| Silver Creek Communications Annex | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Status | Destroyed |
| Type | Mast radiator insulated against ground |
| Location | Silver Creek, Nebraska, USA |
| Coordinates | |
| Destroyed | 1995 |
| Height | 373.7 m (1,226.05 ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Main contractor | US Air Force |
Silver Creek Communications Annex was a 373.7 metres ( 1226 ft ) tall guyed mast used by the USAF Survivable Low Frequency Communications System Site, which was built near Silver Creek, Nebraska at . Detachment 1, 33d Communications Squadron, 1st Aerospace Communications Group (later 55th Communications Group) out of Offutt AFB, ran the site until its deactivation.
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The mission of Detachment 1, 33d Communications Squadron (Silver Creek Communications Annex) was to provide the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Commander-in-Chief of Strategic Air Command (CINCSAC), SAC Headquarters, the Airborne Command Post (ABNCP), and the SAC Force with a Survivable Low Frequency Communications System for passing record communications between the above agencies. Hawes provides SAC Emergency War Order communications before, during and after a nuclear attack, acts as the alternate ground station for the SAC ABNCP, and relays secure record communications from and into the Automatic Digital Network (AUTODIN).[1]
The SAC SLFCS site at Silver Creek was built as a project assigned to the 32d Communications Squadron. The site was accepted by Headquarters USAF on 29 July 1968, and was activated for continuous operations on 19 August 1968. on 5 September 1968, operational testing began at Silver Creek. [2]
Silver Creek's radio tower was a mast radiator insulated against ground, which provided VLF communication to ground and mobile nuclear missile facilities during the Cold War. It transmitted at a maximum power of 110 kW. The facility was partially built into the ground and was designed to withstand a moderate nuclear blast from a distance of 10 miles. The facility was self-sustaining and employed a sophisticated ventilation system as well as backup diesel generators.[3]