4/29/2004: Baker detonates underwater

[Undertoad]

Lurker mmmmbacon sends this along and I found it as captivating as (s?)he does. Like most of us I've seen a lot of historical images of mushroom clouds, but I can't remember one where the "stem" looked like that. To imagine being anywhere near it! I'll just paste in mmmmbacon's fine description, too, thanks a lot!

It's a picture of the second of the Operation Crossroads nuclear tests at the Bikini atoll, on July 25, 1946, the first nuclear operations conducted in the Marshall Islands. Two bombs were exploded; one an atmospheric burst (named Able) on July 5th, and the second, an underwater detonation (Baker), which is what the picture is of. The ships in the picture are unmanned target ships, of which Able sank five and Baker sank eight. Looking at the picture, I can't imagine how they weren't all sank. The blast caused a tidal wave to pound the atoll and significant damage was done from that.

The ships that didn't sink were decontaminated by navy personell at a time when radioactivity was poorly understood. This became a controversy as many questioned whether navy personnel's lives were endangered. All the water from the blast was radioactive.

Scuba divers today enjoy the Bikini atoll for all the ships that were sank in Operation Crossroads.

Here's a good background page:
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq76-1.htm

Sound good oil paintings of Baker.
http://www.history.navy.mil/ac/bikini/bikini5.htm

Here's two great online galleries of lots of nuclear test blasts.
http://www.wps.com/archives/wxvax7.esa.lanl.gov/
http://www.zvis.com/nuclear/nukimgdht.shtml

[Griff]

Thanks, you've been excellent hosts! You can have your island back now.

[jaguar]

Thanks, you've been excellent hosts! You can have your island^H^H^H^H^H^Hcrater back now.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Bada boom. Big bada boom. And the best is yet to come.

[MAdMoNKEY]

I bet the scuba divers enjoy the 3-eyed fish as well...

[Nothing But Net]

Hey, I've seen this before. It's really a picture of Rush Limbaugh doing a belly flop.

[Troubleshooter]

Originally posted by MAdMoNKEY
I bet the scuba divers enjoy the 3-eyed fish as well...

Last I heard that area was known for having a profound black-tipped shark population. They were doing studies that were pointing to social structure in the shark species.

[chrisinhouston]

One of the more interesting land tests was Operation Plumbbob conducted in 1957. A little town was erected around the blast site complete with animals such as pigs and rabbits. 710 pigs were exposed to shot Priscilla, all died from blast and radiation.


Jerry Kendrick, a surviving veteran of the tests was quoted as saying:

"The rabbit's eyes were considered similar to a human's eyes so they put rabbits at various distances from the blast with their heads aimed toward the blast, but they forgot rabbits go to sleep. They would get bored, they would be there for a day or two before the blast," Kendrick said. "The communications unit had to string a little light electrical wire and tape it to the nose of all the rabbits and it would send a little pulse across to the rabbits and wake them up."

The pig's skin was considered similar to that of human skin, so piglets were used in Operation Plumbbob, Kendrick said.

"They made little uniforms with T-shirts and everything and put them on all the pigs and little tan uniforms and they had several tests," Kendrick said. However, the nuclear explosion was delayed 42 days due to weather. The piglets grew during that time and a tailor had to be sent back out to sew the uniforms again the night before the blast, he said.

Here is a picture from the air of the BBQ cookoff!

[Turtleknee]

Here is the same picture, but a little further back.

No tourists sittling on the beach watching the show though.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Imagine how many fish are in that column.

And welcome to the Cellar, Turtleknee.

[BigV]

Even the tiny thumbnails in the gallery here are powerful. I am simultaneously filled with revulsion and unable to tear away my gaze. What have we wrought?

http://www.michaellight.net/100suns/

[Griff]

Pretty heavy stuff V. Those soldiers who were used like that really got to me.

[onetrack]

The scary parts about the nuclear programs are ...

1. The W-54, one man nuclear weapon .. it only weighs 50 pounds .. but did you see the pics of the destructive result??

I could just imagine Muslim terrorists dreaming and planning, of how they can get hold of one ...

"Brothers in Allah .. just one, is all we need! .. to be in Paradise with 72 virgins, in an instant!!" ..

Also .. in the military classification list, known as FSC's (Federal Supply Classes) .. there are 14 types of nuclear weapons listed .. including the cute items such as ..

"1095 - Miscellaneous Weapons'' .. (uh-huh .. that one over there, is just a miscellaneous nuke .. mmm??) ..

"1120 - Nuclear depth charges .. the mind boggles .. they need a Nuke to nail a sub??? ) ..

"1125 - Nuclear demolition charges .. the mind boggles again .. "What are we scorching today, Sarge??" .. "Oh, I think we'll just blow Washington off the face of the map, to deny any usefulness to the enemy" .. (hmm .. maybe not such a bad idea .. .. )


2. What about the tests they didn't .. or maybe couldn't .. photograph??
Has anyone heard about the nuclear tests made in outer space, in the early 60s, via the space program rockets??

3. Does anyone realise that the U.S. Govt still spends US$96 million a DAY .. yes .. US$96 million .. of which 2/3rds is spent on operation and maintenance of the nuclear arsenal?

The rest is spent on cleanup, (including weapon dismantling and storage of dangerous components) .. arms control verification, and ballistic missile defense research ..

http://www.brook.edu/fp/projects/nucwcost/pantex.htm

[Roosta]

I saw a programme on telly a few years back that said that there is about 25 briefcase sized nuclear weapons missing and in circulation in the world. Frightening stuff....

[tw]

Originally Posted by Roosta

I saw a programme on telly a few years back that said that there is about 25 briefcase sized nuclear weapons missing and in circulation in the world. Frightening stuff....

Not so frightening. Such weapons are easily detected by routine scanning equipment. Second, people assume they are activated simply by pushing a button. You have PC problems. Those are trivial compared to triggering a suitcase bomb. And third, those weapons degrade quickly to uselessness if not maintained. Technology and materials not found in any dentist's office or janitorial supply house.

What made so many surface to air missiles useless to terrorists? Batteries went dead.

Worry little about the nukes. Worry far more about biological and conventional weapons. History should make that obvious. Destructive weapons using the simplest technology and not stuff hyped in movies should worry you more.

That is the genius of the 11 September attacks. Even Tom Clancy was predicting such an attack. And yet they walked right in, even with fake NJ Drivers Licenses, to attack the WTC, Pentagon, and a field outside Johnstown. Where were all the expensive, hyped, high tech weapons? How did they slaughter so many school children in (forgot the name) last September? Guns hidden underneath a floor. There is the greater danger in part because we hype the wrong threat.