A gorgeous noir-like cutaway of an atomic pile by Alexander Leydenfrost. But why does the drawing look so vague and devoid of details? Partially, that was the Leydenfrost style. His Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel cutaway drawing shows that he emphasized moody shadows and light over the cool and the technical. But mainly, at the time of this… Continue reading Atomic Pile Cutaway Drawing, 1950
Category: Military Structures
Cutaway drawings of structures related to military use.
Jim Creek Naval Radio Station Illustration 1950
Artist unknown, as this was a tossed-off illustration in the middle of a Popular Science, but what interested me: This is one helluva massive radio station. It’s still around. It’s called the Jim Creek Naval Radio Station, and the Center for Land Use Interpretation tells us: One of the world’s most powerful transmitters, this million… Continue reading Jim Creek Naval Radio Station Illustration 1950
Dry-Land Submarine Trainer, 1950
Its proper name was the Mark VII Attack Teacher and it was housed in a 3 story building in New London, CT. In an age before computers could process graphics, vehicle and nautical simulations had to be done with models. Trainees sat in a submarine mockup on the second floor, with a periscope jutting up… Continue reading Dry-Land Submarine Trainer, 1950
Inflatable Vietnam War-Era Quonset Hut Cutaway, 1967
This Quonset hut-style hospital was kept inflated by compressed air from a utility unit. Standing 20 x 52 feet, this portable hospital’s utility unit provided the positive air flow, power, heat, hot and cold water, and most welcome in the Southeast Asia jungles–air conditioning. Note: poor alignment of pages cuts off part of structure. Click… Continue reading Inflatable Vietnam War-Era Quonset Hut Cutaway, 1967
Titan Missile Underground Launch Complex Cutaway
The Titan II Missile Underground Launch Complex (Large Image) is classic Cold War-era cutaway stuff. At the Titan Missile Museum in Arizona, you can tour the entire facility. As their brochure states: The Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) was the first liquid propellant missile that could be launched from underground. Equipped with a nine-megaton… Continue reading Titan Missile Underground Launch Complex Cutaway