Ruins of Detroit
 

With Operation Taconite making the news thanks to the extremely cold weather, some interesting locations have shown up in the news. One in particular is Zug Island, just south of Detroit.

It is an artificial island, created when a channel was dug to make navigation easier. It is interesting from a game perspective because of its use. It is extremely industrialized, being used for converting iron ore to iron and early on also for manufacturing steel. The island is closed to the public with limited access and no photography is allowed. There are massive walls that block the view from land. It is still used for iron production today and also has a large coke battery that is operated the electrical utility, DTE.

With all the secrecy around Zug Island, the fact that it has a large amount of sea and rail traffic to this day, and that 4th edition nukes in the area are air burst and the island is only in the 5-10 PSI overpressure area, it would make a fine location for some sort of underground logistical base, either manned or automated like Delta Base.

Just a starter idea if anyone is looking to make an adventure in the Ruins of Detroit.

can't we LARP the ruins of Detroit

The interesting part about Zug Island, is that scientists in Canada, believe that the "Windsor Hum" originates from Zug Island.

How about Zug Island as the site of the secondary command base?

I don't think I would put the secondary command base there. Maybe a central command base for a combined MARS group charged with maintaining open passage through the relatively narrow St. Claire and Detroit rivers connecting Lake Huron and Lake Erie.

I can see that.


Just reading up on the island and its security had me thinking a nice location for a Project base.

The issue with things so close to the Great Lakes or rivers is that the water table is generally pretty close to the surface. In addition rivers and lakes can rise and the surface water can also change locations. Shorelines changes and rivers meander.

The reason that there can't be a base in Missouri is the water table is really high, even in the Ozarks. I'd love to put a base in an old lead mine but they flood in just a few years if they aren't constantly being pumped.

Just remember, the geology around Detroit is quite diverse. There is a very dry salt mine at a depth of 1200 feet below the surface that is still in operation to provide salt for deicing roadways. There are hundreds of miles of road in the mine that cover an area greater than 1500 acres. This salt mine in within a few miles of Zug Island.

The deposited material from the retreating glaciers is not very thick around Detroit. Bedrock is found pretty close to the surface and there is plenty of clay, making a very good aquitard.

I see (Google Earth) the Ft. Wayne historic Star Fort less than a mile away. That makes a very impressive HQ for a Overlord.


Ft Wayne, Detroit

It is possible to make an underground base that is waterproof and just allows the place to flood, the Nazis in WW2 had several.

Detroit and area.
 

The largest issue is with the active mining the risk of the base being found. Also remember selfrige ang base has a norad commitment f15 I think now use to be f4s old sac base. Isl royal a better command base. With the freeze time in winter under water base has issues too. Better off at fermi nuke plant build a 4 th reactor and have it run out of funding. Put sternman type of supply there, and medical support wear house supply . Plus but remember nuke plants are type 1 targets, so maby an automated abc laser might help, would look like it came from selfrige. Think a tug or two plus barges would be good based in area, to help with relief, plus supply movement.

Isle Royale has been mentioned many times as a base. It's possible, paying off or becoming the parks service responsible for the island as ways to get a base built.

Selfridge ANGB gets hit with 2 surface burst warheads. It is unlikely anything useful survives the war there.

The nuclear power plant is a good idea, though you need to look at decommissioned ones for survivability. Like the old Big Rock power plant that was successfully decommissioned and was dismantled in 1997. The site is now a park, though with all the trucks coming and going to moving low levels radioactive material to a storage facility, it would not be hard to move in some Project materiel. Once decommissioned, a power plant is not a target so it should survive quite well.

isl royal
 

In 3rd ed it was a regional supply and 3tier command and control after prime and secondus....
Tim

wirtsmith is gone as is ki sawer, alpena still hosts summer drillers but npo perminate based..

I just remembered that Detroit has some cool steam tunnels under it but I've forgotten where the site for it is. I was going to do a game there but lost the link

Those steam tunnels are still in operation. Here is a map supplied by Detroit Thermal, the current owner and operator of the steam tunnels.

http://detroitthermal.com/company/service_area.aspx

I have used detroit salt mines as a Morrow major base in many games. typically was a midwest deployment point as the entire base could be hidden as well as a LOT of resources. plus all the trucking going in and out would easily be disguised as normal commerce pre war.

so technically if a team got into the detroit ruins and past the radiation to the entrance of the mine and repaired and powered up the mine shaft there is a LOT of pre war morrow down there. and some sleepers...

At least in my world there is.