blog




  • Essay / The Desolation of Bikini - 879

    Bikini Island is located in the Pacific Ocean and is part of the Marshall Islands. It is a small island located only seven feet above sea level. In July 1946, the Joint Chiefs of Army and Navy, led by Vice Admiral WHP Blandy, conducted the first test nuclear submarine in peacetime conditions off the coast of Bikini to determine the capabilities of nuclear weapons as they relate to naval applications. Other members of Working Group 1 included: Dr. John Van Neumann, the scientific advisor; Commodore JA Snackenberg, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Dr RA Sawyer, technical director; and UN observers representing Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Egypt, Great Britain, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland and the USSR. In order to conduct the test, the Joint Chiefs had to move 166 Bikini natives to Rongerik Island. . This was a heavily documented event and 104 still cameras were used as well as 208 moving cameras. Not to miss anything, 18 tons of film were also used during the operation. Operation Crossroads would include two tests, the first would be a surface explosion delivered by the "Dave's Dream" aircraft and the second would be an underwater explosion. The first test was reportedly carried out on July 1, 1946. 100 decommissioned warships from several home countries were placed in the impact zone. The observers and naval crew were taken aboard ships stationed 20 miles away. Onlookers were told it would be a big explosion and to cover their eyes before impact. A sailor named John Smitherman recounted the events, saying that radioactivity was not discussed with the soldiers. The enlistees “didn’t really know what the word was.” (Stone, 1987) After the bomb exploded almost...... middle of paper ...... the bomb exploded near Bikini. These tests caused extreme radiation of the area. Residents attempted to return to their homes in the 1960s, but were unable to do so due to high levels of radiation still present. The United States began a cleanup program in the late 1960s, which continues today. The most extensive cleanup was completed in 1998, when the island was reopened for fishing and diving, although Bikini was still uninhabitable. Works Cited Army, U. (2001). FM4-02. Headquarters, Department of the Army.283 Treatment of nuclear and radiological casualties. Falls Church: Eric A. Croddy, J.J. (2005). Weapons of Mass Destruction: An Encyclopedia of World Politics, Technology, and History. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Inc. Shurcliff, W. (1947). Bikini Bombs. New York: Wm. H. Wise and Co., Inc. Stone, R. (editor). (1987). Radio Bikini [Movie].