Tisza missile base

The former USSR missile base “Tīsi” is located in the land unit of the Jelgava region, Lielplatone parish, Latvian State Forests, and Jelgava region council. The missile base consisted of an army camp, missile hangars, and the “Dvina” shaft complex, which is designed to launch four R-12 missiles. The base territory covers 40 hectares. Until 2016, it was also possible to walk through the second underground floor of this missile base, from which passages lead to the fuel tank storage room, the fuel oxidizer tank storage room, as well as to all four missile shafts. It was also possible to enter the inside of the missile shaft, where part of the metal had been sawn off. In 2016, extensive dismantling work was carried out, and the structures were partially dismantled or the entrances to them were filled in. Today, a degraded territory can be observed, little has survived from the former structures. The story of an eyewitness who visited the base in the fall of 2008: “The Dobele Regiment, Tīsu rocket R12. missile base is located in a forest massif, close to the Eleja – Dobele highway, only about 1300 meters from the asphalt. The slums of the army town are located about 450m from the Eleja – Dobele asphalt. 50 meters from the highway and the same distance from the river is the former sewage treatment plant. Currently, the settling basins and the pump station building itself are very well preserved. The next objects on the right side of the road are the remains of a cattle shed and unbuilt foundations. At the intersection on the left after 250 meters are the remains of the army town. Among the ruins, you can distinguish dormitories, a club, a training building, a sports field, warehouses, officers' quarters, food cellars, a canteen, a kitchen and a few more buildings, the meaning of which I have not yet deciphered. In the south of the town there are garages and repair complexes. All that remains of the garages is a single red brick wall and ruins with former repair pits. When you return to the concrete road, the road to the missile base goes to the left. Along the way, not far from the road, the road to the former army shooting range goes to the right. At the next intersection, the missile base itself is straight ahead (approx. 250m), and on the left is the missile storage hangar (approx. 300m). Further along the dirt road, 150 m behind the river, there is another well-camouflaged basement. Two-lane barbed wire fences and an electric fence stretched around the missile base. The latter is best preserved on the south side, now only the posts can be seen. When entering from the north (from the highway), all four missile shaft domes are very clearly visible, and in the center is the control center. Here too, everything inside has already been sawed and stolen, so you have to be careful downstairs and preferably with a powerful flashlight. Entrances (gaps in the ground) are currently found at the first, second, fourth missile shafts and at the entrance to the control center. And another entrance to the nitrogen storage room. In my opinion, for an underground bunker, there are too many entrances, exits and backup - emergency tunnels. On the first underground floor there are - on the right - showers, a machine control room, office rooms, a control center room, an electrical switchboard and stairs to the second underground floor. On the opposite side - an air conditioning equipment room, five auxiliary rooms, including a room behind the air conditioners - from it there is a view of the diesel generator engine room on the second floor. The labyrinths are quite tricky and correspond only to military ideas. Near the air conditioner room there is another staircase to the second underground floor. The second underground floor is relatively little flooded. One half of the floor is occupied by an office and personnel rooms. On the other side you can find the location of the rocket fuel oxidizer tank and the pump station, on the opposite side there was a rocket fuel storage with pump rooms. Two rooms with electrical distribution, control and storage equipment. Generator room. In the control center, two tank V8 engines were placed for power supply, which turned the generators. Unbelievably, there were also two diesel generators in each missile shaft housing (a total of 10 generators in the station). From the second underground floor you can get to all four shafts. All four missile shaft housings are identical. There are also various auxiliary rooms and ladders (uncut) to a depth of about (according to the drawings) 22 meters for access to the lower part of the rocket. You can climb into the missile shafts themselves through maintenance hatches, there will be a bridge two palms wide under your feet and if water falls in, you will not be able to get out on your own. The bridges that were built into the lower part of the dome have also been sawn out. When crawling back into the daylight, it is worth taking a look at two more underground structures located between the first and second shafts. I have not found out the meaning of these objects. And another similar, well-camouflaged, structure is located about 150 meters from the second dome.”