Proposal: The Bolthole

[dragoon500ly]

Note: this is based on the bolthole description located on thesupplybunker web site.

THE BOLTHOLE…The bolthole is the second most common facility within the Project. It is simply an underground bunker designed to protect its occupying team, their vehicles and a minimal amount of supplies. While a detailed description of a typical bolthole is included below, each Project Team is reminded, that while the bolthole will provide both safety and security, it is designed to be abandoned once its team has been recalled. The bolthole is incapable of being used as living quarters once activated.

THE LAYOUT…Boltholes, as a rule, are roughly identical throughout the Project and differ only in size (the larger the team, the larger the bolthole) and occasionally the layout (terrain considerations). It is designed to be completely self-contained, air and water tight, and to provide a reasonable level of blast protection and radiation shielding for the occupants.
It is constructed of prefab, reinforced concrete sections, shipped in and set in place to form the bolthole. Each section is 2 meters wide, 8 meters high and 0.5 meters thick. Each section is reinforced with plastic-coated #8 reinforcing wire set in a grid pattern and waterproofed to prevent ground water seepage. The bolthole itself is grounded to avoid interference with communications equipment.
The bolthole begins as a large excavation in the earth. A pad is laid out to serve as a foundation, which consists of three layers of prefab sections laid in a crisscross pattern. A series of heavy-duty steel springs are then mounted, which support and cushion the middle floor. The middle floor is made of two layers of prefab, again set in a crisscross pattern. On the middle floor is mounted a maze of wiring, tubing, pipes and gas canisters which provide life support and power for the occupants. Next, the upper floor, consisting of two layers of prefab, set in the usual crisscross pattern are placed.

Around the floors are set an inner wall, which is pierced for three exits (two personnel and one vehicle). Next, a middle wall is set 1.5 meters out, then an outer wall is then set 1.5 meters out from the middle wall. Prefab sections are then emplaced to complete the exits. Finally, gravel is then poured into the voids between the three walls.

Prefab sections for the weapons and ammunition storage and cryogenic chamber are then set into place and the personnel exit inner doors are mounted.

The prefab inner vehicle door section is then mounted. The roof is then emplaced, again repeating the triple layer process used for the floor.
A waterproofing treatment is then completed on the outer shell and inner walls of the bolthole. The interior of the structure is painted in an eggshell white, fire-resistant paint (chosen to reflect and brighten any available light. Any necessary exposed wiring is now mounted to the interior. The prefab outer sections of the exits are mounted, and backfilling commences.

The bolthole has seven major interior features:
1) Weapons and Ammunition Storage: All easily removed vehicle weapons and all ammunition are stored in this blast-resistant room. The only way to enter is through a hydraulically operated blast door. To gain access, a MPID must be inserted into the card reader to the right of the door and a PIN typed into the keypad fitted below. Only the MPID/PINs of the assigned team and the assigned support group will unlock the door. In the event of an explosion caused by a fire, forced entry, etc., the room is designed to allow the blast to be vented outwards in three directions. The rest of the bolthole will survive intact.

2) Cryogenic Chamber: All personnel assigned to the bolthole have their cryo tubes placed in this room. The only way to enter is through a hydraulically operated blast door. To gain access, a MPID must be inserted into the card reader to the right of the door and a PIN typed into the keypad fitted below. Only the MPID/PINs of the assigned team and the assigned support group will unlock the door. Fitted to the right side of the door is what has been nicknamed the “Riot Rack.” This is a weapons rack holding two SPAS-12 combat shotguns and fifty rounds of ammunition (these weapons are normally assigned to the vehicles), an additional one hundred of 9mm ammunition is stored here as well (for the team member’s pistols). The team’s personnel weapons and equipment are stored in lockers mounted at the foot of the tubes.

3) Personal Exit: Intended to allow the team to first conduct a dismounted reconnaissance of the area around their bolthole after recall. The exit is filled with dry sand and is designed to allow the sand to cascade into the bolthole when the inner hatch is opened. There is a ladder mounted on one wall, going up to a ceiling hatch through the middle roof. There is a small chamber here with a ceiling hatch through the upper roof. Both hatches open downwards. After opening the final hatch, packed earth must be dug through to reach the surface, typically one meter above the hatch. The outer hatch is equipped with a card reader that allows Project Support Teams to enter the bolthole for equipment upgrades and maintenance.

4) Main Room: This room six features:

A) Work Bench/Table: Used to clean and assemble weapons, load magazines, unpack equipment as well as a table for any mission planning. It is a simple metal picnic-style table. When the team first awakens, a sealed package containing special orders and any necessary documents and maps are stored in a sealed lockbox welded to one end of the table. This is fitted with a combination lock (known only to the team leader, assistant team leader and one other team member). Also placed on the table are bottles of fluid supplements and energy bars to assist the team in recovering from the effects of cryo freeze.

B) Team Vehicle parking Area: All team vehicles are parked here, each on four manual screw jacks and four metal blocks. Each vehicle was raised and then lowered onto the blocks to relieve any tension on the suspension. To lower the vehicles for use, the screw jacks are used to raise the vehicle off the blocks, the blocks are then removed, and the vehicle is lowered onto the floor. Suspended from the ceiling over each vehicle is an electrical outlet with a cable connecting the bolthole’s power supply to the vehicle’s onboard fusion reactor, this is used to give the initial “jumpstart” to the power plant and must be removed before the vehicle is started. Finally, bulk supplies are stored in crates and storage boxes around the perimeter of the inner wall.

C) Four-Wheeled Push Cart: A simple metal pushcart used to move equipment, weapons and ammunition around the bolthole.

D) Main Door Controls: The controls to activate the main inner and outer vehicle exit doors. Sufficient power is available to cycle the doors (open and closed) up to three times. These controls must be activated by a MPID.

E) Bolthole Computer. Designed to monitor and control the cyrogenic tubes, the ELF receiver for the recall message, the atmosphere within the bolthole before and during recall as well as the over status of the bolthole during the period of cryogenic suspension. The computer is programed to wipe its memory and shut down four hours after the team has been successfully awakened. Next to the computer is a radio hookup that allows a team vehicle radio to be used to contact Command Teams. A battery charger rack is mounted below, this contains all of the power packs for the teams equipment. These packs are charged during the wake-up process.

F) Periscope Package: This is lifted hydraulically through the earth cover above the bolthole. It is designed to allow the viewing of the immediate area above the bolthole and is equipped with sensors to monitor the levels of radiation in the area as well as the presence of any chemicals. It cannot be removed from the bolthole.

5) Interior Blast Doors: A set of reinforce blast doors. These can only be opened by the door controls in 4D. When opened, the doors rest flush with the walls of the exit tunnel. The outer doors are concealed behind three meters of packed earth. This exit is large and very slow to open as the armored doors are quite heavy and must be pushed through the earth cover, it is thus a very conspicuous method of leaving the bolthole.

6) Vehicle Exit Tunnel: The exit tunnel has no set length of Project standards. The tunnel may slope from -10o to as much as +45o. The exact length and slope depends upon local terrain.

7) Emergency Personnel Exit: Set into the wall near the vehicle exit. The exit is filled with dry sand and is designed to allow the sand to cascade into the bolthole when the inner hatch is opened. There is a ladder mounted on one wall, going up to a ceiling hatch through the middle roof. There is a small chamber here with a ceiling hatch through the upper roof. Both hatches open downwards. After opening the final hatch, packed earth must be dug through to reach the surface, typically two meter above the hatch.

EMERGENCY TOOLS AND SUPPLIES…Every bolthole has two metal racks which hold escape tools and emergency supplies. These items are set up and ready for immediate use. This permits the Team to grab the equipment on the run when making a rapid escape in the event of an emergency. Please note that this equipment is in addition to the normal issue of team equipment.

Rack 1 (located on the right side of the Personal Exit): 1 Ration Kit, 1 Large MedKit, 4 Shovels, 1 Axe, single bit, 2 Picks, 2 Crowbars, 400 Sandbags (empty, in bundles of 20).

Rack 2 (located on the left side of the Emergency Personal Exit): 1 Ration Kit, 1 Large MedKit, 4 Shovels, 1 Axe, single bit, 2 Picks, 2 Crowbars, 400 Sandbags (empty, in bundles of 20).

EXITS…The bolthole has three exits, all are designed to be blast-proof and extremely difficult to detect by outside observation. All Project members are aware of how the exits are set up and how they operate. Every Project member has received this training, as well as being required to participate on one “wake-up drill”---where they were frozen for one week.

STORED EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES…Except for the emergency supplies stored on the two racks by the Personal/Emergency Exits, all material in the bolthole is in storage. Vehicle weapons are not mounted; all munitions, supplies and ammunition are packed in sealed containers such as boxes, cans, crates and so on. Personal weapons, web gear, medkits, backpacks, etc. are stored in the locker located at the end of each cryotube. All battery-operated gear have had their power packs removed while in storage. These batteries are all in a charger beside the bolthole computer and are automatically charged up during the recall cycle.

STANDARD OPERATIONS…While the occupants are in cryosleep, the bolthole is filled with an inert gas, at a slight overpressure (20psi), this has the function of keeping the regular atmosphere out of the bolthole. The cyrogenic process includes an electro-magnetic field that has the effect of preserving the equipment stored inside from the normal wear and tear of time. Stored items do not rust or decay in a bolthole.

The bolthole is powered by a self-contained, long-life, radioactive thermoelectric generator (RTG). The RTG module is buried in the solid rock below the facility (approximately 100 meters). This is powered by a receptacle of low-level nuclear waste material within a lead shield. This waste gives off heat as the radioactive material decays. Attached to the lead casing is a solid-state thermoelectric device, which directly converts the heat into electricity. This is then converted into a low-level direct current which in turn powers a series of Eternal Batteries (Project developed ultra-long-life power cells), which, in turn, power the facility.

This system provides a dependable source of electrical power that will last for hundreds of years without noticeable power degradation, so once buried, the RTG no longer needs to be refueled. The only drawback with RTGs is that, due to the design limits of the system, they can only provide a limited amount of electricity; enough to run the minimal system requirements while the team is frozen, but not enough to run the bolthole at full power, with the awakened team.

After receiving the recall signal, the bolthole computer sets the Eternal Batteries (aka as E-Bats) to run at “overload” capacity, thus generating the power necessary to wake the team, as well as charging up all the team’s batteries, and---most importantly---to give the vehicle’s fusion reactor its initial charge.

Another important part of the bolthole’s integral equipment is the computer. Thus system monitors the overpressure of the inert gas in the bolthole and should the pressure drop below a pre-determined level, the computer is programmed to sound the Breach Alarm and awaken the team. It will also wake the team if it detects the entry of water into the bolthole or if lethal levels of radiation are detected within the facility. The computer also monitors the individual cryotubes. In the event of a system failure, the computer will engage the Emergency Wake-Up code and bring the entire team out of sleep. Finally, the computer monitors the Extreme Low Frequency (ELF) receiver for status inquires, recall codes or any of a number of emergency signals.

No matter the circumstance under which the computer initiates recall, it first replaces the inert gas within the bolthole with a pre-bottled atmosphere mixture. It then starts the recall procedure for all the cryotubes and turns on the lights in the bolthole.

All Project vehicles are equipped with a fusion power pack with an 18-month fuel supply. This unit requires an external power source to start the fusion reaction. A cable hanging from the ceiling is run into the engine compartment of each vehicle and plugged into the power pack, when the recall signal is received, a strong electrical charge is sent to activate the fusion pack. This cable must be manually disconnected before the vehicle is driven out of the bolthole.

Once the computer has initiated the recall procedure, the team’s cryotubes begin the reawakening.

Each individual are in their cryotubes, wearing only light underwear with needles inserted into their arms, monitors wired to the chests and heads, conductive electric shock pads taped to their bodies, an automatic hear-massage arm in position over their chests, a respiration tube down their throats and surrounded by the microwave heating units that will return their bodies back up to normal temperatures. Each individuals MPID is sitting in a slot in the inside of the tube; the MPID must be removed to unlock and open that individual’s cryotube. After removing their MPID, there is a one-minute delay before the cryotube cover opens.

Once the computer has verified that all team members have been successfully recalled, the computer starts another program, this one with a four-hour clock. At the end of the four hours, the computer executes its final program, wipes all programs and shuts itself down. Once this is done, the computer cannot be re-activated, it is essentially high-tech junk.
The bolthole’s Eternal batteries will provide power for twelve hours after recall. The override capability essentiality destroys the E-Bats and they are non-recoverable. The RTG cannot be recovered. The air supply is good for only 18-hours of breathable air, but the team will notice that the atmosphere grows increasingly foul and the they will be forced to either move around the bolthole or do something to get the remaining atmosphere to circulate. The bolthole is not designed for habitation, there is no water supply, no sanitation, no ventilation. The bolthole is designed to be abandoned.

[nuke11]

My only problem with my design for your base bolt hole and what started my re-thinking of the emergency exits in general. They are for emergencies, so I don't think it is a good idea that it takes an hour or 2 to clear the shaft and all of that material needs to be moved into the bolt hole in general.

I was watching a documentary recently on the Diefenbunker https://diefenbunker.ca/en/ and they explained the emergency escape shafts and why they where put in.

There are 2 emergency escape shafts built into the bunker. These shafts are all filled with p-gravel as well.

Here is how they work and how I think it may work for a bolthole as well.

1. Access to the shaft is gained thru a heavy steel door that swings into the escape shaft. The shaft is outside of the bunker.

2. This area has an open pit just inside of the door where a floor would be and is as big as the shaft above and extends to either side under this anti-room. Opposite to the opening there are rungs embedded into the shaft and forms a ladder up the shaft. Maybe 5 or 6 visible at this point.

3. Above the door is a steel hatch with a latch that closes off the bottom of the shaft. On the wall directly above the escape hatch is a lever. The lever is mechanically assisted and connects to a latch that holds the hatch shut. When you activate the lever the hatch opens under the weight of p-gravel and or sand that fills the shaft above.

4. The hatch above swings open, downward into the anti-room and all of the material in the shaft falls down into the open pit below. The suction from the material falling out of the shaft also clears the material that closed the shaft at the surface. The pit is big enough to hold all of the material and once fully filled, now becomes the floor that can be used to stand on to move to the now exposed shaft above and ladder in the shaft walls. A shovel or 2 could be placed to either side of the escape exit and would be used to only open the shaft at the surface if required.

The escape shaft would be usable in just a few minutes, not hours and described in Riverton and the 3rd/4th edition rule book.

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by nuke11

The escape shaft would be usable in just a few minutes, not hours and described in Riverton and the 3rd/4th edition rule book.

I like the modifications!

There is one concern, namely that of ground water seepage into the bolthole. One of the reasons I modified the wall structure was to provide a runoff for any seepage. I also tried to keep the basic design to a rectangular shape for simplicity.

So how does positioning the emergency exits between the outer and middle walls sound, this would place the dump for the pea-gravel in the sub floors and allow its possible usage as a sump.

[tsofian]

The pea gravel filled shafts were used in the Maginot line. I thought I had mentioned them when talking about Prime Basse. although it might have been in another list

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by tsofian

The pea gravel filled shafts were used in the Maginot line. I thought I had mentioned them when talking about Prime Basse. although it might have been in another list

And most likely you did! I've been in and out of hospitals so much for the last year, I'm starting to like wearing hospital gowns!

[tsofian]

That sucks but I'm sure you fill a gown out nicely!

[dragoon500ly]

Head surgery, which is bad!

But the surgeon confirms that I do have a brain, which is great!

But my wife assures that me that the next step is to confirm that it works, why am I married to her again?

As the gown, thinking about posting pics, but even I have some standards!!!!

[ChalkLine]

I like it. It should be very usable and also should be a good place store stuff you can't take with you. This is another thing I don't like about bolt holes in the rules as written; if you can't stay in them they should be concealable so excess material and vehicles can be sequestered as well as stuff you pick up along the way.

I'm surprised that some of the caches aren't established forward operating bases. Expecting the teams to live out of their trucks and tracks is a bit much.

[dragoon500ly]

I've thought about this for a long time. IMHO Recon team bolthole should be abandoned once recall has been completed. After all, their mission is to get out and survey the area. At the same time I don't have a problem with a larger cache contains a variety of supplies that the team use to build a base camp at a later time.