nuclear-news

 Verdi man recalls ‘Operation Crossroads’ nuclear tests of
1946 and ‘unsinkable’ USS Nevada, Guy Clifton: RGJ.com, 23 Dec 12“…..Larson was a
19-year-old sailor assigned to the carrier USS Independence. In July
1946, he was part of the crew that sailed the Independence to Bikini
Atoll in the south Pacific, where it and other aged naval vessels —
including the USS Nevada — were targets in Operations Crossroads, a
series of tests conducted by the U.S. to investigate the effect of
nuclear weapons on naval ships.

Sixty-six years later, Larson still shakes his head in wonderment as
he leafs through a book — a pictorial history of Operations Crossroads
— given to all of the military personnel who took part……
With the war over, and at 32 years old, the Nevada was deemed by the
Navy as “too old,” for the post-war fleet. It was selected to be one
of 95 ships in Operation Crossroads.

The testing was to include the detonation of two atomic bombs — one
above the water (code name Able) and one below the surface (code name
Baker), and the Nevada was selected to be “ground zero” for the first
test, Able…..
A few weeks later, Larson and other crewmen were taken to the ships
to examine damage.

“Every day, we were issued new khaki uniforms and boots,” he said. “We
were only allowed to work on the ship for 30 minutes. After that, they
took the clothes and burned them. Then, we had to take saltwater
showers until we stopped clicking (on the Geiger counters).”

The second test, held about three weeks after the first, was equally
dramatic, but in a different way. Exploding under water, it sent a
giant water plume thousands of feet into the air…..
http://www.rgj.com/article/20121223/LIV11/312230039/

December 24, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | history, OCEANIA, weapons and war