Atomic 'Ring of Steel' Protected Chatsworth During Cold War [VIDEO]

During the height of the Cold War, nuclear-tipped Nike missiles ringed Los Angeles.

And way up Browns Canyon Road was a battery of 12 atomic Nike-Hercules, armed and ready to do battle in a war that never came.

Of the 200 Nike bases across the nation in 1958, 16 were part of the "Ring of Steel" in the mountains around the Southland, Ann Vincent of the explained to members Tuesday evening. And the Chatsworth Nike base, known as LA88, was the first of the 16 with nuclear warheads, she said.

When the base opened on Aug. 26, 1956, it had 109 officers on duty, many of whom could be seen shopping at Hughes Market, now the at Devonshire Street and Canoga Avenue. The missiles were arrayed in three underground magazines, each vault containing four weapons, she said, illustrating with a show of slides.

The site maintained high security, waiting for the order to knock invading Soviet bombers from the sky by intercepting them over Los Angeles and blasting them with an atomic explosion. Part of the ground security was the first use of K9 dogs, Vincent said.

Vincent screened a 1960s U.S. Army film called The Nike-Hercules Story, explaining how the missile defense system was supposed to work. Following that was Duck and Cover, a filmed designed for school children, alerting them that a nuclear blast could come any time without warning. In addition to ducking under their desks, students were advised that throwing a newspaper or picnic tablecloth over their heads could protect them. The film drew laughs from the Historical Society audience.

While today the base, which was abandoned in 1974, is closed to vehicles, hikers can reach the site on foot from Antonovich Regional Park at 16100 Browns Canyon Rd. Much of what remains was burned in the 2008 Sesnon fire. However, the area is used by the police SWAT team for practice, and has been the location of many films.