No more than a few obscure clues above ground betray the presence of the mammoth steel and concrete fortress that descends 165 feet, lurking like a giant octopus. I missiles fitted with nuclear warheads. Another three areas held equipment terminals, and two more silos contained antennae designed to guide the missiles. A control dome held the computers that operated the missiles, and a power dome housed diesel generators. There also were living quarters for 150 men.
Tunnels reach out like outstretched arms, connecting the various buildings.
Hotchkiss, now a Portland resident, grew up on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. He became enamored early with World War II history and spent his youth exploring the island's old wartime bunkers. About five years ago, he saw a two-minute Dateline segment about a man who converted an old missile silo into a house. Hotchkiss tracked him down, then embarked on a whirlwind tour of North American Titan missile sites. And a lot of them were wrecked or filled with water.