Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Maryland: Southwestern Baltimore area

Maryland, Southwestern Baltimore area

Granite Nike Missile Battery BA-79 Launch Site (revised 4/13/08) - Granite Nike Missile Battery BA-79 Integrated Fire Control Area (revised 4/13/08)

Whipp Airport & Seaplane Base (revised 12/25/07)

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Whipp Airport & Seaplane Base, Glen Burnie, MD

39.17 North / 76.6 West (South of Baltimore, MD)

"Glen Burnie" Airport & seaplane base,

as depicted on the 1942 Regional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

This former general aviation airport & seaplane base was located along the western bank of Marley Creek,

just south of Baltimore Harbor.

According to the fantastic book "Maryland Aloft" by Preston, Lanman, and Breilhan,

"Ed Whipp ran the facility & lived on its premises, beginning at least as early as 1938."

However, no airfield at this location was depicted

on the 1939 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

The earliest depiction of the field which has been located

was on the 1942 Regional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),

which depicted "Glen Burnie" as both a commercial airport & a seaplane base.

Glen Burnie Airport was apparently temporarily closed at some point between 1942-44

(like many other small civil airports along the east coast during WW2),

as it was not depicted on the 1944 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe).

According to the book "Maryland Aloft",

proprietor Ed Whipp flew seaplanes as a test pilot for Baltimore's Martin Aircraft Company during the war.

The airport & seaplane base evidently reopened in 1945,

as the 1945 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss)

depicted "Glen Burnie - Whipp" as a commercial airport & a seaplane base.

An undated photo of a Cub & several other aircraft in front of a hangar at Whipp Airport.

According to the book "Maryland Aloft",

the 1945 Haire Publishing Airport Directory listed the operator as Robert Whipp,

and described the field as consisting of "165 acres,

with buildings that included a small administration building, a restaurant, and a hangar."

The report "Glen Burnie, A Pictorial History: 1888-1988" depicted the hangar

"as a large barrel-roofed structure of corrugated metal."

A 1946 photo of Fred Klaburner Sr. receiving his pilot's license from Ed Whipp

in front of a Cessna & the Whipp Airport office building (courtesy of Fred Klaburner Jr).

According to Fred Klaburner Jr., his parents, “Fred & Clara Klaburner... belonged to the Pegasus Flying Club.”

His father got his license in 1946, and “the Pegasus Flying Club flew out of Whipp's airport during the late 1940s.”

A 1947 photo of a Piper in front of the Whipp Airport office building (courtesy of Fred Klaburner Jr.).

Two 1947 photos by William Ledford of a Dart GC at Whipp Airport.

William recalled, “I landed there on Easter 1947 & spent the night in the family home pictured here.”

The lower picture shows William's wife holding their 4-month old daughter.

“The Whipp's even babysat for us so we could take a stroll of downtown Glenn Bernie that evening.

We were en-route to Brooklyn to visit with my wife's people.”

According to William, the Dart GC was “built by Ray Applegate after the war, original design was by Al Mooney & built by Culver.”

The 1947 USGS topo map depicted Glen Burnie Whipp Airport as having three runways

along with a number of small buildings along the east & west sides of the field.

The 1950 MD Airport Directory (courtesy of Stephen Mahaley) depicted Whipp as having three turf runways,

with the longest being a 3,000' northeast/southwest strip.

A hangar & shop were situated southeast of the runways,

and a ramp & dock for the seaplane base was along the bank of Marley Creek.

Glen Burnie - Whipp Airport, as depicted on the 1953 Flight Chart (courtesy of Scott O'Donnell).

Whipp was still depicted on a 1955 Washington Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe),

but its days were numbered by this point,

as the cause its demise was also depicted on the 1955 chart -

Friendship International Airport had opened less than 3 miles to the west in 1950.

Friendship International would eventually be renamed Baltimore-Washington International Airport,

and its rapid growth in air traffic undoubtedly hastened the demise of the sleepy little general aviation airport nearby,

as airspace concerns would have made this an unworkable arrangement.

Whipp Airport was apparently closed at some point between 1955-57,

as it was not depicted on the 1957 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe).

According to the book "Maryland Aloft",

proprietor Robert Whipp eventually opened another airfield on the Eastern Shore,

the Tilghman-Whipp Airport & Seaplane Base,

which operated on Tilghman Island from approximately 1960-71.

The 2002 USGS aerial photo showed no remaining trace of the former Whipp Airport.

The property has been heavily redeveloped as the Country Club Estates housing development.

A token reminder exists as to the site's former role - one of the residential streets is named Whipp Lane.

The site of Whipp Airport is located southeast of the intersection of East Furnace Branch Road & Margate Drive.

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Granite Nike Missile Battery BA-79 Launch Site, Granite, MD

39.37 North / 76.85 West (West of Baltimore, MD)

The earliest depiction which has been located of the Granite Nike Launch Site was a 1957 aerial view,

showing the 6 sets of quadruple launchers for the 1^st-generation Nike Ajax missile.

The purpose of this military base was to shoot down incoming aircraft.

It is included here due to its significance in Cold War history,

its remarkable state of preservation,

and the fact that it is located only 4 miles from the childhood home of the author of this web site.

Most residents of the Baltimore suburbs were probably unaware of the presence

of nuclear-armed missiles that were kept at the ready in their underground magazines in Granite,

just a few miles from the outer suburbs.

"It was known that there were missiles there," says Joe Tatarewicz, a Granite resident.

"People would see them raised into launch position during drills.

What was not known was that they had nuclear warheads.

Folks here were pretty surprised."

Site BA-79 was one of a network of 7 Nike missile batteries that surrounded Baltimore.

The others were located in Phoenix (North of Baltimore), Fork (Northeast), Edgewood (Northeast),

Tolchester (Southeast), Jacobsville (Southeast), and Cronhardt (Northwest).

Site BA-79 also served as the Battalion Headquarters for all of the Baltimore-area Nike units.

Each Nike battery consisted of 2 separate facilities:

a Launch Area & an Integrated Fire Control Area.

The layout of all Nike sites was characteristic in that the launch site

was situated 1-3 miles “downrange” from its Integrated Fire Control Area,

along the axis toward the anticipated targets,

such that the radars at the IFCA would have a line-of-sight toward both the missiles & the target.

The Nike batteries replaced 90mm anti-aircraft artillery units which had been deployed

to locations surrounding Baltimore (and other major American cities) in 1952.

Granite Site BA-79 was activated in 1954,

and was initially armed with the 1^st-generation Nike Ajax missile.

The Nike Ajax missile was very large: each one stood 34 feet tall & weighed 2,400 pounds.

It had a range of 25 miles & a maximum speed of Mach 2.3.

The earliest depiction which has been located of the Granite Nike Launch Site was a 1957 aerial view,

showing the 6 sets of quadruple launchers for the 1st-generation Nike Ajax missile.

A circa 1950s aerial view looking northeast at the Granite Nike Launch Site showing a total of 15 Nike Ajax missiles elevated on their launchers .

In 1959, Granite Site BA-79 was among four of the Baltimore area batteries that were converted

to fire the 2^nd-generation Nike Hercules missile.

It was chosen for conversion to the Nike Hercules version as Granite was a "double site",

with 6 underground magazines (each with 4 missile launchers),

instead of the usual complement of 3 magazines.

A circa 1960s view of a Nike Hercules missile on its launcher at the Granite site.

The Nike Hercules missile was considerably larger & more powerful than the earlier Nike Ajax version.

It was a truly fearsome weapon: each missile was 41 feet tall, weighed 10,700 pounds,

had a range of 87 miles, and carried either a nuclear or conventional warhead.

The deployment of the nuclear-armed Nike Hercules missiles among the hundreds of sites

throughout the US probably constituted the most widespread deployment

of nuclear weapons in US history.

Operation of the Granite Nike site was taken over by the MD Army National Guard in 1963.

A 1964 aerial view showed the Granite Nike Launch Site after it had been converted to the Nike Hercules configuration,

but only 13 launchers appeared to be mounted over the concrete base

(out of a total of 24 which could be supported by the 4x6 configuration).

The last photo which has been located showing the Granite Nike Launch Site in operation was a 1971 aerial photo.

Similarly to the 1964 photo, it appeared to show a partial complement of launchers

(only 15, out of a total of 24 which could be supported by the 4x6 configuration).

With the reductions in US air defense forces,

Granite Site BA-79 was deactivated in 1974.

Aerial view of the Granite Nike Launch Site by Paul Freeman,

taken 2001 from a Diamond Katana DA20-C1.

The foundations of the 24 Nike Hercules missile launchers are in the foreground,

looking almost completely undisturbed.

The Granite Nike Launch Area still exists in a remarkable state of preservation.

Its companion Integrated Fire Control Site is located just a little further south along Hernwood Road.

For additional description of another Baltimore-Washington area Nike site,

see the Herndon Site W-83 in the Virginia page.