Siren at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in 2011

The Chrysler Air Raid Siren is an outdoor warning siren produced during the Cold War era that has an output of 138 dB(C) at 100 feet.

It was known as the Chrysler Bell Victory Siren during its first generation, which was between the end of World War II and the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is reputed to be the loudest air raid siren ever produced in the US.

History

Built during the Cold War era from 1952 to 1957 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 $61,851 as of December 2022). 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.

In Seattle's Phinney Ridge neighborhood, a decommissioned air-raid siren remains standing as a local landmark. Since 2014, the air raid tower is decorated as a Holiday GloCone annually from Thanksgiving to New Year's.[2]

Cities with Chrysler Sirens

City, State Number of sirens and status
Camden, New Jersey 2, removed[3]
Chicago, Illinois 5, removed
Dayton, Ohio 4, removed
Detroit, Michigan 20, removed
Grand Rapids, Michigan 4, removed
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[4]
Lansing, Michigan 1, removed
Los Angeles County, California 24, most removed, a few still in place and operated once a year to honor the Battle of Los Angeles.
Miami, Florida 10, removed
Minneapolis, Minnesota 1, removed
Newark, Delaware 1, removed
Oakland, California 5, removed
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 10, 2 removed and in private possession[5][6][7][8]
Pomona, California 1, removed[9]
Portland, Oregon 7, removed[10]
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 3, removed[11]
Trenton, Michigan 3, removed
Sacramento, California 1, removed

References

  1. 1 2 3 VictorySiren.com
  2. ↑ Veets, Mike (February 13, 2015). "Phinney Park Air Raid Tower". Atlas Obscura.
  3. ↑ "10 Dec 1954, Page 20 - Courier-Post at". Newspapers.com. 1954-12-10. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  4. ↑ Donald Bradley (January 22, 2018). "In case of nuclear attack, Kansas City says it's ready. Here's why". The Kansas City Star.
  5. ↑ "City to Test New Air Raid Siren April 1". The Pittsburgh Press. March 24, 1953.
  6. ↑ "Chrysler Siren Systems - Second Generation". antiqueweekend.com. Archived from the original on 2015-03-28. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  7. ↑ "The VictorSiren(tm) Story". antiqueweekend.com. Archived from the original on 2015-05-06. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  8. ↑ "REMEMBERING THE CHRYSLER AIR RAID SIREN". antiqueweekend.com. Archived from the original on 2015-05-06. Retrieved 2014-11-30.
  9. ↑ "Clipped from the Pomona Progress Bulletin". The Pomona Progress Bulletin. 19 December 1957. p. 41.
  10. ↑ Jeff. You can email me at: rumblefish351@aim.com. "THE COLD WAR at home: Portland Air Raid Sirens". Wailingwillie.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2022-06-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ "Spokane Chrysler locations". Spokane Chronicle. 16 May 1956. p. 3.
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