Post Attack Command and Control System Facility, Hadley
Encyclopedia
Post Attack Command and Control System Facility, Hadley is a defunct Post-Attack Command and Control System facility that operated from the June 2, 1958 until 1970. It is located under The Notch on Bare Mountain
in Hadley, Massachusetts
. The facility was known by many different names: 8th Air Force Combat Operations Center (COC), "The Notch", and "Westover Communications Annex" since it was related to nearby Westover Air Force Base
.
. The facility was located inside Bare Mountain, off Route 116, and was nicknamed "The Notch." The underground bunker was built into the side of Bare Mountain
was hardened to protect it from the effects of a nearby nuclear blast
, and the facility was designed so that the senior military staff could facilitate further military operations.
. After the U.S. Air Force
abandoned the site in 1970, the Federal Reserve
took over and used it as a secure storage facility for their records. Allegedly they stored large sums of money there as well, money that would be used to restart the economy after a nuclear war.
Today, the bunker is used as a library storage facility for the Five Colleges
.
Bare Mountain (Massachusetts)
Bare Mountain, above sea level, is a prominent peak of the Holyoke Range of traprock mountains located in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts, and part of the greater Metacomet Ridge that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border. The peak rises steeply from the river...
in Hadley, Massachusetts
Hadley, Massachusetts
Hadley is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts. The population was 4,793 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The area around Hampshire Mall and Mountain Farms Mall along Route 9 is a major shopping destination for the surrounding...
. The facility was known by many different names: 8th Air Force Combat Operations Center (COC), "The Notch", and "Westover Communications Annex" since it was related to nearby Westover Air Force Base
Westover Joint Air Reserve Base
Westover Air Reserve Base is an Air Force Reserve Command installation located in the Massachusetts communities of Chicopee and Ludlow, near the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. Westover hosts the largest Air Reserve Base in the world in terms of area...
.
History
In 1957, Strategic Air Command began construction for a hardened bunker to contain the command post for 8th Air Force, which was located at nearby Westover AFB, MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. The facility was located inside Bare Mountain, off Route 116, and was nicknamed "The Notch." The underground bunker was built into the side of Bare Mountain
Bare Mountain (Massachusetts)
Bare Mountain, above sea level, is a prominent peak of the Holyoke Range of traprock mountains located in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts, and part of the greater Metacomet Ridge that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border. The peak rises steeply from the river...
was hardened to protect it from the effects of a nearby nuclear blast
Nuclear explosion
A nuclear explosion occurs as a result of the rapid release of energy from an intentionally high-speed nuclear reaction. The driving reaction may be nuclear fission, nuclear fusion or a multistage cascading combination of the two, though to date all fusion based weapons have used a fission device...
, and the facility was designed so that the senior military staff could facilitate further military operations.
Reuse
The facility was shutdown in 1970, when 8th Air Force was relocated to Barksdale AFB, LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. After the U.S. Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
abandoned the site in 1970, the Federal Reserve
Federal Reserve System
The Federal Reserve System is the central banking system of the United States. It was created on December 23, 1913 with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, largely in response to a series of financial panics, particularly a severe panic in 1907...
took over and used it as a secure storage facility for their records. Allegedly they stored large sums of money there as well, money that would be used to restart the economy after a nuclear war.
Today, the bunker is used as a library storage facility for the Five Colleges
Five Colleges (Massachusetts)
The Five Colleges comprises four liberal arts colleges and one university in the Connecticut River Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, totaling approximately 28,000 students. The schools belong to a consortium called Five Colleges, Incorporated, established in 1965...
.
Units Based There
- 8th Air Force (1958–1970)
- 814th Combat Defense Squadron (1958–1968)
- 99th Security Police Squadron (1968–1970)
See also
- Post Attack Command and Control SystemPost Attack Command and Control SystemThe Post Attack Command and Control System was a network of communication sites for use before, during and after a nuclear attack on the United States. PACCS was designed to ensure that National Command Authority would retain sole, exclusive, and complete control over US nuclear weapons...
- Continuity of governmentContinuity of governmentContinuity of government is the principle of establishing defined procedures that allow a government to continue its essential operations in case of nuclear war or other catastrophic event....
- Magic MountainMagic Mountain (bunker)Magic Mountain is the name of a bunker at RAF Alconbury that was in use from 1989-1991. At the time it was built, it was designed to withstand a direct nuclear attack. It was built to ensure that the 17th Reconnaissance Wing would always have a command post for its TR-1A aircraft. It was built with...
External links
- "The Notch" PACCS installation, with photos of the facility when it was active
- Westover Joint Air Reserve Base (JARB), GlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
- "The Notch" - Westover Communications Annex - PACCS
- "Library Holdings Moving Underground", Smith CollegeSmith CollegeSmith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
news - Course syllabus that describes the Notch
- 814th Combat Defense Squadron - Air Police squadron that guarded "The Notch"
- A 1990s era photo of the entrance
