Nike site NY-25L. Photo: Don Bender
Construction of this easternmost Nike installation within the former New York Defense Area was delayed by changing military tactics and, allegedly, by the proposed eastward extension of the Long Island Expressway. Located on Long Island’s north shore, in Suffolk County, this Nike Hercules equipped site provided a superior last line of defense for the nuclear research facilities at Brookhaven National Laboratories, Grumman’s Calverton test facility, Suffolk County Air Force Base, the Montauk Air Force Station (an Air Force long-range radar site) and for the New York metro area in general.
Location
Rocky Point, Brookhaven (Suffolk County), NY
Dates of Operation
1957-1971
Radar Types
ACQR, LOPAR, ABAR, HIPAR
Secondary Master Fire Unit
Reserve Radar Integration Station
Underground Missile Magazines
1 type “B” and 2 type “C”.
Missiles
30 Nike Ajax (initial configuration)
18 Nike Hercules
Units
D/505th (1957-1958)
D/3/51st (1958-1964)
National Guard: B/1/244th (1964-1971)
Current Condition
The former launcher area remains reasonably intact and presently serves as a U.S. Army Reserve Center. The nearby family housing area is extant and the houses are occupied. The Integrated Fire Control Area (radar systems and computers), was located at the end of a road, atop a hill, beyond these small homes. That area is now used as a park.