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11feetWestofEast t1_j7c87mb wrote

Portland, Brunswick NAS, maine Yankee. That's all based off of cold War Era ideals. Loring used to be on there as well. The reality is now that both Brunswick and maine yankee are basically worthless as targets, maine has almost no real worthy targets. Portland only because of size and deep water port, but even that is low on the scale

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biglymonies t1_j7c8xw8 wrote

I think the only worthwhile target in Maine outside of the ones you listed would be the VLF towers in Cutler. Not sure how much they're used, though.

Edit: apparently quite a bit

> This allows continuous transmission, crucial since the Navy closed Annapolis (NSS), the only other East Coast VLF station.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLF_Transmitter_Cutler

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Coffee-FlavoredSweat t1_j7dembk wrote

You don’t need to nuke VLF Cutler to destroy it.

In the winter they routinely have to pump additional power into the antenna arrays to keep them de-iced.

A conventional bomb or missile hitting one of the antenna towers or the control building would take down the whole operation.

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ppitm t1_j7cpmdi wrote

BIW is definitely a target in a high use scenario. Portland was already leaked as a Chinese countervalue target because it is easy to hit over the poles. They aim to hit at least one city in each state.

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RobertLeeSwagger t1_j7cvdhv wrote

I don’t think BIW is worth using a nuclear weapon on. Could easily cripple it with something less destructive unless collateral damage is a goal.

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ppitm t1_j7dl7h7 wrote

Actual target lists from the Cold War would disagree with you. There's no scenario where someone would attack it with anything other than a nuclear weapon.

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spintrackz t1_j7e47jz wrote

Yep. Strategic target. Heavy industry and military production. They might as well paint a bullseye on the roof.

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spintrackz t1_j7e30fi wrote

The Chinese aren't crazy or stupid enough to start lobbing rockets our way. Pooty Poot on the other hand... is, and has a lot more missiles than Xi does.

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ppitm t1_j7e3k7f wrote

A guy who makes all his guests sit on the far end of a 50-foot-long conference table doesn't sound like someone too keen to die in a fireball.

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spintrackz t1_j7e41g1 wrote

No, but he would be the kind of guy to think he could get away with it without dying in a fireball. He's also got that nifty Dead Hand system he knows he can use.

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Filbertine t1_j7cwden wrote

I thought it was strange that Loring wasn’t there!

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Guygan t1_j7d5d5w wrote

> Portland only because of size and deep water port,

And it’s the closest port to Europe.

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spintrackz t1_j7e1y5x wrote

Rangely possibly as a secondary target in a counter-force exchange. Public knowledge that a US Navy SERE school is there. Doubtful they'd waste anything over 2 Kts on it though.

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Awkward_Mixture_8990 t1_j7f3tu4 wrote

As a guy who’s been there it wouldn’t take more than 50lb of tannerite to remove that structure.

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theresin t1_j7hfet5 wrote

BNAS would still be useful in an all-out scenario, because you know damn well the government would take it back over if they had to (all the facilities are still there, as is the long runway).

But barring that, a lot of BIW's infrastructure and work-force are located from Brunswick to Wiscasset so ... might as well be thorough.

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hike_me t1_j7lg1hy wrote

It takes years to build and launch a ship. BIW is basically irrelevant in total nuclear war

It’s only on the 2000 warhead scenario because they’re probably running out of strategically important things to nuke at that point

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AnythingToAvoidWork t1_j7hjr7r wrote

Yeah seems a little odd for northern new england in general.

I get NH has he Seabrook nuclear plant, but Manchester? And what's in western VT?

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moxie-maniac t1_j7c5ha4 wrote

Bath Iron Works and Brunswick NAS?

NH Pease AFB? Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. (Technically in Maine.)?

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OriginalGordol t1_j7ey353 wrote

Pease hasn't had bombers in over a decade nor nukes longer than that. It's half civil air and half USAF Reserves now flying tankers. And at least 70% of the non airstrip land is civilian.

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ed74morrow t1_j7bv0q2 wrote

Thank God I wouldn't want to suffer.

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ppitm t1_j7c0q11 wrote

Exactly. Being vaporized is far preferable to starvation or living in the theocracy that would replace the US government.

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Ironbird207 t1_j7cznhc wrote

Cutler should be on the list. People think it's shut down but it's just under civilian control. When the Ukraine invasion happened it began running 24/7.

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Coffee-FlavoredSweat t1_j7df05t wrote

Nobody would waste a nuke on a radio antenna. They have conventional bombs for that.

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Coffee-FlavoredSweat t1_j7dfugy wrote

A map like this is kind of funny.

You gotta think there’s at least 1 nuclear-capable country saying, “oh neat, we didn’t even think about nuking Muleshoe, Texas!

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spintrackz t1_j7e4czj wrote

They used to print these in civil defense manuals when my parents were growing up. I think my dad still has one kicking around somewhere.

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Shakedwn t1_j7cdx43 wrote

BIW; heavy industry and institutional knowledge also Portsmouth for similar reasons. Air fields by themselves are not strategically important.

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IamSauerKraut t1_j7crjqm wrote

Air fields have aircraft. Hitting air fields reduces the response. Also, many repurposed air fields contain the offices/sites of defense contractors.

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hike_me t1_j7lgfhc wrote

It takes years to build and launch a ship from BIW. In any scenario where hundreds of nukes are flying it’s basically irrelevant.

Air fields are strategically important if they factor into an immediate counter offensive.

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DirigoNomad t1_j7e0v65 wrote

I know "they" wouldn't need a nuke for it but, I'm honestly surprised that Bangor International isn't on the list. It's a vitally important runway for the Air Force as it's the last airport in America to stop and refuel.

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DeedricMoon t1_j7cazls wrote

Ag, okay, just move to northern Maine or western Colorado. Got it.

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indyaj t1_j7cobm3 wrote

Western Colorado is lovely. Just don't vote for that nutcase Boebert when you get there.

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IamSauerKraut t1_j7croke wrote

Pretty much everything in CO is in the Front Range.

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indyaj t1_j7cxemm wrote

What do you mean by "everything"? I'm a desert rat. Western Colorado is perfect.

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IamSauerKraut t1_j7d551l wrote

"pretty much" =/= "all"

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indyaj t1_j7d756h wrote

Oh. Ok. I disagree. Everything is in western Colorado.

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IamSauerKraut t1_j7ddn3n wrote

If you want to think of the Front Range as being western CO, I'm okay with it. I just see those sites as being east of the Front Range.

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indyaj t1_j7e44m0 wrote

I was replying to the person who said the places to move are northern Maine and western Colorado. I wasn't talking or thinking about the sites. I guess that's why I misunderstood your previous comment lol.

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Forward-Ant-4433 t1_j7elyih wrote

FYI. Our highways are designed to turn into runways by laying down the lampposts

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TwoforFlinching613 t1_j7dnef6 wrote

Excited to live in Boston (actual city) and frequently visit my family in Scarborough/Portland, which should work out well.

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InfamousCelery4438 t1_j7dzcq1 wrote

Meh. I watched The Day After, in the 1980's. Then some fucking asshole from Pease Airforce base broke the sound barrier over our heads. Have a nice day, asshole.

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Moot_n_aboot t1_j7fjy5p wrote

BIW or the former Maine Yankee Nuclear Power Station spent fuel storage yard?

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MosskeepForest t1_j7cp0id wrote

The great thing about Maine is that fallout won't be carried here as easily. The explosions aren't the worse part of a nuke (or what kills the most people), instead it's the days of fallout that begins to snow after.

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ppitm t1_j7cq42x wrote

That's not correct. Fallout is not a threat unless it's a ground burst. Only missile silos and bunkers would be targeted with ground bursts.

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indyaj t1_j7co6jq wrote

eyeroll. Whatever. Fucking relax.

Disclaimer: I'm gen-x.

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