Chrysler Air-raid Siren

The Chrysler Air Raid Siren (second generation), or known as the Chrysler Bell Victory Siren (first generation) is an outdoor warning siren produced during the Cold War era that has an output of 138 dB(C) at 100 feet (30 m).

Siren at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in 2011

History

Built during the Cold War era from 1952 to 1957 (second generation) by Chrysler, its power plant contained a newly designed FirePower Hemi V8 engine with a displacement of 331 cubic inches (5.42 l) and producing 180 horsepower (130 kW).[1]

They are 12 feet (3.7 m) long, built atop a quarter section of a Dodge truck chassis rail, and weigh an estimated 3 short tons (2.7 t). Its six horns are each 3 feet (91 cm) long. The siren has an output of 138 dB(C) (30,000 watts), and can be heard as far as 25 miles (40 km) away.

In 1952, the cost of a Chrysler Air-raid Siren was $5,500[1] (equivalent to $52,953 in 2019). The United States government helped buy sirens for selected state and county law enforcement agencies. In Los Angeles County, six were placed around key locations of populated areas, and another ten were sold to other government agencies in the state of California. These "Big Red Whistles" (as they were nicknamed) only saw testing use. Some were located so remotely that they deteriorated due to lack of maintenance.

The main purpose of the siren was to warn the public in the event of a nuclear attack by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The operator's job was to start the engine and bring it up to operating speed, then to pull and release the transmission handle to start the wailing signal generation. The Chrysler air raid siren produced the loudest sound ever achieved by an air raid siren.[1]

Today

Some sirens are still located above buildings and watchtowers. Many are rusted, and in some cases, the salvage value is less than the cost to remove them. A majority have been moved to museums, and some have been restored to fully functioning condition.

Cities with Chrysler Sirens
City, State Number of sirens, Status
Chicago, Illinois 5, removed
Dayton, Ohio 4, removed
Detroit, Michigan 20, removed
Grand Rapids, Michigan 4, status is unknown
Greenville, South Carolina 1, standing, non-operational
Horsham, Pennsylvania 1, removed
Jackson, Michigan 1, removed and replaced with a Thunderbolt in 1982
Kansas City, Missouri 3, 2 removed, 1 non-operational[2]
Lansing, Michigan 1, removed
Los Angeles County, California 24, most removed, a few still in place and non-operational
Miami, Florida 10, removed
Newark, Delaware 1, removed
Oakland, California 5, removed
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 10, 2 removed and in private possession[3][4][5][6]
Portland, Oregon 7, removed[7]
Rochester, New York 2, 1 standing, other one's status is unknown
Rockford, Illinois 3, removed, one in private possession
Salt Lake City, Utah 3, removed
San Francisco, California 1, removed
Seattle, Washington 6, 4 removed, 2 standing and non-operational
Spokane, Washington 2, status is unknown
Trenton, Michigan 3, removed

References
  1. VictorySiren.com
  2. Donald Bradley (January 22, 2018). "In case of nuclear attack, Kansas City says it's ready. Here's why". The Kansas City Star.
  3. "City to Test New Air Raid Siren April 1". The Pittsburgh Press. March 24, 1953.
  4. "Archived copy". antiqueweekend.com. Archived from the original on 2015-03-28. Retrieved 2014-11-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Archived copy". antiqueweekend.com. Archived from the original on 2015-05-06. Retrieved 2014-11-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Archived copy". antiqueweekend.com. Archived from the original on 2015-05-06. Retrieved 2014-11-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. http://wailingwillie.blogspot.com/
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.