US intercontinental ballistic missile base for sale on eBay

US intercontinental ballistic missile base, equipped with a vast underground network of tunnels and rooms but no atomic warheads, is for sale in a remote corner of the United States.

Photo: US intercontinental ballistic missile base for sale on eBay

US intercontinental ballistic missile base for sale on eBay

The warheads and missiles went when the US government abandoned the Titan bases in the 1970s.

Located near remote Moses Lake in the northwest state of Washington, the former Larsen military base includes 4,000 square meters (43,000 square feet) of "usable" space on 23 hectares (56 acres) of land, and the owner is only asking for 1.5 million dollars -- which might buy a small home in Hollywood.

The seller, Bari Hotchkiss, sees the base as a "gorgeous" property and potential resort. He has put it up for sale on the eBay auction site.

"We used to use it as a summer camp, for our kids and their friends," he told AFP.

"The only limit is imagination. We've always wanted to see it turn into summer camp or resort camp," he said.

The Los Angeles investor bought the former base 10 years ago from owners who had purchased the property in the 1970s, when the US government concluded the Titan missiles had become obsolete, the AFP reports.

Mr Hotchkiss said there are 18 former Titan bases and nearly all of them were sold off. He claims his is rare in being dry.

He admitted that full refurbishment would cost several million dollars but added: "If you only need one or a couple of the buildings to begin with, several hundred thousand dollars might do it."

Amazingly, even the Larsen base is not quite unique.

The website missilebases.com is offering a former Titan base outside Denver, Colorado, for $1.8 million cash, telegraph.co.uk reports.

The website says the base "bring new meaning to the word 'shelter'", adding that such properties are the "castles of the 20th century".

Source: agencies