Since the bunkers are located on an airbase in california I would assume them to be nuclear. See back then they did not know enough about atomic energy to know that after a blast not to run right back outside. Since airbase on the west coast were so vital to national security they would want air crews to be safe so that after the blast they could return to there stations.

NAS Alameda did not store nuclear weapons. Non-nuclear components (parts of the weapon assemblies not including the primary or secondary) were sometimes stored there. If it were functional weapons, the security would be even heavier.

Concord Naval Weapons Station was the only facility in the Bay Area that used to store nuclear weapons. I believe that there are still some weapons stored at NAS North Island (San Diego).

Travis AFB (Fairfield, CA) in the 70's used to store nuclear weapons also. I believe it was into the 80's as well.

I don't believe nuclear weapons were ever stored there. For one thing, as was stated earlier, the security was not heavy enough, from what i could see in the pictures. Maybe weapons that were designed to carry nuclear warheads, but not the warheads themselves.

You should see the security at the Concord Naval Weapons Station where they currently are storing nuclear warheads
It doesnt look like much.
But I dare you to try and sneak on the land.

Posted by mrsleep You should see the security at the Concord Naval Weapons Station where they currently are storing nuclear warheads It doesnt look like much. But I dare you to try and sneak on the land.

I may be slightly this side of certifiable, but i am no fool. It just looks like the security at a nuclear weapons storage facility would be more than is visible. I didn't see the sensors like you would see around Area 51. Maybe i am wrong, but it's my opinion.

Didn't mean to stir up such a fuss.

The bunkers are located on the far end of the runways, which jut out into San Francisco Bay. They are surrounded by barbedwire fences, with a remote operated gate. The guard shack has/had bullet proof windows & gun slots. The tower is similary equiped, with a spot light on the roof. The larger white building (there's a photo in the gallery) has gun slots in the roof ballistrade and blast shielding in front of the door. I still think that the tall poles with interconnecting wires were used to keep out helicopters (ala prison yards) rather than to support camouflage as suggested (There's not much call for camouflage, since the entire base would have been nuked if a shooting war had broken out back in the day)

In any case, this is pretty impressive security for bunkers located *inside* what used to be an active Naval Air Station.

I can't speak to Naval sites, but I've been to DOE sites that store fissile material. In these, you'll see double fences, usually with razor wire top & bottom - even if they're inside a larger fenced/guarded facility (military base, lab, etc.). Where weapons are stored, there will be frequent guard towers, and the balcony surrounding the shack at the top of each tower will be solid and wrapped all the way around. There will be visible (and invisible) surveillance equipment between the fences, including infrared, microwave, electrical field, and video sensors. The fences themselves may have intrusion detection (taut-wire, vibration, etc.).

But you're right, vacant, it's still pretty impressive security for a site inside a Naval facility. It I haven't mentioned it before, this is really a cool site - thanks for putting it up!

Posted by vacant Didn't mean to stir up such a fuss. The bunkers are located on the far end of the runways, which jut out into San Francisco Bay. They are surrounded by barbedwire fences, with a remote operated gate. The guard shack has/had bullet proof windows & gun slots. The tower is similary equiped, with a spot light on the roof. The larger white building (there's a photo in the gallery) has gun slots in the roof ballistrade and blast shielding in front of the door. I still think that the tall poles with interconnecting wires were used to keep out helicopters (ala prison yards) rather than to support camouflage as suggested (There's not much call for camouflage, since the entire base would have been nuked if a shooting war had broken out back in the day) In any case, this is pretty impressive security for bunkers located *inside* what used to be an active Naval Air Station.

You didn't stir up any fuss. I was just commenting on the lack of security at a storage facility for the most destructive material on earth, or what was the lack of security. This did not look like one of the secure storage facilities.

Posted by greywolf45 I don't believe nuclear weapons were ever stored there. For one thing, as was stated earlier, the security was not heavy enough, from what i could see in the pictures. Maybe weapons that were designed to carry nuclear warheads, but not the warheads themselves.

For one thing, the bunkers for the warheads would be much larger than what's
pictured. Second, there is no sign of the necessary security for these weapons,
except for the watch tower, which would be the first thing a determined theif would take out. This is a bunker for non-atomic weapons, or the weapons components to deliver a nuclear warhead.

Look, mister, everyone knows that the Naval Base in Alameda is where they keep the nuclear wessels!

("...but where is Alameda?")