The 'Able' atomic bomb test at Bikini Atoll
|
Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll
Harry S Truman was
the 33rd American President who served in office from April 12, 1945 to January 20, 1953. One of the important events during his presidency was Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll
and the atomic bomb tests.
Bikini Atoll Facts: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
about the Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll.
What is the location of Bikini Atoll?
The atoll of Bikini, consists of 23 islands
totaling 3.4 square miles surrounding a
lagoon and part of the remote Ralik Chain in
the region of Micronesia in a central point
in the Pacific
Ocean. Definition: An atoll is a chain of
islands formed of coral.
What was Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll? Operation Crossroads
was a program that was established in 1946
to conduct two nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll
in the Marshall Islands. The two atomic
weapons tests were codenamed "Operation
Crossroads". The "Able" test detonated an
atomic bomb on July 1, 1946 and the "Baker"
test was detonated on July 25, 1946
Why was it called Operation Crossroads?
The name was selected because the atomic
bomb represented a "crossroads" from
conventional warfare to nuclear war.
Additional Nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll:
Between 1946 - 1958, a total of 23 nuclear
devices were detonated by the US at seven
test sites located on the Bikini Atoll coral
reef. The reason for the tests was to
explore the effects of airborne and
underwater nuclear explosions on ships,
equipment, and material.
Bikini
Atoll Facts
for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting information, history and
facts on Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll for kids.
Bikini Atoll
Facts for kids
Bikini Atoll
Facts -
1:
Operation Crossroads at
Bikini Atoll were the first nuclear weapons tests
in peace time. The bombs were dropped shortly after
World War 2 had ended with the
Nagasaki and
Hiroshima bombings.
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 2: Operation
Crossroads was the idea of Lewis Strauss, an aide to
Secretary of Navy James Forrestal, who later became
Chairman of the US Atomic Energy Commission.
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 3: Vice Admiral W. H.
P. Blandy, became the head of the test series task force
and named the
program "Operation Crossroads" because the atomic bomb
represented a "crossroads" from conventional war to
nuclear war.
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 4: Operation
Crossroads was approved by US President Harry S. Truman
on 10 January 1946 and Bikini Atoll was selected as the
site for three
Atomic Bomb tests that were codenamed Able, Baker and Charlie.
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 5: The decision to
conduct nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll was made at the same time the
United States was proposing a plan at the United Nations
(UN) for the abolition of atomic weapons
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 6: Bikini Atoll is located 850
kilometers northwest of Majuro on the northern fringe of the
Marshall Islands and is composed of 23 islands. Four islands, called
Bikini, Eneu, Nam and Enidrik, accounted for over 70% of the land
area. The islands of Bikini and Eneu were the only islands of the
atoll that have had a permanent population.
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 7: Bikini Atoll was chosen as the
test site because the reef surrounded a lagoon of over 200 square
miles. The lagoon offered ample protected anchorage for both the
fleet of target and support ships and were well away from regular
air and sea routes.
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 8: These advantages at Bikini
Atoll outweighed the drawbacks of the location. The drawbacks were
the distance from the United States which imposed difficult
logistical requirements and the humid climate that could effect the
scientific instruments and photographic equipment.
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 9: The major problem
was that the Bikini Atoll islands had a small population
of 167 Bikini islanders. The inhabitants comprised of
about 40 families were asked to relocate in 1946. The
islanders led by Chief Juda voluntarily moved to
Rongerik Atoll on the understanding that they would be
able to return once the tests were over.
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 10: The Bikini Atoll islanders
voluntarily moved to Rongerik Atoll, then moved to
Rongerik Atoll, then Kwajalein Atoll, and once again in
November 1948 to Kili Island. The islanders were later
given public lands on Ejit.
Bikini Atoll
Facts for kids
Facts
about the Bikini Atoll Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with interesting information, history and facts
on Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll for kids.
Bikini Atoll
Facts for kids
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 11: A fleet of 95
surplus ships and submarines that were badly damaged
during WW2 were used as targets,
including the Saratoga aircraft carrier, the Arkansas
battleship, the German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen and the Japanese
battleship Nagato. The target ships at Bikini Atoll were loaded with
thousands of scientific instruments to tests the effects
of the explosions.
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 12: Over 42,000 U.S.
military and civilian personnel, 242 naval ships and 156
aircraft, were involved in the testing program at Bikini
Atoll.
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 13: Over 5,500
experimental animals were to placed on 22 target ships
in positions similar to those of a human crew in
battles. The animals included 200 pigs, 5,000 rats, 200
mice, 60 guinea pigs and 204 goats
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 14: The two bombs used in
Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll, codenamed ABLE and BAKER, were identical in
design and yield to the Atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki.
Bikini Atoll
Facts -
15: Code name ABLE was
an air drop surface detonation. Code name BAKER was an
underwater shallow detonation. Code name CHARLIE was
intended as an underwater deep detonation but was
cancelled.
Bikini Atoll
Facts -
16: The standard
NATO Alphabet was not adopted
until 1956. Up to this time the American armed forces
had developed their own phonetic alphabets which is why
the code names fro the bombs were Alpha and Baker ,
rather than Alpha and Bravo.
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 17: The "Able" test at
Bikini Atoll detonated an
atomic bomb on July 1, 1946 at at 9:00 a.m. The "Able" bomb was
given the nickname of "Gilda" after Rita Hayworth's latest movie.
Rita Hayworth's picture in a low-cut dress was painted on the bomb's
casing.
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 18: The "Baker" test was detonated on
July 25, 1946 at 8:35 a.m. The "Baker" bomb was given
the nickname "Helen of Bikini". It was an underwater
shallow shot to test its effects on submerged submarines
and the hulls of 87 battleships.
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 19: The "Able" and "Baker" tests
at Bikini Atoll were witnessed by hundreds of observers including reporters,
photographers, politicians and members of the Security Council and the United
Nations together with 42,000 scientific and military personnel.
Literally hundreds of thousands of photographs were taken of the tests
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 20: None of the
observers of the "mushroom clouds", nor the men who
participated in the 'clean-up operation' during
Operation Crossroads wore any protective clothing.
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 21: The airburst
"Able" bomb, with a yield of 23 kilotons, exploded 518
feet, over the array of old ships, above the lagoon's
surface. One report of the explosion said "For minutes
the cloud stood solid and impressive, like some gigantic
monument..."
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 22: Five ships sank
immediately and many other were damaged beyond repair.
About 10% of the test animals died instantly from the
impact of the blast.
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 23: The Radiological
Safety Section of Operation Crossroads consisted of
radiologists, physicists, electronic experts and doctors
and these men were the first to proceed to the lagoon,
with their Geiger counters, after the explosions.
Bikini Atoll
Facts - 24: The underwater "Baker" test was
conducted to test submerged submarines and the hulls of
the target battleships. One report of the explosion said
"For a time it looked as though a giant mountain had
risen from the sea..."
Bikini Atoll
Facts -
25: Major General Nichols was quoted as
saying "Niagara Falls in reverse shot up over an area
fully 2,200 feet in diameter, millions of tons of water
rose about 5,000 feet and finally vapor and steam came
out on top..."
Bikini Atoll
Facts -
26: For six days after the Baker bomb
explosion, when radiation levels were highest, 4,900 US
servicemen boarded the target ships and attempted to
scrub off the radioactivity with brushes, water, soap,
and lye. Nothing worked, other than sandblasting areas
of contamination to bare metal.
Bikini Atoll
Facts -
27: According to the
official report, decontamination efforts "revealed
conclusively that removal of radioactive contamination
of the type encountered in the target vessels in test
Baker cannot be accomplished successfully."
Bikini Atoll
Facts -
28: Bikini Atoll was
the first site in the Marshall Islands to be used for
nuclear-weapon testing by the United States in 1946. In
1948, a neighboring atoll called Enewetak Atoll,
replaced Bikini as the nuclear weapons test site. In
1954, Bikini Atoll was reactivated as a test site until
the United States terminated nuclear-weapon testing in
the Marshall Islands in 1958.
Bikini Atoll
Facts -
29: By the time
nuclear weapons testing in the Marshall Islands was
terminated in July 1958, twenty three nuclear weapon
tests had been conducted on Bikini Atoll over a
twelve year period. Only one test was conducted
underwater, all the others were atmospheric or surface
tests.
Bikini Atoll
Facts -
30: Radiological
surveys were conducted from 1958 to assess the impact of
the weapons testing. In August 1968 it was announced
that Bikini Atoll was safe for habitation and approved
for resettlement.
Bikini Atoll
Facts -
31: 139 Bikinians
returned to Bikini Atoll but remained concerned about
the safety of the islands. In 1975 the Bikinians
initiated a lawsuit against the US Government to
terminate the resettlement until a comprehensive
radiological survey had been conducted. Additional
radiological data was collected for evaluation and
September 1978 the decision was made to relocate the 139
Bikinians back to Ejit Island and Kili Island at Majuro
Atoll, 850 kilometers away from Bikini Atoll.
Bikini Atoll
Facts -
32: Subsequent reports
on the Radiological Conditions recommended that Bikini
Island should not be permanently resettled. It remains
uninhabited to the current day.
Bikini Atoll
Facts for kids
Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll - President Harry Truman Video
The article on the
Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Harry Truman video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 33rd American President whose presidency spanned from April 12, 1945 to January 20, 1953.
Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll
●
Interesting Facts about Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll for kids and schools
●
Summary and Definition of the Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll in US history
●
Bikini Atoll Facts with important dates and key
events
●
Bikini Atoll Facts with important dates and key
events
●
Fast, fun, interesting
facts about Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll
●
Foreign & Domestic
policy of President Truman
●
Operation Crossroads and Bikini Atoll Facts for schools,
homework, kids and children |