain undiscovered and locked, perhaps containing further secrets and dangers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Texas houses a little-known Cold War relic: the West Fort Hood nuclear plant, a once-secret complex that housed and built atomic weapons. The ghost town of tunnels and bunkers, which operated from the 1950s until the early 1970s, is now a historical curiosity. With limited access, it attracts military training as well as the interest of historians and adventurers, preserving a sad chapter in the nuclear era.